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Digest of Education Statistics
2013 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 501.80. Unemployment rates of persons 16 to 64 years old, by age group and educational attainment: Selected years, 1975 through 2013
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Age group and educational attainment 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
16 to 19 years old, all education
     levels1
  (†)   (†)   (†) 17.0   (1.83) 21.0   (2.06) 17.2   (1.89) 27.0   (1.73) 22.8   (1.39) 20.6   (1.18) 19.5   (1.23) 20.9   (1.36) 30.3   (1.58) 31.9   (1.59) 28.8   (1.62) 30.6   (1.57) 29.4   (1.57)
Less than high school completion   (†)   (†)   (†) 26.2   (3.54) 30.3   (3.67) 21.4   (3.23) 34.6   (2.96) 30.3   (2.34) 25.8   (2.24) 28.6   (2.42) 30.8   (2.40) 38.9   (3.05) 41.7   (3.14) 35.1   (3.42) 41.1   (3.01) 36.3   (2.70)
High school completion2   (†)   (†)   (†) 11.7   (2.05) 15.1   (2.59) 15.3   (2.54) 22.4   (2.25) 19.1   (2.02) 17.6   (1.43) 15.1   (1.59) 17.2   (1.62) 29.1   (1.80) 29.6   (2.08) 28.9   (2.18) 28.7   (2.00) 29.2   (2.12)
At least some college   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†) 12.4 ! (5.19)   (†) 20.9   (5.33) 15.8   (3.54) 17.7   (3.54) 8.9   (2.44) 11.3   (2.99) 18.1   (3.68) 18.1   (3.65) 16.2   (3.55) 19.6   (3.83) 16.2   (3.32)
                                                                                                 
20 to 24 years old, all education
     levels1
  (†)   (†)   (†) 8.2   (0.63) 10.7   (0.72) 9.2   (0.70) 11.4   (0.55) 10.9   (0.48) 9.3   (0.46) 9.3   (0.42) 10.7   (0.43) 17.0   (0.62) 18.8   (0.66) 18.1   (0.60) 15.5   (0.55) 15.2   (0.62)
Less than high school completion   (†)   (†)   (†) 17.4   (2.15) 19.5   (2.37) 16.6   (2.18) 17.6   (1.55) 18.9   (1.24) 15.7   (1.34) 18.6   (1.47) 19.2   (1.66) 29.0   (1.69) 32.3   (1.80) 30.1   (1.95) 27.6   (2.12) 29.2   (2.27)
High school completion2   (†)   (†)   (†) 7.8   (0.88) 12.0   (1.18) 10.0   (1.12) 11.7   (0.86) 12.0   (0.73) 10.4   (0.70) 9.4   (0.70) 13.0   (0.70) 20.3   (1.05) 22.3   (0.95) 21.6   (1.02) 18.3   (0.96) 17.5   (0.91)
Some college, no bachelor's
   degree3
  (†)   (†)   (†) 4.8   (1.09) 7.3   (1.13) 5.2   (1.02) 9.8   (0.97) 7.3   (0.76) 7.1   (0.68) 7.2   (0.72) 6.8   (0.67) 12.1   (0.94) 14.2   (1.07) 14.0   (0.98) 12.7   (0.89) 12.2   (1.02)
Bachelor's or higher degree   (†)   (†)   (†) 3.1 ! (1.12) 4.1 ! (1.26) 5.0   (1.43) 5.8   (1.09) 5.4   (0.91) 3.9   (0.72) 3.4   (0.68) 4.5   (0.78) 7.9   (1.02) 7.9   (1.15) 8.7   (1.05) 6.0   (0.95) 7.0   (1.09)
                                                                                                 
25 to 64 years old, all education
     levels
6.8   (0.21) 5.0   (0.17) 6.1   (0.18) 3.6   (0.14) 4.8   (0.15) 3.3   (0.13) 5.3   (0.11) 4.4   (0.09) 4.1   (0.09) 3.9   (0.08) 4.4   (0.09) 8.1   (0.12) 9.1   (0.13) 8.3   (0.13) 7.4   (0.11) 6.6   (0.12)
Less than high school completion 10.5   (0.49) 8.4   (0.48) 11.4   (0.61) 7.7   (0.55) 10.0   (0.66) 7.9   (0.63) 9.9   (0.48) 9.0   (0.36) 8.3   (0.41) 8.5   (0.44) 10.1   (0.44) 15.8   (0.54) 16.8   (0.54) 16.2   (0.55) 14.3   (0.49) 12.7   (0.46)
High school completion2 6.8   (0.34) 5.1   (0.27) 6.9   (0.31) 3.8   (0.23) 5.2   (0.28) 3.8   (0.25) 6.4   (0.23) 5.5   (0.17) 4.7   (0.16) 4.7   (0.15) 5.8   (0.18) 10.4   (0.21) 12.1   (0.26) 10.9   (0.27) 9.2   (0.25) 8.7   (0.27)
Some college, no bachelor's
   degree3
5.5   (0.50) 4.3   (0.38) 4.7   (0.37) 3.1   (0.29) 4.5   (0.29) 3.0   (0.24) 5.2   (0.21) 4.2   (0.17) 3.9   (0.17) 3.7   (0.18) 4.2   (0.17) 8.0   (0.22) 8.8   (0.23) 8.1   (0.20) 7.9   (0.24) 6.5   (0.21)
Bachelor's or higher degree 2.4   (0.30) 1.9   (0.23) 2.4   (0.24) 1.7   (0.19) 2.5   (0.21) 1.5   (0.16) 3.0   (0.15) 2.3   (0.13) 2.3   (0.11) 1.8   (0.10) 2.1   (0.11) 4.3   (0.15) 4.7   (0.15) 4.4   (0.15) 4.1   (0.14) 3.8   (0.13)
                                                                                                 
