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In the early 1990s, more than half of employed African Americans age 25 and older had completed no more than a high school education. In 2014, more than three-fifths of employed African Americans had completed at least some college.
Year | Less than a high school diploma | High School graduates, no college | Some college or associate degree | Bachelor's degree and higher |
---|---|---|---|---|
1992 |
17.3 | 38.9 | 26.8 | 17.1 |
1993 |
15.0 | 38.8 | 28.5 | 17.7 |
1994 |
14.2 | 37.1 | 29.9 | 18.8 |
1995 |
13.2 | 36.8 | 30.9 | 19.1 |
1996 |
13.3 | 36.4 | 31.3 | 19.0 |
1997 |
13.3 | 37.1 | 30.8 | 18.8 |
1998 |
12.8 | 36.5 | 30.8 | 19.8 |
1999 |
11.7 | 36.3 | 31.6 | 20.5 |
2000 |
11.7 | 35.6 | 31.7 | 21.1 |
2001 |
11.7 | 35.1 | 31.9 | 21.3 |
2002 |
11.8 | 35.0 | 31.9 | 21.3 |
2003 |
10.8 | 35.1 | 31.3 | 22.7 |
2004 |
10.3 | 35.9 | 30.5 | 23.2 |
2005 |
10.4 | 36.0 | 30.4 | 23.2 |
2006 |
10.3 | 34.8 | 30.8 | 24.2 |
2007 |
9.4 | 34.6 | 31.1 | 24.9 |
2008 |
9.0 | 34.2 | 32.0 | 24.8 |
2009 |
8.4 | 33.4 | 32.6 | 25.7 |
2010 |
8.4 | 32.3 | 33.2 | 26.0 |
2011 |
7.7 | 32.8 | 32.9 | 26.5 |
2012 |
7.4 | 32.1 | 32.8 | 27.7 |
2013 |
7.6 | 31.1 | 33.0 | 28.3 |
2014 |
7.5 | 30.8 | 33.2 | 28.5 |
In 2014, 29 percent of employed African Americans had completed at least a bachelor's degree, up from 17 percent in 1992. Another 33 percent in 2014 had completed some college or an associate degree, up from 27 percent in 1992. Among all employed people age 25 or older in 2014, 38 percent had completed at least a bachelor's degree; 28 percent had completed some college or an associate degree.
Year | Less than a high school diploma | High School graduates, no college | Some college or associate degree | Bachelor's degree and higher |
---|---|---|---|---|
1992 |
15.3 | 12.3 | 9.8 | 4.4 |
1993 |
15.4 | 10.8 | 8.7 | 3.8 |
1994 |
13.5 | 9.9 | 7.5 | 3.5 |
1995 |
12.4 | 8.2 | 6.7 | 3.2 |
1996 |
12.6 | 9.1 | 6.4 | 3.1 |
1997 |
13.1 | 8.1 | 5.6 | 3.6 |
1998 |
11.6 | 7.4 | 5.1 | 2.9 |
1999 |
11.6 | 6.3 | 4.4 | 2.7 |
2000 |
10.7 | 6.4 | 4.0 | 2.5 |
2001 |
11.8 | 7.4 | 5.0 | 2.7 |
2002 |
13.3 | 8.8 | 6.7 | 4.2 |
2003 |
13.9 | 9.3 | 7.9 | 4.5 |
2004 |
15.5 | 8.7 | 7.6 | 4.3 |
2005 |
14.4 | 8.5 | 6.9 | 3.5 |
2006 |
12.8 | 8.0 | 6.2 | 2.8 |
2007 |
12.0 | 7.3 | 5.5 | 3.0 |
2008 |
14.5 | 9.3 | 7.4 | 4.0 |
2009 |
21.3 | 14.0 | 11.5 | 7.3 |
2010 |
22.5 | 15.8 | 12.4 | 7.9 |
2011 |
24.6 | 15.5 | 13.1 | 7.1 |
2012 |
20.4 | 13.4 | 11.1 | 6.3 |
2013 |
20.5 | 12.6 | 9.8 | 5.7 |
2014 |
17.2 | 10.7 | 8.9 | 5.2 |
From 1992 to 2014, the unemployment rate for African Americans age 25 and older without a high school diploma ranged from about 11 percent to nearly 25 percent. Over the same period, African Americans with at least a bachelor's degree experienced unemployment rates that were sometimes lower than 3 percent and never higher than 8 percent.
Among all people age 25 and older, unemployment rates for those who did not complete high school ranged from 6 percent to nearly 15 percent over the 1992–2014 period. Rates for people with a bachelor's degree or more education were sometimes less than 2 percent and never over 5 percent. (These unemployment rates are averages for entire years.)
These data are from the Current Population Survey. You can find more data in the CPS databases and with other CPS Demographic data.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Educational attainment, employment, and unemployment among African Americans at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2015/educational-attainment-employment-and-unemployment-among-african-americans.htm (visited December 10, 2024).