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Economic News Release
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College Enrollment and Work Activity of High School Graduates News Release

For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Friday, April 8, 2011                    USDL-11-0462

Technical information: (202) 691-6378  *  cpsinfo@bls.gov  *  www.bls.gov/cps
Media contact:         (202) 691-5902  *  PressOffice@bls.gov


                       COLLEGE ENROLLMENT AND WORK ACTIVITY OF
                            2010 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES


In October 2010, 68.1 percent of 2010 high school graduates were enrolled in
colleges or universities, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
Recent high school graduates not enrolled in college in October 2010 were more
likely than enrolled graduates to be working or looking for work (76.6 percent
compared with 40.0 percent).

Information on school enrollment and work activity is collected monthly in the
Current Population Survey (CPS), a nationwide survey of about 60,000 households
that provides information on employment and unemployment. Each October, a
supplement to the CPS gathers more detailed information about school enrollment,
such as full- and part-time enrollment status. Additional information about the
October supplement is included in the Technical Note.

Recent High School Graduates and Dropouts

Of the 3.2 million youth age 16 to 24 who graduated from high school between
January and October 2010, about 2.2 million (68.1 percent) were enrolled in
college in October 2010. The college enrollment rate of recent high school
graduates was slightly lower than the record high set in October 2009 (70.1
percent). For 2010 graduates, the college enrollment rate was 74.0 percent for
young women and 62.8 percent for young men. The college enrollment rate of
Asians (84.0 percent) was higher than for recent white (68.6 percent), black
(61.4 percent), and Hispanic (59.6 percent) graduates. (See table 1.)

The labor force participation rate (the proportion of the population working
or looking for work) for recent high school graduates enrolled in college was
40.0 percent. The participation rates for male and female graduates enrolled
in college were about the same (41.1 and 38.9 percent, respectively).

Among recent high school graduates enrolled in college in October 2010, 90.4
percent were full-time students. Recent graduates enrolled as full-time students
were about half as likely to be in the labor force (36.7 percent) as were their
peers enrolled part time (71.3 percent).

About 6 in 10 recent high school graduates who were enrolled in college attended
4-year institutions. Of these students, 32.0 percent participated in the labor
force, compared with 52.4 percent of recent graduates enrolled in 2-year colleges.

Recent high school graduates not enrolled in college in the fall of 2010 were more
likely than enrolled graduates to be in the labor force (76.6 percent compared with
40.0 percent). The unemployment rate for recent high school graduates not enrolled
in school was 33.4 percent, compared with 22.8 percent for recent graduates enrolled
in college.

Between October 2009 and October 2010, 340,000 young people dropped out of high
school. The labor force participation rate for recent dropouts (53.9 percent) was
lower than for recent high school graduates not enrolled in college (76.6 percent).
The jobless rate for recent high school dropouts was 42.7 percent, compared with
33.4 percent for recent high school graduates not enrolled in college.

All Youth Enrolled in High School or College

In October 2010, 58.0 percent of the nation's 16- to -24 year olds, or 22.0 million
young people, either were enrolled in high school (9.6 million) or in college (12.4
million). The labor force participation rate (38.6 percent) and unemployment rate
(16.8 percent) of youth enrolled in school were essentially unchanged from October
2009 to October 2010. (See table 2.)

In October 2010, college students continued to be more likely to participate in the
labor force than high school students (51.3 percent compared with 22.1 percent).
About 85 percent of college students were enrolled full time. Those attending college
full time had a much lower labor force participation rate than did part-time students.
Asian college students were less likely to participate in the labor force than black,
white, or Hispanic college students. Female college students were more likely to be
in the labor force (53.5 percent) than their male counterparts (48.8 percent). Female
high school students were also somewhat more likely to be in the labor force (24.2
percent) than were males (20.1 percent).

The unemployment rate for high school students, at 28.8 percent in October 2010, was
more than twice the rate for college students (12.8 percent). Unemployment rates for
black (49.3 percent) and Hispanic (32.7 percent) high school students continued to be
higher than for white students (24.8 percent).

All Youth Not Enrolled in School

In October 2010, 15.9 million persons age 16 to 24 were not enrolled in school. The
labor force participation rate of youth not enrolled in school was little changed
from a year earlier at 79.4 percent in October 2010. Among youth not enrolled in
school in October 2010, men continued to be more likely than women to participate in
the labor force--83.7 percent compared with 74.8 percent. Labor force participation
rates for not-enrolled men and women were highest for college graduates and lowest
for those with less than a high school diploma. (See table 2.)

The unemployment rate for youths age 16 to 24 not enrolled in school fell from 20.3
percent in October 2009 to 18.7 percent in October 2010. Among the educational
attainment categories, unemployment rates for youth not in school were in October
2010 highest for those without a high school diploma--27.7 percent for young men
and 31.4 percent for young women. In contrast, the jobless rates for young male
and female college graduates were 9.9 percent and 9.3 percent, respectively. Black
youth not enrolled in school had an unemployment rate of 30.0 percent in October
2010, higher than the rates for their white (16.2 percent), Asian (20.8 percent),
and Hispanic (20.8 percent) counterparts.




Technical Note


   The estimates in this release were obtained from a supplement to 
the October 2010 Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly survey of
about 60,000 households that provides information on the labor force,
employment, and unemployment for the nation. The survey is conducted
monthly for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Data in this release relate to the school enrollment status of persons
16 to 24 years of age in the civilian noninstitutional population in the
calendar week that includes the 12th of October. Updated population con-
trols for the Current Population Survey are introduced annually with the
release of January data. Additional information about population controls
is available on the BLS Web site at www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#pop.

   Information in this release will be made available to sensory
impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200;
Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.
   
Reliability of the estimates

   Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and 
nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than the entire population,
is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates may differ
from the "true" population values they represent. The exact difference,
or sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample selected,
and this variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate.
There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that an
estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard
errors from the "true" population value because of sampling error. BLS
analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence.

   The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling
error can occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample a
segment of the population, inability to obtain information for all
respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents
to provide correct information, and errors made in the collection or
processing of the data.

   A full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS and
information on estimating standard errors is available at
www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#reliability.

Concepts

   The principal concepts used in connection with the school
enrollment series are described briefly below.

   School enrollment. Respondents were asked whether they were
currently enrolled in a regular school, including day or night school
in any type of public, parochial, or other private school. Regular
schooling is that which may advance a person toward a high school
diploma or a college, university, or professional degree. Such schools
include elementary schools, junior or senior high schools, and colleges
and universities. Other schooling, including trade schools; on-the-job
training; and courses that do not require physical presence in school,
such as correspondence courses or other courses of independent study,
is included only if the credits granted count towards promotion in
regular school.

   Full-time and part-time enrollment in college. College students
are classified as attending full time if they were taking 12 hours of
classes or more (or 9 hours of graduate classes) during an average
school week and as part time if they were taking fewer hours.

   High school graduation status. Persons who were not enrolled in
school at the time of the survey were asked whether they had graduated
from high school. Those who had graduated were asked when they
completed their high school education. Persons who had not graduated,
that is, school dropouts, were asked when they last attended a regular
school. Those who were enrolled in college at the time of the survey
also were asked when they graduated from high school.

   Recent high school graduates. Persons who completed high school in
the calendar year of the survey (January through October) are recent
high school graduates.

   Recent high school dropouts. Persons who were not enrolled in
school at the time of the survey, attended school a year earlier, and
did not have a high school diploma are recent dropouts.




Table 1.  Labor force status of 2010 high school graduates and 2009-10 high school dropouts 16 to 24 years old by school enrollment,
educational attainment, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, October 2010

(Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                                        
                                                                               Civilian labor force                                     
                                                                                                                                        
                                           Civilian                                                                             Not in  
             Characteristic               noninsti-                                  Employed               Unemployed           labor  
                                           tutional               Percent of                                                     force  
                                          population    Total     population                                                            
                                                                                Total     Percent of    Number       Rate               
                                                                                          population                                    
                                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                        
Total, 2010 high school graduates (1)...     3,160       1,633        51.7       1,179        37.3         454        27.8       1,528  
                                                                                                                                        
 Men....................................     1,679         926        55.2         659        39.3         267        28.9         752  
 Women..................................     1,482         706        47.7         520        35.1         187        26.4         775  
                                                                                                                                        
 White..................................     2,388       1,285        53.8         989        41.4         296        23.0       1,103  
 Black or African American..............       495         241        48.7         120        24.3         121        50.2         254  
 Asian..................................       144          40        27.8          33        22.7           7         (2)         104  
 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity...........       507         278        54.9         215        42.5          63        22.5         229  
                                                                                                                                        
 Enrolled in college....................     2,152         860        40.0         664        30.9         196        22.8       1,292  
                                                                                                                                        
  Enrolled in 2-year college............       842         441        52.4         359        42.6          82        18.7         401  
  Enrolled in 4-year college............     1,309         419        32.0         305        23.3         114        27.1         890  
                                                                                                                                        
  Full-time students....................     1,946         714        36.7         537        27.6         176        24.7       1,233  
  Part-time students....................       206         147        71.3         127        61.7          20        13.4          59  
                                                                                                                                        
  Men...................................     1,055         433        41.1         317        30.1         116        26.8         621  
  Women.................................     1,097         427        38.9         347        31.6          80        18.7         670  
                                                                                                                                        
  White.................................     1,637         692        42.2         547        33.4         145        20.9         946  
  Black or African American.............       304         107        35.1          68        22.5          38        35.8         197  
  Asian.................................       121          24        19.9          24        19.9          -           -           97  
  Hispanic or Latino ethnicity..........       302         114        37.6          93        30.8          21        18.1         189  
                                                                                                                                        
 Not enrolled in college................     1,009         773        76.6         515        51.0         258        33.4         236  
                                                                                                                                        
  Men...................................       624         493        79.0         342        54.8         151        30.7         131  
  Women.................................       385         280        72.7         173        45.0         107        38.2         105  
                                                                                                                                        
  White.................................       750         593        79.1         442        58.9         151        25.5         157  
  Black or African American.............       191         134        70.2          52        27.0          83        61.6          57  
  Asian.................................        22          16         (2)           8         (2)           7         (2)           7  
  Hispanic or Latino ethnicity..........       204         164        80.4         122        59.9          42        25.5          40  
                                                                                                                                        
Total, 2009-10 high school dropouts (3)        340         183        53.9         105        30.9          78        42.7         157  
                                                                                                                                        
 Men....................................       179          77        43.1          47        25.9          31        39.8         102  
 Women..................................       161         106        66.0          59        36.4          48        44.8          55  
                                                                                                                                        
 White..................................       231         122        52.8          78        33.7          44        36.2         109  
 Black or African American..............        65          29         (2)          12         (2)          17         (2)          36  
 Asian..................................        12           9         (2)           9         (2)          -           -            3  
 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity...........        93          54        58.0          32        33.9          22         (2)          39  

   1 Data refer to persons who graduated from high school in January through October 2010.
   2 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000.
   3 Data refer to persons who dropped out of school between October 2009 and October 2010.
   NOTE: Detail for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not
presented for all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Because of rounding, sums of
individual items may not equal totals. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. Dash
represents or rounds to zero.




Table 2.  Labor force status of persons 16 to 24 years old by school enrollment, educational attainment, sex, race, and Hispanic or
Latino ethnicity, October 2010

(Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                                        
                                                                               Civilian labor force                                     
                                                                                                                                        
                                           Civilian                                                                             Not in  
             Characteristic               noninsti-                                  Employed               Unemployed           labor  
                                           tutional               Percent of                                                     force  
                                          population    Total     population                                                            
                                                                                Total     Percent of    Number       Rate               
                                                                                          population                                    
                                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                        
Total, 16 to 24 years...................    37,949      21,144        55.7      17,347        45.7       3,797        18.0      16,805  
                                                                                                                                        
 Enrolled in school.....................    22,021       8,491        38.6       7,065        32.1       1,426        16.8      13,530  
                                                                                                                                        
  Enrolled in high school (1)...........     9,598       2,120        22.1       1,509        15.7         611        28.8       7,478  
                                                                                                                                        
   Men..................................     4,976       1,003        20.1         687        13.8         315        31.4       3,973  
   Women................................     4,622       1,117        24.2         822        17.8         296        26.5       3,505  
                                                                                                                                        
   White................................     7,311       1,759        24.1       1,322        18.1         436        24.8       5,552  
   Black or African American............     1,553         250        16.1         127         8.2         123        49.3       1,304  
   Asian................................       289          22         7.7          17         5.9           5       (2)           267  
   Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.........     1,909         266        13.9         179         9.4          87        32.7       1,643  
                                                                                                                                        
  Enrolled in college...................    12,423       6,372        51.3       5,556        44.7         815        12.8       6,052  
                                                                                                                                        
   Enrolled in 2-year college...........     3,938       2,303        58.5       1,933        49.1         370        16.1       1,635  
   Enrolled in 4-year college...........     8,485       4,068        47.9       3,623        42.7         445        10.9       4,417  
                                                                                                                                        
   Full-time students...................    10,590       4,855        45.8       4,210        39.8         645        13.3       5,735  
   Part-time students...................     1,834       1,517        82.7       1,346        73.4         171        11.3         317  
                                                                                                                                        
   Men..................................     5,788       2,823        48.8       2,436        42.1         388        13.7       2,965  
   Women................................     6,635       3,548        53.5       3,121        47.0         428        12.1       3,087  
                                                                                                                                        
   White................................     9,466       5,055        53.4       4,453        47.0         602        11.9       4,410  
   Black or African American............     1,721         830        48.2         667        38.7         164        19.7         891  
   Asian................................       843         305        36.2         281        33.3          24         7.9         538  
   Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.........     1,850         953        51.5         817        44.2         136        14.3         897  
                                                                                                                                        
 Not enrolled in school.................    15,928      12,653        79.4      10,281        64.5       2,371        18.7       3,275  
  16 to 19 years........................     2,952       2,039        69.1       1,411        47.8         628        30.8         913  
  20 to 24 years........................    12,975      10,614        81.8       8,870        68.4       1,744        16.4       2,362  
                                                                                                                                        
  Men...................................     8,362       6,996        83.7       5,612        67.1       1,384        19.8       1,367  
   Less than a high school diploma......     1,625       1,164        71.6         842        51.8         322        27.7         461  
   High school graduates, no college (3)     3,963       3,293        83.1       2,579        65.1         714        21.7         670  
   Some college or associate degree.....     1,926       1,745        90.6       1,475        76.6         269        15.4         181  
   Bachelor's degree and higher (4).....       849         794        93.6         715        84.3          79         9.9          55  
                                                                                                                                        
  Women.................................     7,565       5,657        74.8       4,670        61.7         987        17.5       1,908  
   Less than a high school diploma......     1,192         653        54.8         448        37.6         205        31.4         538  
   High school graduates, no college (3)     3,036       2,114        69.6       1,622        53.4         492        23.3         922  
   Some college or associate degree.....     2,005       1,633        81.4       1,461        72.8         172        10.6         372  
   Bachelor's degree and higher (4).....     1,333       1,256        94.3       1,139        85.5         117         9.3          76  
                                                                                                                                        
  White.................................    12,375      10,043        81.2       8,416        68.0       1,627        16.2       2,332  
  Black or African American.............     2,486       1,834        73.7       1,283        51.6         551        30.0         653  
  Asian.................................       460         340        74.0         269        58.6          71        20.8         120  
  Hispanic or Latino ethnicity..........     3,433       2,599        75.7       2,057        59.9         542        20.8         834  

   1 Includes a small number of persons enrolled in grades below high school.
   2 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000.
   3 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
   4 Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.
   NOTE: Detail for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not
presented for all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Because of rounding, sums of
individual items may not equal totals. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.




Last Modified Date: April 08, 2011