25 to 34 years old, all education
     levels
8.6   (0.41) 6.8   (0.32) 7.3   (0.33) 4.8   (0.27) 5.8   (0.30) 4.0   (0.27) 6.3   (0.24) 5.8   (0.18) 5.5   (0.19) 4.9   (0.18) 5.9   (0.21) 10.1   (0.27) 10.8   (0.28) 10.0   (0.28) 9.2   (0.26) 8.0   (0.23)
Less than high school completion 17.2   (1.36) 13.7   (1.24) 15.5   (1.38) 12.0   (1.21) 12.9   (1.32) 10.3   (1.33) 12.4   (0.96) 11.6   (0.69) 11.0   (0.84) 10.3   (0.91) 14.2   (0.93) 19.9   (1.05) 20.3   (1.02) 19.7   (1.18) 16.8   (1.09) 15.1   (0.97)
High school completion2 9.4   (0.67) 7.9   (0.55) 9.1   (0.57) 5.1   (0.44) 6.8   (0.56) 4.8   (0.54) 8.0   (0.50) 7.7   (0.41) 6.5   (0.40) 6.2   (0.36) 8.5   (0.49) 14.1   (0.57) 15.9   (0.62) 14.3   (0.55) 12.8   (0.57) 12.1   (0.57)
Some college, no bachelor's
   degree3
6.7   (0.85) 6.0   (0.64) 5.4   (0.60) 3.8   (0.51) 5.0   (0.52) 3.6   (0.49) 5.8   (0.43) 5.4   (0.36) 5.3   (0.35) 4.6   (0.34) 5.0   (0.33) 9.8   (0.46) 10.6   (0.44) 10.1   (0.46) 10.1   (0.51) 8.0   (0.42)
Bachelor's or higher degree 2.9   (0.50) 2.5   (0.39) 2.8   (0.41) 1.9   (0.34) 2.7   (0.40) 1.6   (0.31) 3.1   (0.30) 2.6   (0.26) 2.8   (0.25) 2.2   (0.23) 2.2   (0.21) 4.5   (0.29) 4.5   (0.28) 4.3   (0.31) 4.1   (0.28) 3.6   (0.25)
                                                                                                 
35 to 44 years old, all education
     levels
6.4   (0.41) 4.3   (0.31) 5.6   (0.33) 3.3   (0.24) 4.6   (0.27) 3.5   (0.23) 5.5   (0.21) 4.2   (0.14) 4.1   (0.17) 3.7   (0.15) 4.3   (0.17) 7.9   (0.18) 9.2   (0.24) 8.2   (0.23) 7.1   (0.22) 6.4   (0.19)
Less than high school completion 11.2   (1.02) 9.0   (1.00) 12.4   (1.29) 8.3   (1.17) 10.5   (1.28) 8.4   (1.14) 10.2   (0.86) 8.7   (0.63) 8.6   (0.70) 9.3   (0.80) 9.1   (0.79) 15.3   (0.87) 17.8   (1.07) 15.9   (1.04) 14.1   (0.88) 11.5   (0.80)
High school completion2 5.7   (0.60) 4.2   (0.48) 6.1   (0.55) 3.7   (0.41) 5.1   (0.48) 3.9   (0.43) 6.7   (0.41) 5.2   (0.31) 5.1   (0.31) 4.8   (0.29) 6.0   (0.35) 10.6   (0.44) 11.9   (0.51) 11.3   (0.44) 9.1   (0.48) 8.5   (0.50)
Some college, no bachelor's
   degree3
4.6   (0.95) 3.1   (0.64) 4.8   (0.69) 2.8   (0.47) 4.7   (0.49) 3.1   (0.41) 5.0   (0.38) 3.9   (0.25) 3.7   (0.32) 3.0   (0.28) 3.8   (0.27) 7.2   (0.36) 9.2   (0.42) 7.5   (0.39) 7.4   (0.44) 6.7   (0.40)
Bachelor's or higher degree 2.3   (0.59) 1.6   (0.41) 2.2   (0.39) 1.6   (0.31) 2.2   (0.34) 1.8   (0.31) 3.0   (0.28) 2.0   (0.19) 2.0   (0.19) 1.5   (0.14) 1.9   (0.17) 4.2   (0.26) 4.6   (0.26) 4.6   (0.29) 3.6   (0.26) 3.6   (0.23)
                                                                                                 
