For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Tuesday, April 22, 2025 USDL-25-0563
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 RECENT HIGH SCHOOL
AND COLLEGE GRADUATES -- 2024
In October 2024, 62.8 percent of 2024 high school graduates ages 16 to 24 were enrolled
in colleges or universities, little changed from the previous year, the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics reported today. Among 20- to 29-year-olds who received a bachelor's
degree in 2024, 69.6 percent were employed, also little changed over the year.
Information on school enrollment and employment status 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 recent degree recipients and school
enrollment. In addition to data on recent high school graduates ages 16 to 24, this news
release presents information on recent degree recipients ages 20 to 29. For more
information, see the Technical Note in this news release.
Highlights from the October 2024 data:
--Among recent high school graduates ages 16 to 24, 55.4 percent of men and 69.5
percent of women were enrolled in college. (See table 1.)
--Among 16- to 24-year-olds, 40.0 percent of recent high school dropouts were working or
looking for work, lower than the labor force participation rate of 66.4 percent for
recent high school graduates not enrolled in college. (See table 1.)
--There were 17.4 million people ages 16 to 24 who were not enrolled in school--44.5 percent
of all people in this age group. (See table 2.)
--Among 20- to 29-year-olds, 78.1 percent of recent associate degree recipients, 69.6
percent of recent bachelor's degree recipients, and 74.7 percent of recent advanced degree
recipients were employed. (See table 3.)
--Among recent bachelor's degree recipients ages 20 to 29, 25.2 percent were enrolled in
school. (See table 3.)
Recent High School Graduates and Dropouts (Ages 16 to 24)
Of the 3.2 million youth ages 16 to 24 who graduated from high school between January and
October 2024, 2.0 million were enrolled in college in October. The college enrollment rate of
recent high school graduates, at 62.8 percent in October 2024, was little different from the
rate of 61.4 percent in October 2023. (See table 1.)
Among 2024 high school graduates ages 16 to 24, the college enrollment rate for young women, at
69.5 percent in October 2024, continued to be higher than the rate for young men (55.4 percent).
By race and ethnicity, the college enrollment rate was 94.7 percent for people who are Asian,
higher than the rate for those who are White (62.2 percent), Black or African American (59.2
percent), and Hispanic or Latino (55.4 percent).
The labor force participation rate (the proportion of the population that is employed or looking
for work) for recent high school graduates enrolled in college in October 2024 was 41.2 percent.
The participation rates for male and female graduates enrolled in college were 43.1 percent and
39.9 percent, respectively.
Among recent high school graduates enrolled in college in October 2024, about 9 in 10 were
full-time students. Recent graduates enrolled as full-time students were less likely to be in the
labor force (37.6 percent) than were their peers enrolled part time (76.2 percent).
Among recent high school graduates enrolled in college, 2 out of 3 attended 4-year colleges in
October 2024. Of these students, 32.7 percent participated in the labor force, lower than the
rate of recent graduates enrolled in 2-year colleges (58.5 percent).
Recent high school graduates not enrolled in college in October 2024 were more likely to be in
the labor force than graduates enrolled in college (66.4 percent versus 41.2 percent). This rate
changed little for recent high school graduates not enrolled in college (66.4 percent) over the
year. For recent graduates enrolled in college, the labor force participation rate increased by
8.8 percentage points to 41.2 percent over the year. The unemployment rate was 12.0 percent for
recent graduates enrolled in college and 20.4 percent for recent high school graduates not
enrolled in college.
Between October 2023 and October 2024, 606,000 young people dropped out of high school. The labor
force participation rate for recent dropouts (40.0 percent) continued to be much lower than the
rate for recent high school graduates not enrolled in college (66.4 percent). The unemployment
rate was 18.7 percent for recent high school dropouts and 12.0 percent for recent graduates enrolled
in college.
All Youth Enrolled in High School or College (Ages 16 to 24)
In October 2024, 21.7 million 16- to 24-year-olds, or 55.5 percent of youth, were enrolled in high
school (9.9 million) or in college (11.8 million). The labor force participation rate for youth
enrolled in school, at 36.9 percent, was little changed from October 2023 to October 2024. The
unemployment rate for youth enrolled in school, at 8.3 percent, was little changed from the previous
year. (See table 2.)
In October 2024, college students continued to be about twice as likely than high school students to
participate in the labor force (49.2 percent versus 22.3 percent). The participation rates for male
and female high school students were similar, at 21.2 percent and 23.5 percent, respectively.
Among college students, those enrolled full time were much less likely to participate in the labor
force in October 2024 than were part-time students (44.6 percent versus 81.6 percent). Students at
4-year colleges were also less likely to be in the labor force than were students at 2-year colleges
(46.6 percent and 57.4 percent, respectively). Female college students' participation rate was higher
than the rate for male college students (52.7 percent, compared with 44.8 percent). By race and
ethnicity, the labor force participation rate was lower for Asian college students (37.2 percent)
than for their Black or African American (48.3 percent), White (51.4 percent), and Hispanic or
Latino (51.8 percent) counterparts.
In October 2024, the unemployment rate for college students increased by 1.9 percentage points over
the year, to 7.1 percent, while the rate for high school students, at 11.5 percent, was little changed.
All Youth Not Enrolled in School (Ages 16 to 24)
In October 2024, 17.4 million people ages 16 to 24 were not enrolled in school. The labor force
participation rate of youth not enrolled in school was 78.5 percent. Among youth not enrolled in
school in October 2024, young men continued to be more likely than young women to participate in the
labor force (80.6 percent, compared with 76.1 percent). (See table 2.)
Labor force participation rates for young men and young women not enrolled in school were highest for
those with a bachelor's degree or higher (91.9 percent and 93.7 percent, respectively) and lowest for
young men and young women with less than a high school diploma (60.8 percent and 48.5 percent,
respectively).
The unemployment rate for youth ages 16 to 24 not enrolled in school, at 9.7 percent in October 2024,
changed little over the year. Among those not-enrolled youth who did not have a high school diploma,
unemployment rates were 17.7 percent for young men and 7.1 percent for young women. The jobless rates
of young men and young women with at least a bachelor's degree were 7.9 percent and 7.3 percent,
respectively. Among youth not enrolled in school, the unemployment rates were 13.6 percent for people
who are Black or African American, 13.6 percent for people who are Asian, 9.8 percent for people who
are Hispanic or Latino, and 8.7 percent for those who are White.
Recent College Graduates (Ages 20 to 29)
Between January and October 2024, 1.2 million 20- to 29-year-olds earned a bachelor's degree; of these,
868,000 (or 69.6 percent) were employed in October 2024. Among recent bachelor's degree recipients, 66.7
percent of men were employed, compared with 71.5 percent of women. The unemployment rate for recent
college graduates with a bachelor's degree, at 15.3 percent, changed little from the previous year.
(See table 3.)
Among recent bachelor's degree recipients, 25.2 percent were enrolled in school in October 2024. These
recent graduates who were enrolled in school were less likely to be employed than those who were not
enrolled (46.1 percent versus 77.5 percent).
Between January and October 2024, 405,000 people ages 20 to 29 earned an advanced degree-- that is, a
master's, professional, or doctoral degree. Among these recent graduates, 74.7 percent were employed in
October 2024, down by 9.8 percentage points over the year. The unemployment rate for recent advanced
degree recipients was 8.4 percent, little changed over the year.
Recent Associate Degree Recipients (Ages 20 to 29)
Of the 352,000 20- to 29-year-olds who completed an associate degree between January and October 2024,
78.1 percent were employed in October 2024. The unemployment rate for recent associate degree recipients
was 2.1 percent. (See table 3.)
Recent associate degree recipients ages 20 to 29 were twice as likely to have completed an academic
program (67.6 percent) than a vocational program (32.4 percent) in October 2024. Associate degrees in
academic programs are primarily in the arts and sciences and are often transferable to a bachelor's
degree program, while associate degrees in vocational programs prepare graduates for a specific
occupation.
In October 2024, 42.3 percent of recent associate degree recipients were enrolled in school. Of the
149,000 recent recipients who were enrolled in school, 71.0 percent were employed. By contrast, 83.3
percent of the 202,000 recent associate degree recipients who were not enrolled in school were employed.
United States Department of Labor
