For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Wednesday, February 9, 2011 USDL-11-0155
Technical information: (202) 691-7410 * nls_info@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/nls
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
AMERICA'S YOUNG ADULTS AT 23: SCHOOL ENROLLMENT, TRAINING, AND
EMPLOYMENT TRANSITIONS BETWEEN AGES 22 AND 23
At age 23, there is a clear gender gap in educational attainment. While nearly
1 in 4 women had earned a bachelor’s degree by the October when they were
age 23, only 1 in 7 men had done so, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics re-
ported today. Additionally, the same percentage of men and women, 16 percent,
were enrolled in college at age 23, so it is unlikely the gap in educational
attainment will close in the next few years.
These findings are from the first 12 annual rounds of the National Longi-
tudinal Survey of Youth 1997, which is a nationally representative survey of
about 9,000 young men and women who were born during the years 1980 to 1984.
These respondents were ages 12 to 17 when first interviewed in 1997 and ages
23 to 29 when interviewed for the 12th time in the 2008-09 survey round. The
survey provides information on work and nonwork experiences, training, schooling,
income, assets, and other characteristics. The information provided by respondents
is representative of all men and women born in the early 1980s and living in the
United States when the survey began in 1997.
This release examines the school enrollment and employment experiences of these
individuals when they were ages 22 and 23, with a focus on their characteristics
during October. Respondents were age 22 in October during the years 2002 to 2007
and age 23 in October from 2003 to 2008. Highlights from the longitudinal survey
include:
--During the October when they were 23 years old, 23 percent of women had
earned a bachelor’s degree, compared with 14 percent of men. (See table 1.)
--Among those who were enrolled in college when they were 22 years old,
almost a third had earned a bachelor’s degree by age 23, while 23 per-
cent were no longer enrolled in college. Non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics
or Latinos were less likely than non-Hispanic whites to have earned
a bachelor’s degree between ages 22 and 23. (See table 2.)
--Eight percent of male high school graduates who had never enrolled in col-
lege were in the Armed Forces during the October when they were age 23,
as were 6 percent of the 23-year-old men who had attended college but had
not earned a bachelor’s degree and were no longer enrolled. Two percent
of 23-year-old men with a bachelor’s degree were serving in the Armed
Forces. (See table 3.)
--Individuals born from 1980 to 1984 held an average of 4.9 jobs from age 18
to age 23. Those with more education held more jobs than those with less
education. (See table 4.)
--High school graduates who had never enrolled in college were employed an
average of 74 percent of the weeks from age 18 to age 23. By comparison,
those who had dropped out of high school were employed 54 percent of
those weeks. (See table 4.)
--Six percent of individuals who had not earned a high school
diploma or General Educational Development (GED) credential before their
24th birthday had never held a job since the time they left high school.
(See table 5.)
Educational Attainment at Age 23
Nineteen percent of individuals had earned a bachelor’s degree by the October when
they were age 23, up from 10 percent at age 22. The percent of individuals enrolled
in college fell from 27 percent at age 22 to 16 percent at age 23. Forty-seven per-
cent of 23-year-olds had graduated from high school and were not enrolled in college,
and 8 percent had earned a GED credential and were not enrolled in college.
Eleven percent of individuals were high school dropouts during the October when they
were age 23. (See table 1.)
Women were 1.6 times as likely as men to have earned a bachelor’s degree by the Octo-
ber when they were age 23 and were equally likely to be enrolled in college. Twenty-
three percent of women had earned a bachelor’s degree, compared with 14 percent of
men. Women were less likely than men at age 23 to be high school dropouts or high
school graduates not enrolled in college.
There remains a large gap in educational attainment among racial and ethnic groups. At
age 23, non-Hispanic whites were more than twice as likely as non-Hispanic blacks and
Hispanics or Latinos to have earned a bachelor’s degree. Twenty-two percent of non-
Hispanic whites had earned a bachelor’s degree, compared with 9 percent of non-Hispanic
blacks and 8 percent of Hispanics or Latinos. Non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics or
Latinos were twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites to be high school dropouts in the
October when they were age 23.
Schooling and Training between Ages 22 and 23
Some people delay their college enrollment for a year or more after high school, and
others enroll in college and then leave before earning a degree. Seven percent of high
school graduates who were not enrolled in college during the October when they were
age 22 were enrolled in college the following October. Twenty-three percent of those
enrolled in college during the October when age 22 were not enrolled the following
October and had not earned a bachelor’s degree. Forty-five percent of individuals at-
tending college during the October when they were age 22 were still attending college
the following October, and 32 percent had earned a bachelor’s degree. Among those en-
rolled in college during the October when they were age 22, women were more likely
than men to have earned a bachelor’s degree by the October when they were 23 years of
age (36 percent of women compared with 29 percent of men). Six percent of both women
and men enrolled in college during the October when they were age 22 were enrolled in
a graduate or professional degree program the following October. (See table 2.)
Non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics or Latinos who were enrolled in college at age 22
were more likely than non-Hispanic whites to have left college by the following Octo-
ber without having earned a bachelor’s degree. Among those enrolled in college during
the October when they were age 22, non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics or Latinos were
less likely than non-Hispanic whites to have earned a bachelor’s degree by the follow-
ing October, but non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics or Latinos were more likely than
non-Hispanic whites to have remained enrolled in college.
Instead of attending school, some young adults enroll in training to further their
skills. Five percent of high school graduates who were not enrolled in college at age
22 were in a training program during the October when age 23, while 1 percent of those
previously enrolled in college at age 22 were enrolled in a training program at age 23.
Employment Status of Young Adults Not Enrolled in School at Age 23
At age 23, labor force status differed substantially by educational attainment. Those
with more education were more likely to be employed in civilian jobs and less likely
to be unemployed or out of the labor force. Sixty percent of high school dropouts were
employed in civilian jobs in the October when they were age 23. At the same age, 75 per-
cent of high school graduates who had never enrolled in college were employed in civil-
ian jobs, and another 5 percent were serving in the Armed Forces. Among 23-year-old high
school graduates who had some college experience but had not earned a bachelor’s degree
and were no longer enrolled in college, 81 percent were employed in civilian jobs, and 4
percent were serving in the Armed Forces. Eighty-nine percent of 23-year-olds who had
earned a bachelor’s degree and were no longer enrolled were employed in civilian jobs,
while 2 percent were serving in the Armed Forces. (See table 3.)
Men and women who were college graduates at age 23 were equally likely to be employed.
At lower levels of educational attainment, men were more likely than women to be employ-
ed. Sixty-eight percent of male high school dropouts were employed during the October
when they were age 23, compared with 50 percent of female dropouts. Among high school
graduates who had never enrolled in college, 77 percent of men and 73 percent of women
were employed in civilian jobs, and 8 percent of men and 1 percent of women were serving
in the military. Eighty-three percent of men and 79 percent of women who had attended
some college but had not earned a bachelor’s degree and were no longer enrolled were em-
ployed in civilian jobs in the October when they were age 23; 6 percent of men in this
educational-attainment group were serving in the military, compared with 2 percent of
women. Among those who had earned a bachelor’s degree and were no longer enrolled, 90
percent of both men and women were employed in civilian jobs or serving in the military
during the October when they were age 23.
Employment Attachment of Young Adults
Individuals held an average of 4.9 jobs from the ages of 18 to 23 in 1998-2008. On aver-
age, men held 4.7 jobs and women held 5.1 jobs. (See table 4.) In this release, a job is
defined as an uninterrupted period of work with a particular employer. (See the Technical
Note for additional information on the definition of a job.)
On average, young adults represented by the survey sample were employed during 72 percent
of all the weeks occurring from age 18 to age 23. They were unemployed--that is, without
jobs but seeking work--6 percent of the weeks. They were not in the labor force--that is,
neither working nor seeking work--22 percent of the weeks.
The amount of time employed differs substantially between educational-attainment groups,
especially among non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics or Latinos. Non-Hispanic blacks with
less than a high school diploma spent 40 percent of weeks employed and 44 percent of
weeks out of the labor force from age 18 to age 23. By comparison, non-Hispanic black
high school graduates who had never enrolled in college spent 61 percent of weeks employ-
ed and 26 percent of weeks out of the labor force. Non-Hispanic blacks with a bachelor’s
degree or more education were employed 66 percent of weeks from age 18 to age 23.
Hispanic or Latino high school dropouts spent 60 percent of weeks employed, compared with
73 percent of weeks for Hispanic or Latino high school graduates or those with a bachelor’s
degree.
The amount of time spent in the labor force also differs by sex. Men with less than a
high school diploma spent 61 percent of weeks employed from age 18 to age 23. These men
also spent 13 percent of weeks unemployed. By comparison, women with less than a high
school diploma spent 45 percent of weeks employed and 9 percent of weeks unemployed from
age 18 to age 23. Women without a high school diploma spent as much time out of the labor
force as they spent employed. Women with a bachelor’s degree or more education spent a
larger proportion of weeks employed than did men (74 versus 65 percent).
Duration of Employment Relationships
By their 24th birthday, nearly all young adults had held at least one job since leaving
high school, although high school dropouts, especially female and non-Hispanic black
dropouts, were less likely ever to have held a job than were young adults with more edu-
cation. Most jobs held through age 23 were of relatively short duration. Of the jobs held
by 18- to 23-year-old workers, 56 percent ended in 1 year or less, and another 13 percent
ended in less than 2 years; nine percent of jobs lasted 2 years or more. Another 22 per-
cent of jobs were ongoing at the time of the 2008-09 survey, and their ultimate duration
is therefore not yet known. Jobs held by high school dropouts were more likely to end in 1
year or less than were jobs held by workers with more education. (See table 5.)