45 to 54 years old, all education
     levels
5.9   (0.39) 3.9   (0.32) 5.4   (0.39) 2.5   (0.26) 3.9   (0.29) 2.4   (0.22) 4.8   (0.21) 3.9   (0.16) 3.4   (0.15) 3.5   (0.17) 3.9   (0.16) 7.4   (0.21) 8.4   (0.22) 7.5   (0.20) 6.8   (0.18) 6.0   (0.18)
Less than high school completion 8.5   (0.81) 6.6   (0.78) 10.2   (1.16) 4.7   (0.89) 7.9   (1.24) 6.1   (1.16) 8.4   (0.93) 7.0   (0.66) 5.9   (0.73) 7.3   (0.71) 8.9   (0.74) 13.6   (0.95) 15.6   (0.98) 16.3   (0.92) 13.5   (0.92) 12.3   (0.94)
High school completion2 5.6   (0.60) 3.4   (0.48) 5.4   (0.60) 2.3   (0.39) 4.0   (0.53) 2.7   (0.42) 5.6   (0.41) 4.6   (0.33) 3.9   (0.30) 4.0   (0.31) 4.7   (0.34) 8.8   (0.42) 11.0   (0.43) 9.3   (0.42) 7.8   (0.36) 7.8   (0.40)
Some college, no bachelor's
   degree3
4.7   (1.00) 3.0   (0.78) 3.2   (0.79) 2.6   (0.62) 3.9   (0.56) 2.4   (0.40) 5.1   (0.40) 3.7   (0.30) 3.4   (0.26) 3.7   (0.33) 4.0   (0.32) 7.5   (0.39) 7.6   (0.40) 7.1   (0.35) 6.9   (0.36) 5.2   (0.35)
Bachelor's or higher degree 2.0 ! (0.61) 1.3 ! (0.44) 2.1   (0.54) 1.4   (0.38) 2.4   (0.41) 1.3   (0.28) 2.9   (0.28) 2.5   (0.26) 2.3   (0.20) 1.8   (0.18) 1.9   (0.18) 4.3   (0.29) 4.8   (0.30) 4.0   (0.27) 3.9   (0.27) 3.8   (0.26)
                                                                                                 
55 to 64 years old, all education
     levels
5.5   (0.46) 3.2   (0.35) 4.6   (0.44) 2.8   (0.36) 3.9   (0.42) 2.8   (0.35) 4.2   (0.27) 3.7   (0.20) 2.9   (0.18) 3.1   (0.19) 3.3   (0.18) 6.7   (0.25) 7.3   (0.25) 6.9   (0.25) 6.6   (0.23) 5.7   (0.23)
Less than high school completion 7.1   (0.79) 5.2   (0.77) 7.1   (1.01) 3.9   (0.90) 6.7   (1.35) 5.2   (1.28) 6.5   (1.02) 7.5   (0.90) 6.0   (0.82) 5.3   (0.72) 5.6   (0.77) 12.7   (1.25) 10.1   (0.99) 10.0   (1.02) 11.5   (1.05) 11.2   (1.19)
High school completion2 5.1   (0.76) 2.7   (0.51) 4.5   (0.69) 3.0   (0.59) 3.4   (0.65) 3.1   (0.62) 4.5   (0.50) 4.3   (0.39) 2.9   (0.35) 3.7   (0.38) 3.4   (0.35) 7.8   (0.50) 9.3   (0.56) 8.4   (0.58) 7.1   (0.50) 6.4   (0.47)
Some college, no bachelor's
   degree3
4.1 ! (1.26) 2.0 ! (0.77) 3.0 ! (1.00) 2.2 ! (0.82) 3.2   (0.80) 2.8   (0.70) 4.4   (0.54) 3.5   (0.37) 3.1   (0.34) 3.5   (0.39) 3.7   (0.37) 7.0   (0.50) 7.7   (0.52) 7.3   (0.45) 7.1   (0.44) 5.8   (0.40)
Bachelor's or higher degree 1.5 ! (0.75)   (†) 2.2 ! (0.70) 1.8 ! (0.62) 3.3   (0.79) 1.4 ! (0.46) 3.1   (0.41) 2.3   (0.30) 2.0   (0.22) 1.8   (0.22) 2.4   (0.26) 4.3   (0.33) 5.0   (0.34) 4.9   (0.35) 4.8   (0.38) 4.2   (0.29)
—Not available.
†Not applicable.
!Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
‡Reporting standards not met. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is 50 percent or greater.
1 Data for 16- to 19-year-olds and 20- to 24-year-olds exclude persons enrolled in school.
2 Includes equivalency credentials, such as the General Educational Development (GED) credential.
3 Includes persons with no college degree as well as those with an associate's degree.
NOTE: The unemployment rate is the percentage of persons in the civilian labor force who are not working and who made specific efforts to find employment sometime during the prior 4 weeks. The civilian labor force consists of all civilians who are employed or seeking employment. Some data have been revised from previously published figures.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, unpublished annual average data from the Current Population Survey (CPS), selected years, 1975 through 2013. (This table was prepared November 2013.)

2013 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest