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Digest of Education Statistics
2002 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 107. Selected characteristics of 18- to 29-year-olds, by high school completion status: 1998 to 2001

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                            |         1998            |         1999                          |         2000\1\                         |         2001\1\
                            |_________________________|_______________________________________|_________________________________________|________________________________________
      Characteristics       |       |  Com-   | Com-  |           |  Com-        | Com-       |            |  Com-        | Com-        |            |  Com-        | Com-
                            |Dropout| pleted  |pleted |Dropout    | pleted       |pleted      |Dropout     | pleted       |pleted       |Dropout     | pleted       |pleted
                            |       |by GED\2\|  by   |           |  by GED\2\   |  by        |            |  by GED\2\   |  by         |            | by GED\2\    |  by
                            |       |         |diploma|           |              |diploma     |            |              |diploma      |            |              |diploma
____________________________|_______|_________|_______|___________|______________|____________|____________|______________|_____________|____________|______________|____________
             1              |   2   |    3    |   4   |  5        |    6         |   7        |   8        |    9         |  10         |  11        |   12         |  13
____________________________|_______|_________|_______|___________|______________|____________|____________|______________|_____________|____________|______________|____________
Number, in thousands .......| 5,636 |   3,321 |33,706 |5,576 (122)|   3,314  (92)|33,819 (379)| 5,473 (121)|   2,165  (73)|35,213  (390)| 5,463 (121)|   2,583  (81)|34,963 (388)
  Percent distribution .....|  13.2 |     7.8 |  79.0 | 13.1 (0.3)|     7.8 (0.2)|  79.2 (0.3)|  12.8 (0.2)|     5.1 (0.2)|  82.2  (0.3)|  12.7 (0.2)|     6.0 (0.2)|  81.3 (0.3)
                            |_______|_________|_______|___________|______________|____________|____________|______________|_____________|____________|______________|____________
Sex ........................| 100.0 |   100.0 | 100.0 |100.0   (0.|   100.0   (0.| 100.0   (0.| 100.0   (0.|   100.0   (0.| 100.0   (0.0| 100.0   (0.|   100.0   (0.| 100.0 (0.0)
  Male .....................|  57.0 |    47.3 |  48.4 | 53.5 (1.0)|    49.6 (1.3)|  48.0 (0.4)|  54.2 (1.0)|    52.4 (1.7)|  48.0  (0.4)|  55.2 (1.0)|    49.2 (1.5)|  48.1 (0.4)
  Female ...................|  43.0 |    52.7 |  51.6 | 46.5 (1.0)|    50.4 (1.3)|  52.0 (0.4)|  45.8 (1.0)|    47.6 (1.7)|  52.0  (0.4)|  44.8 (1.0)|    50.8 (1.5)|  51.9 (0.4)
                            |       |         |       |           |              |            |            |              |             |            |              |
Age ........................| 100.0 |   100.0 | 100.0 |100.0   (0.|   100.0   (0.| 100.0   (0.| 100.0   (0.|   100.0   (0.| 100.0   (0.0| 100.0   (0.|   100.0   (0.| 100.0 (0.0)
  18 and 19 ................|  19.6 |    13.4 |  15.2 | 18.8 (0.8)|    13.2 (0.9)|  15.3 (0.3)|  18.5 (0.8)|    11.3 (1.0)|  15.5  (0.3)|  19.1 (0.8)|    12.1 (1.0)|  15.6 (0.3)
  20 and 21 ................|  18.5 |    16.2 |  16.2 | 18.0 (0.8)|    14.0 (0.9)|  16.5 (0.3)|  18.2 (0.8)|    12.8 (1.1)|  17.3  (0.3)|  17.9 (0.8)|    16.5 (1.1)|  18.1 (0.3)
  22 to 24 .................|  24.8 |    25.6 |  24.3 | 24.5 (0.9)|    25.6 (1.2)|  25.4 (0.4)|  23.9 (0.9)|    29.9 (1.5)|  25.8  (0.4)|  24.8 (0.9)|    29.6 (1.4)|  25.5 (0.4)
  25 to 29 .................|  37.1 |    44.8 |  44.4 | 38.8 (1.0)|    47.2 (1.3)|  42.7 (0.4)|  39.4 (1.0)|    45.9 (1.6)|  41.4  (0.4)|  38.2 (1.0)|    41.8 (1.5)|  40.9 (0.4)
                            |       |         |       |           |              |            |            |              |             |            |              |
Race/ethnicity .............| 100.0 |   100.0 | 100.0 |100.0   (0.|   100.0   (0.| 100.0   (0.| 100.0   (0.|   100.0   (0.| 100.0   (0.0| 100.0   (0.|   100.0   (0.| 100.0 (0.0)
  White, non-Hispanic ......|  40.0 |    67.5 |  70.6 | 39.1 (1.0)|    67.7 (1.3)|  70.2 (0.4)|  38.7 (1.0)|    67.5 (1.5)|  69.5  (0.4)|  39.2 (1.0)|    66.7 (1.4)|  68.6 (0.4)
