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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.