  Black, non-Hispanic ......|  15.7 |    13.9 |  13.1 | 14.8 (0.8)|    14.8 (1.0)|  13.4 (0.3)|  14.8 (0.8)|    15.5 (1.3)|  13.6  (0.3)|  14.3 (0.8)|    16.5 (1.2)|  13.4 (0.3)
  Hispanic .................|  41.6 |    13.2 |  10.7 | 42.5 (1.2)|    12.7 (1.0)|  10.5 (0.3)|  43.0 (1.2)|    12.3 (1.2)|  10.9  (0.3)|  43.3 (1.2)|    12.9 (1.2)|  11.6 (0.3)
  Other ....................|   2.7 |     5.5 |   5.6 |  3.5 (0.4)|     4.8 (0.7)|   5.9 (0.2)|   3.5 (0.4)|     4.7 (0.8)|   6.0  (0.2)|   3.2 (0.4)|     3.9 (0.7)|   6.4 (0.2)
                            |       |         |       |           |              |            |            |              |             |            |              |
Educational attainment .....| 100.0 |   100.0 | 100.0 |100.0   (0.|   100.0   (0.| 100.0   (0.| 100.0   (0.|   100.0   (0.| 100.0   (0.0| 100.0   (0.|   100.0   (0.| 100.0 (0.0)
  Less than high school ....| 100.0 |         |       |100.0   (0.|              |            | 100.0   (0.|              |             | 100.0   (0.|              |        
  Completed high school ....|       |    47.1 |  38.3 |           |    45.8 (1.3)|  37.2 (0.4)|            |    68.9 (1.5)|  36.1  (0.4)|            |    60.9 (1.5)|  36.6 (0.4)
  Some college .............|       |     36.1|  33.8 |           |    36.3 (1.3)|  33.8 (0.4)|            |    20.2 (1.3)|  35.0  (0.4)|            |    26.7 (1.3)|  35.3 (0.4)
  Associate degree .........|       |     6.9 |   7.2 |           |     6.7 (0.7)|   7.5 (0.2)|            |     5.5 (0.8)|   7.6  (0.2)|            |     7.0 (0.8)|   7.7 (0.2)
  Bachelor's degree ....... |       |     8.0 |  17.1 |           |     9.0 (0.8)|  18.1 (0.3)|            |     4.5 (0.7)|  17.7  (0.3)|            |     4.8 (0.6)|  17.0 (0.3)
  Master's or higher degree |       |     1.9 |   3.5 |           |     2.1 (0.4)|   3.4 (0.2)|            |     0.8 (0.3)|   3.5  (0.2)|            |     0.7 (0.2)|   3.4 (0.1)
                            |       |         |       |           |              |            |            |              |             |            |              |
Family income quartile .....| 100.0 |   100.0 | 100.0 |100.0   (0.|   100.0   (0.| 100.0   (0.| 100.0   (0.|   100.0   (0.| 100.0   (0.0| 100.0   (0.|   100.0   (0.| 100.0 (0.0)
  Lowest quartile ..........|  46.3 |    27.8 |  18.5 | 42.4 (1.0)|    24.6 (1.2)|  18.7 (0.3)|  44.8 (1.0)|    29.7 (1.5)|  18.7  (0.3)|  41.7 (1.0)|    27.6 (1.4)|  19.1 (0.3)
  Low-middle quartile ......|  30.6 |    29.7 |  24.6 | 33.0 (1.0)|    29.0 (1.2)|  24.4 (0.4)|  29.5 (0.9)|    29.7 (1.5)|  24.8  (0.4)|  31.5 (1.0)|    28.3 (1.4)|  24.4 (0.4)
  High-middle quartile .....|  16.6 |    23.1 |  28.4 | 17.0 (0.8)|    28.0 (1.2)|  27.9 (0.4)|  18.2 (0.8)|    26.4 (1.5)|  28.2  (0.4)|  19.6 (0.8)|    25.5 (1.3)|  27.4 (0.4)
  Highest quartile .........|   6.5 |    19.3 |  28.5 |  7.7 (0.5)|    18.3 (1.0)|  29.0 (0.4)|   7.5 (0.5)|    14.2 (1.2)|  28.3  (0.4)|   7.3 (0.5)|    18.5 (1.2)|  29.1 (0.4)
                            |       |         |       |           |              |            |            |              |             |            |              |
Employment status ..........| 100.0 |   100.0 | 100.0 |100.0   (0.|   100.0   (0.| 100.0   (0.| 100.0   (0.|   100.0   (0.| 100.0   (0.0| 100.0   (0.|   100.0   (0.| 100.0 (0.0)
  Employed .................|  61.6 |    71.8 |  76.0 | 60.6 (1.0)|    72.2 (1.2)|  75.6 (0.4)|  61.1 (1.0)|    71.0 (1.5)|  76.5   (0.0|  61.1 (1.0)|    67.1 (1.4)|  73.2 (0.4)
  Unemployed ...............|   8.4 |     7.6 |   4.3 |  9.1 (0.6)|     7.2 (0.7)|   4.2 (0.2)|   9.8 (0.6)|     7.7 (0.9)|   3.6  (0.2)|  12.2 (0.7)|     9.1 (0.9)|   5.2 (0.2)
  Not in labor force .......|  30.0 |    20.6 |  19.7 | 30.3 (0.9)|    20.6 (1.1)|  20.2 (0.3)|  29.1 (0.9)|    21.3 (1.4)|  19.8  (0.3)|  26.7 (0.9)|    23.8 (1.3)|  21.6 (0.3)
____________________________|_______|_________|_______|___________|______________|____________|____________|______________|_____________|____________|______________|____________

Not applicable.
\1\Due to questionnaire rewording, data are not comparable to figures for years prior to 2000.
\2\GED stands for General Educational Development test.

NOTE: Excludes persons still enrolled in high school. Data are based on sample surveys of the civilian noninstitutionalized population. Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding. Standard errors appear in parentheses.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey, unpublished data. (This table was prepared May 2003.)


2002 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest