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Supplemental Tables:

Education and The Economy: An Indicators Report

April 1997


Table A.1. Data for Figure 2.1, Index of real output per hour of all persons, business sector: 1947-94

Year

Index of Output per Hour, Business Sector
(1977 = 100)

1947

44.9
1948 47.2
1949 47.7
1950 51.7
1951 53.8
1952 55.4
1953 57.5
1954 58.4
1955 60.1
1956 60.9
1957 62.5
1958 64.4
1959 66.5
1960 67.6
1961 70.0
1962 72.5
1963 75.4
1964 78.7
1965 81.0
1966 83.2
1967 85.5
1968 87.8
1969 87.8
1970 88.4
1971 91.3
1972 94.1
1973 95.9
1974 93.9
1975 95.7
1976 98.3
1977 100.0
1978 100.8
1979 99.6
1980 99.3
1981 100.7
1982 100.3
1983 103.0
1984 105.5
1985 107.7
1986 110.1
1987 111.0
1988 112.1
1989 111.3
1990 112.1
1991 113.6
1992 117.0
1993 118.5
1994 121.3

Notes: Figures for years after 1988 were originally based on 1982=100. They were multiplied by a factor of 1.013 for use in the 1977=100 index. Hours of all persons include hours of employees, proprietors, and unpaid family workers. Output is the constant-dollar market value of final goods and services produced. For the business sector, the index relates to gross domestic product less general government, output of nonprofit institutions, output of paid employees of private households, and rental value of owner-occupied dwellings. Business output was about 78 percent of GDP in 1992.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, based on data from the Current Employment Statistics, the Current Population Survey, and the national income and produce accounts produced by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis..



Table A.2. Data for Figure 2.2, Real GDP per worker in G-7 nations (dollars, based on 1985 international prices): 1950-90

 

Year

 

United States

 

Canada

 

Italy

 

France

 

West Germany

 

United Kingdom

 

Japan

 

1950

 

$20,496

 

$16,113

 

$6,286

 

$8,772

 

$7,339

 

$11,665

 

$2,595

 

1951

 

21,396

 

16,537

 

6,772

 

9,273

 

7,886

 

12,071

 

2,901

 

1952

 

21,433

 

17,323

 

7,072

 

9,564

 

8,548

 

11,951

 

3,115

 

1953

 

22,087

 

17,739

 

7,603

 

9,778

 

9,097

 

12,501

 

3,255

 

1954

 

21,703

 

17,015

 

7,874

 

10,159

 

9,736

 

12,937

 

3,376

 

1955

 

23,345

 

18,156

 

8,431

 

10,684

 

10,943

 

13,403

 

3,596

 

1956

 

23,449

 

19,470

 

8,780

 

11,461

 

11,478

 

13,516

 

3,804

 

1957

 

23,410

 

19,336

 

9,141

 

11,994

 

11,928

 

13,719

 

4,023

 

1958

 

22,876

 

19,072

 

9,514

 

12,258

 

12,211

 

13,705

 

4,179

 

1959

 

24,157

 

19,483

 

10,136

 

12,637

 

13,004

 

14,211

 

4,477

 

1960

 

24,433

 

19,484

 

11,063

 

13,478

 

13,919

 

14,754

 

4,998

 

1961

 

24,431

 

19,316

 

11,987

 

14,111

 

14,527

 

15,077

 

5,630

 

1962

 

25,318

 

20,050

 

12,757

 

14,857

 

15,061

 

15,105

 

5,929

 

1963

 

25,882

 

20,581

 

13,541

 

15,462

 

15,382

 

15,639

 

6,435

 

1964

 

26,794

 

21,354

 

13,814

 

16,406

 

16,413

 

16,409

 

7,140

 

1965

 

28,051

 

22,245

 

14,163

 

17,027

 

17,282

 

16,645

 

7,333

 

1966

 

29,152

 

23,145

 

15,037

 

17,848

 

17,593

 

16,895

 

7,983

 

1967

 

29,369

 

23,294

 

16,143

 

18,573

 

17,507

 

17,303

 

8,722

 

1968

 

30,192

 

23,973

 

17,140

 

19,261

 

18,675

 

17,916

 

9,714

 

1969

 

30,637

 

24,746

 

18,244

 

20,554

 

20,104

 

18,063

 

10,599

 

1970

 

30,468

 

24,906

 

19,355

 

21,598

 

21,251

 

18,559

 

11,526

 

1971

 

30,690

 

25,534

 

19,476

 

22,323

 

22,371

 

18,739

 

11,874

 

1972

 

31,463

 

26,264

 

19,838

 

22,957

 

23,067

 

19,345

 

12,713

 

1973

 

32,488

 

27,426

 

21,267

 

24,002

 

23,956

 

20,629

 

13,568

 

1974

 

31,402

 

27,740

 

22,322

 

24,386

 

23,664

 

20,134

 

13,212

 

1975

 

30,134

 

27,350

 

21,359

 

23,818

 

23,342

 

19,843

 

13,381

 

1976

 

31,042

 

28,241

 

22,757

 

24,803

 

24,722

 

20,269

 

13,892

 

1977

 

31,869

 

28,268

 

23,329

 

25,419

 

25,406

 

20,654

 

14,436

 

1978

 

32,773

 

28,704

 

24,067

 

25,997

 

26,145

 

21,341

 

15,025

 

1979

 

32,796

 

29,191

 

25,522

 

26,673

 

27,257

 

21,895

 

15,733

 

1980

 

31,698

 

28,725

 

26,847

 

26,810

 

27,273

 

21,246

 

16,284

 

1981

 

32,023

 

29,481

 

26,571

 

26,635

 

26,733

 

20,842

 

16,745

 

1982

 

30,672

 

27,733

 

26,335

 

26,990

 

26,138

 

21,166

 

17,117

 

1983

 

31,379

 

28,376

 

26,249

 

26,763

 

26,520

 

21,916

 

17,408

 

1984

 

33,247

 

29,980

 

26,745

 

26,832

 

27,015

 

22,370

 

18,010

 

1985

 

33,783

 

31,147

 

27,189

 

27,064

 

27,252

 

22,981

 

18,820

 

1986

 

34,342

 

32,037

 

27,849

 

27,645

 

27,879

 

23,931

 

19,130

 

1987

 

35,023

 

33,196

 

28,589

 

28,084

 

28,239

 

25,016

 

19,772

 

1988

 

36,083

 

34,521

 

29,623

 

29,130

 

29,152

 

26,359

 

20,873

 

1989

 

36,859

 

35,069

 

30,321

 

29,879

 

28,505

 

26,858

 

21,691

 

1990

 

36,771

 

34,380

 

30,797

 

30,357

 

29,509

 

26,755

 

22,624

SOURCE: Penn World Table (Mark 5.6), distributed by the National Bureau of Economic Research. For a description, see Robert Summers and Alan Heston, "The Penn World Table (Mark 5): An Expanded Set of International Comparisons, 1950-1988," Quarterly Journal of Economics (May 1991): 327-368.



Table A.3. Data for Figure 2.3, Coefficient of variation of real GDP per worker among the G-7 nations: 1950-90

Year Coefficient
1950 0.5429
1951 0.5290
1952 0.5132
1953 0.5032
1954 0.4738
1955 0.4741
1956 0.4623
1957 0.4433
1958 0.4229
1959 0.4193
1960 0.3903
1961 0.3609
1962 0.3573
1963 0.3450
1964 0.3341
1965 0.3404
1966 0.3348
1967 0.3160
1968 0.2988
1969 0.2807
1970 0.2557
1971 0.2518
1972 0.2448
1973 0.2338
1974 0.2294
1975 0.2200
1976 0.2175
1977 0.2136
1978 0.2096
1979 0.1980
1980 0.1862
1981 0.1873
1982 0.1668
1983 0.1652
1984 0.1741
1985 0.1700
1986 0.1683
1987 0.1652
1988 0.1591
1989 0.1569
1990 0.1433

Note: The coefficient of variation is equal to the standard deviation of productivity divided by the mean.

Source: Penn World Table (Mark 5.6), distributed by the National Bureau of Economic Research. For a description, see Robert Summers and Alan Heston, "The Penn World Table (Mark 5): An Expanded Set of International Comparisons, 1950-1988," Quarterly Journal of Economics (May 1991): 327-368.



Table A.4. Data for Figure 3.1, Unemployment rates of high school graduates and dropouts not enrolled in college, by educational attainment (percent): 1960-94

Year Recent School Dropouts Recent High School Graduates

1960

18.2

15.2

1961 26.8 17.9
1962 28.6 14.1
1963 31.7 18.0
1964 24.8 18.7
1965 21.4 12.4
1966 17.4 14.2
1967 21.0 16.2
1968 21.8 13.5
1969 16.8 11.4
1970 25.5 18.1
1971 26.4 17.2
1972 26.5 14.7
1973 22.2 12.3
1974 28.3 17.0
1975 34.0 19.9
1976 30.8 18.1
1977 26.7 15.7
1978 27.6 14.1
1979 26.0 16.5
1980 31.5 19.0
1981 36.2 21.4
1982 41.6 26.3
1983 31.6 25.5
1984 33.3 22.9
1985 35.6 24.6
1986 27.9 19.9
1987 37.8 17.8
1988 26.6 15.1
1989 28.1 14.7
1990 32.3 19.0
1991 40.2 25.2
1992 38.9 19.0
1993 26.4 23.7
1994 29.8 20.3

Note: Recent high school graduates include individuals ages 16-24 years who graduated during the survey year and were not enrolled in college. Recent high school dropouts include individuals ages 16-24 who did not graduate and who were in school 12 months earlier, but who were not enrolled in the survey month.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, , The Condition of Education, 1995; U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, October Current Population Surveys.



Table A.5. Data for Figure 3.2, Unemployment rates of recent high school graduates not enrolled in college, by race (percent): 1973-94

Year
Black
White

1973

28.8

10.0

1974 38.8 14.1
1975 46.7 16.4
1976 47.0 15.3
1977 41.8 12.8
1978 39.3 10.2
1979 38.5 14.0
1980 51.4 14.8
1981 54.3 16.4
1982 57.6 19.9
1983 54.1 18.8
1984 38.7 18.0
1985 55.1 16.5
1986 39.1 16.2
1987 36.4 14.3
1988 24.5 11.3
1989 24.5 12.1
1990 35.8 14.8
1991 51.8 20.6
1992 39.3 13.5
1993 34.5 20.1
1994 50.7 11.4

Note: Recent high school graduates include individuals ages 16-24 years who graduated during the survey year and were not enrolled in college. Recent high school dropouts include individuals ages 16-24 who did not graduate and who were in school 12 months earlier, but who were not enrolled in the survey month.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, , The Condition of Education, 1995; U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, October Current Population Surveys.



Table A.6. Data for Figure 3.3, Median earnings for wage and salary workers ages 25 to 34 years by educational attainment and sex: 1993 (in 1994 constant dollars)

Educational Attainment

Male Female
Grades 9 to 11 13,961 7,674
High School diploma only 20,924 13,097
Some college 23,435 17,157
Bachelor's degree or more

32,708 26,043

Source: U.S. Department of Education, , The Condition of Education, 1995; U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, March Current Population Survey 1994.



Table A.7. Data for Figure 3.4, Estimated returns to education, workers with 1 to 5 years of work experience (percent increase over average wages of high school nongraduates): 1963-86

Educational Attainment 1963-68 1969-74 1975-80 1981-86

High school

18.8

14.2

17.2

19.3

Some college 33.9 24.4 26.9 37.0
College 69.6 62.2 55.6 83.7
Graduate school

88.1 82.9 75.2 106.8

Note: Estimates of the returns to education control for differences between educational groups in race-ethnicity, age, and sex.

Source: Kevin Murphy and Finis Welch, "Wage Premiums for College Graduates: Recent Growth and Possible Explanations," Educational Researcher (May 1989): 17-26, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, March Current Population Surveys.



Table A.8. Data for Figure 3.5, Median annual income, full-time workers age 25 years and older by sex (1991 dollars): 1980 and 1990

Males Females
Educational Attainment 1980 1990 1980 1990

Fewer Than 4 Years of High School

$24,380

$20,306

$15,103

$14,338

4 Years of High School 32,202 27,629 19,082 19,093
1-3 Years of College 34,583 32,892 21,393 23,161
4 or More Years of College 42,754 44,310 27,063 31,668

Source: Alan Eck. "Job-Related Education and Training: Their Impact on Earnings." Monthly Labor Review (October 1993): 21-38; U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, March Current Population Surveys, 1980 and 1990.



Table A.9. Data for Figure 3.6, High school completion rates for 18- to 24-year-olds not enrolled in high school, by race-ethnicity (percent): 1972-94

Year Total White Black Hispanic

1972

82.8

86.0

72.1

56.2

1973 83.7 87.0 71.6 58.7
1974 83.6 86.7 73.0 60.1
1975 83.8 87.2 70.2 62.2
1976 83.5 86.4 73.5 60.3
1977 83.6 86.7 73.9 58.6
1978 83.6 86.9 73.4 58.8
1979 83.1 86.6 72.6 58.5
1980 83.9 87.5 75.2 57.1
1981 83.8 87.1 76.7 59.1
1982 83.8 87.0 76.4 60.9
1983 83.9 87.4 76.8 59.4
1984 84.7 87.5 80.3 63.7
1985 85.4 88.2 81.0 66.6
1986 85.5 88.8 81.8 63.5
1987 84.7 87.7 81.9 65.1
1988 84.5 88.7 80.9 58.2
1989 84.7 89.0 81.9 59.4
1990 85.6 89.6 83.2 59.1
1991 84.9 89.4 82.5 56.5
1992 86.4 90.7 82.0 62.1
1993 86.2 90.1 81.9 64.4
1994 85.8 90.7 83.3 61.8

Source: U.S. Department of Education, , Dropout Rates in the United States:, 1994; U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, October Current Population Surveys.



Table A.10. Data for Figure 3.7, Percentage of high school graduates enrolled in college in October following graduation, by type of college: 1968-93

Year All Colleges 2-Year Colleges 4-Year Colleges

1968

53.6

NA

NA

1971 51.4 NA NA
1972 49.2 NA NA
1973 46.6 14.9 31.7
1974 47.6 15.2 32.4
1975 50.7 18.2 32.6
1976 48.8 15.6 33.3
1977 50.6 17.5 33.1
1978 50.1 17.0 33.1
1979 49.3 17.5 31.8
1980 49.3 19.4 29.9
1981 53.9 20.5 33.5
1982 50.6 19.1 31.5
1983 52.7 19.2 33.5
1984 55.2 19.4 35.8
1985 57.7 19.6 38.1
1986 53.8 19.3 34.5
1987 56.8 18.9 37.9
1988 58.9 21.9 37.1
1989 59.6 20.7 38.9
1990 60.1 20.1 40.0
1991 62.5 24.9 37.7
1992 61.9 23.0 38.9
1993 61.5 22.4 39.1
1994 61.9 21.0 40.9

Source: U.S. Department of Education, , The Condition of Education, 1995; U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, October Current Population Surveys.

NA = not available.



Table A.11. Data for Figure 3.8, Percentage of high school graduates enrolled in college in October following graduation, by race-ethnicity, 1973-1992

Year White Black Hispanic
1973 48.2 41.4 48.7
1974 48.7 40.5 53.0
1975 49.0 44.4 52.5
1976 50.2 45.2 53.8
1977 50.0 46.8 48.5
1978 50.4 47.5 45.9
1979 50.1 45.3 46.4
1980 51.4 44.0 49.8
1981 52.3 40.4 49.0
1982 54.1 38.9 49.8
1983 55.6 37.9 47.2
1984 58.0 40.1 49.8
1985 58.6 39.6 46.4
1986 58.5 43.8 42.8
1987 58.8 44.5 44.9
1988 60.1 50.0 48.6
1989 61.6 48.2 51.6
1990 63.0 48.9 51.7
1991 64.2 47.1 51.6
1992 64.2 50.1 58.1

Note: Data shown are three-year averages. The three-year average for 1992 is the average percentage of graduates enrolled in college in 1991, 1992, and 1993.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, ,, The Condition of Education, 1995, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, October Current Population Surveys.



Table A.12. Data for Figure 3.9, Percentage of high school graduates ages 25-29 years who have completed four years of college or more, by race-ethnicity: 1965-94

Year All Graduates White Graduates Black Graduates Hispanic Graduates

1965

17.7

NA

NA

NA

1966 19.7 NA NA NA
1967 20.1 NA NA NA
1968 20.1 NA NA NA
1969 21.5 NA NA NA
1970 21.7 NA NA NA
1971 22.0 23.1 11.5 10.5
1972 23.7 24.9 13.1 7.8
1973 23.6 24.8 12.7 10.8
1974 25.3 27.2 11.5 10.1
1975 26.3 27.5 14.7 16.6
1976 28.0 29.3 17.6 12.7
1977 28.1 29.8 16.9 11.5
1978 27.3 28.9 15.2 17.1
1979 27.0 28.6 16.6 12.9
1980 26.3 28.0 15.0 13.2
1981 24.7 26.3 14.9 12.5
1982 25.2 26.7 15.6 15.9
1983 26.2 27.4 16.2 17.8
1984 25.5 27.0 14.8 18.1
1985 25.7 27.3 14.4 18.2
1986 26.0 28.1 14.2 15.3
1987 25.6 27.6 13.8 14.5
1988 26.4 28.0 14.8 18.1
1989 27.3 29.5 15.4 16.5
1990 27.1 29.3 16.4 14.0
1991 27.2 29.7 13.4 16.3
1992 27.3 30.0 13.7 15.6
1993 27.3 29.8 16.1 13.6
1994 27.0 29.7 16.2 13.3

NA = not available.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, , The Condition of Education, 1995; U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, March Current Population Surveys.



Table A.13. Data for Figure 4.1, Unemployment rate for civilian workers ages 19-31 years,by age-adjusted ASVAB score quartile (percent)

Mathematics
Age Top
quartile
Standard
error
Second
quartile
Standard
error
Third
quartile
Standard
error
Bottom
quartile
Standard
error

19

8.33

0.96

17.83

1.12

21.19

1.03

29.25

1.11

20

6.40

0.76

11.77

0.86

17.12

0.89

25.47

0.97

21

7.47

0.74

9.18

0.71

15.86

0.81

23.93

0.87

22

6.85

0.65

8.53

0.65

13.89

0.73

20.83

0.81

23

5.97

0.58

8.52

0.63

12.74

0.70

17.07

0.74

24

4.29

0.49

6.64

0.55

11.48

0.67

13.86

0.67

25

3.91

0.46

6.34

0.55

8.83

0.60

13.50

0.67

26

2.68

0.39

4.37

0.47

8.14

0.58

13.62

0.69

27

2.78

0.40

4.44

0.49

7.28

0.57

11.70

0.65

28

2.86

0.41

4.80

0.51

6.73

0.56

11.47

0.66

29

3.08

0.44

4.38

0.50

5.26

0.51

9.43

0.62

30

2.59

0.44

4.79

0.56

6.33

0.61

11.21

0.73

31

2.63

0.49

3.82

0.57

5.44

0.64

10.36

0.77

Science
Age Top
quartile
Standard
error
Second
quartile
Standard
error
Third
quartile
Standard
error
Bottom
quartile
Standard
error

19

12.23

1.10

14.27

1.07

21.15

1.11

29.09

1.03

20

8.18

0.84

12.63

0.92

15.03

0.88

25.19

0.92

21

8.39

0.78

10.65

0.80

14.65

0.80

22.54

0.82

22

7.75

0.69

10.06

0.73

11.65

0.69

20.56

0.77

23

6.51

0.61

9.48

0.69

10.97

0.66

17.15

0.71

24

5.01

0.53

6.65

0.58

9.24

0.61

15.22

0.67

25

4.60

0.51

6.19

0.56

8.38

0.59

13.18

0.64

26

4.28

0.50

4.73

0.50

6.53

0.53

12.90

0.64

27

3.91

0.49

4.54

0.51

5.89

0.52

11.53

0.62

28

3.57

0.47

4.05

0.49

6.43

0.55

11.48

0.62

29

3.29

0.47

3.86

0.49

5.38

0.52

9.47

0.59

30

3.90

0.55

3.51

0.51

7.01

0.65

10.11

0.65

31

3.39

0.58

3.87

0.58

4.67

0.60

10.29

0.73

Paragraph Comprehension
Age Top
quartile
Standard
error
Second
quartile
Standard
error
Third
quartile
Standard
error
Bottom
quartile
Standard
error

19

11.55

1.06

14.76

1.07

21.27

1.07

29.89

1.09

20

8.75

0.84

11.67

0.90

14.86

0.84

26.19

0.96

21

8.66

0.75

10.94

0.83

13.57

0.76

23.69

0.86

22

8.10

0.67

9.62

0.74

10.92

0.66

21.61

0.80

23

6.54

0.59

8.82

0.68

10.93

0.66

17.99

0.74

24

4.88

0.50

6.12

0.58

9.14

0.60

16.07

0.70

25

5.02

0.51

5.25

0.54

7.32

0.54

14.78

0.68

26

3.41

0.43

4.71

0.52

6.80

0.54

13.57

0.66

27

3.08

0.42

4.91

0.54

6.02

0.52

12.08

0.64

28

3.59

0.46

4.16

0.50

6.27

0.54

11.46

0.63

29

3.29

0.46

3.79

0.49

4.73

0.48

10.16

0.62

30

3.59

0.52

3.35

0.51

7.05

0.63

10.34

0.68

31

2.78

0.50

3.85

0.61

4.82

0.60

10.67

0.76

Note: Respondents who were out of the labor force at any given age were excluded from the sample for that age. To control for differences in age at testing, individuals were assigned to age-specific performance quartiles for each subject area based on their age at testing.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979-93.





Table A.14. Data for Figure 4.2, Unemployment rate for civilian workers ages 19-31 years, by educational attainment and age-adjusted ASVAB score quartile (percent)

High school graduates
Mathematics
Top Standard Second Standard Third Standard Bottom Standard
Age quartile error quartile error quartile error quartile error
19 9.2 1.2 18.2 1.3 18.5 1.3 23.3 1.6
20 6.8 1.4 12.7 1.2 13.7 1.0 23.4 1.3
21 5.5 1.3 8.5 0.9 15.0 1.0 21.6 1.2
22 9.0 1.6 8.6 0.9 13.7 0.9 18.9 1.1
23 4.2 1.1 9.8 1.0 12.7 0.9 15.4 1.0
24 5.9 1.4 7.5 0.8 12.2 0.9 11.5 0.9
25 4.5 1.3 7.5 0.9 8.2 0.8 10.8 0.8
26 2.8 1.0 5.8 0.8 7.7 0.8 12.4 0.9
27 2.5 1.0 5.2 0.8 7.1 0.7 10.8 0.9
28 2.7 1.1 6.7 0.9 6.7 0.7 10.5 0.9
29 5.1 1.5 4.4 0.8 5.2 0.7 7.9 0.8
30 4.4 1.6 4.6 0.9 7.8 0.9 10.3 1.0
31 4.0 1.8 3.9 0.9 6.3 0.9 9.2 1.0
Science
Top Standard Second Standard Third Standard Bottom Standard
Age quartile error quartile error quartile error quartile error
19 13.6 1.4 14.0 1.3 19.2 1.3 23.3 1.4
20 8.8 1.4 12.7 1.2 14.2 1.1 22.7 1.3
21 9.2 1.4 9.9 1.1 14.3 1.1 19.9 1.1
22 11.4 1.4 11.1 1.1 11.5 0.9 18.3 1.1
23 7.3 1.2 11.0 1.1 11.4 0.9 15.4 1.0
24 8.6 1.3 7.3 0.9 10.3 0.9 13.1 0.9
25 5.8 1.1 7.9 1.0 7.8 0.8 10.9 0.8
26 8.3 1.3 6.1 0.9 6.9 0.8 11.1 0.8
27 5.2 1.1 6.9 1.0 5.5 0.7 10.6 0.8
28 3.4 0.9 5.2 0.9 8.0 0.8 10.8 0.9
29 4.5 1.1 3.8 0.8 5.5 0.7 8.4 0.8
30 7.5 1.6 4.1 0.9 7.3 0.9 10.4 0.9
31 5.5 1.6 5.3 1.1 4.7 0.8 9.7 1.0
Paragraph Comprehension
Top Standard Second Standard Third Standard Bottom Standard
Age quartile error quartile error quartile error quartile error
19 13.5 1.4 13.8 1.2 19.9 1.3 23.9 1.6
20 10.9 1.4 11.4 1.2 14.1 1.1 23.4 1.4
21 7.5 1.2 11.1 1.2 12.8 1.0 22.4 1.2
22 8.5 1.2 11.5 1.1 11.6 0.9 19.8 1.1
23 8.4 1.2 9.2 1.0 11.1 0.9 17.1 1.0
24 6.6 1.1 7.3 0.9 9.4 0.8 15.4 1.0
25 6.6 1.1 6.4 0.9 6.7 0.7 13.1 0.9
26 4.2 0.9 7.2 1.0 7.0 0.8 12.2 0.9
27 3.3 0.8 5.7 0.9 6.5 0.7 11.6 0.9
28 4.7 1.0 6.1 1.0 7.0 0.8 10.5 0.9
29 4.6 1.1 3.9 0.8 5.0 0.7 8.7 0.8
30 5.3 1.3 4.7 1.0 8.3 1.0 9.5 0.9
31 4.6 1.3 6.0 1.2 3.8 0.7 10.5 1.1

Table A.14 (continued)

1 to 3 years of college
Mathematics
Top Standard Second Standard Third Standard Bottom Standard
Age quartile error quartile error quartile error quartile error
19 5.5 1.4 8.3 2.2 11.4 3.4 22.3 6.1
20 6.3 0.9 8.6 1.2 16.7 2.2 16.7 2.8
21 8.3 0.9 9.2 1.1 14.0 1.7 15.1 2.2
22 7.1 0.9 6.9 0.9 9.6 1.4 11.8 1.8
23 6.9 1.1 7.0 1.0 10.9 1.5 10.1 1.7
24 5.1 1.0 5.3 0.9 9.5 1.4 7.1 1.4
25 4.1 0.9 4.7 0.9 7.7 1.2 10.4 1.7
26 3.3 0.8 2.8 0.7 7.1 1.2 9.6 1.6
27 2.4 0.7 3.8 0.8 5.8 1.1 7.5 1.4
28 4.3 1.0 3.5 0.8 6.9 1.2 5.4 1.2
29 5.1 1.1 3.6 0.8 4.0 1.0 8.4 1.5
30 3.1 1.0 5.6 1.1 5.6 1.2 8.2 1.6
31 3.6 1.1 5.0 1.2 3.0 1.0 4.8 1.4
Science
Top Standard Second Standard Third Standard Bottom Standard
Age quartile error quartile error quartile error quartile error
19 5.6 1.6 6.7 2.1 9.8 2.7 20.3 4.6
20 7.3 1.1 9.2 1.4 9.3 1.5 16.3 2.3
21 7.8 1.0 10.1 1.2 11.4 1.4 14.7 1.8
22 6.4 0.9 7.8 1.1 8.8 1.2 10.8 1.5
23 5.4 1.0 7.3 1.1 10.2 1.3 12.2 1.6
24 4.3 0.9 5.3 1.0 6.6 1.1 11.7 1.5
25 4.6 1.0 4.1 0.9 7.3 1.1 9.6 1.4
26 3.1 0.8 4.1 0.9 4.1 0.9 10.8 1.5
27 3.5 0.9 2.8 0.8 5.0 1.0 7.5 1.3
28 4.3 1.0 4.6 1.0 5.6 1.0 4.6 1.0
29 3.7 1.0 4.9 1.1 4.3 0.9 7.5 1.3
30 4.5 1.2 3.7 1.0 6.5 1.2 7.3 1.3
31 3.4 1.2 4.2 1.2 3.1 1.0 6.7 1.4
Paragraph Comprehension
Top Standard Second Standard Third Standard Bottom Standard
Age quartile error quartile error quartile error quartile error
19 3.3 1.2 11.1 2.5 11.7 2.9 18.2 5.7
20 6.6 1.0 8.9 1.3 13.1 1.6 13.2 2.5
21 8.9 1.0 9.3 1.2 12.0 1.4 11.4 1.9
22 7.8 1.0 7.8 1.1 6.4 1.0 12.1 1.8
23 5.0 0.9 9.0 1.3 8.3 1.2 14.6 1.9
24 3.7 0.8 6.8 1.2 7.7 1.1 9.2 1.5
25 4.3 0.9 5.0 1.0 6.5 1.0 10.5 1.6
26 3.8 0.9 3.4 0.8 5.3 1.0 9.6 1.5
27 3.8 0.9 3.8 0.9 3.7 0.8 8.2 1.5
28 4.3 1.0 4.1 0.9 5.9 1.0 4.8 1.1
29 3.7 1.0 4.9 1.0 3.3 0.8 9.7 1.6
30 3.3 1.0 4.4 1.1 6.8 1.2 7.8 1.6
31 1.8 0.8 4.8 1.3 5.5 1.2 5.3 1.5

Table A.14 (continued)

4 to 5 years of college
Mathematics
Top Standard Second Standard Third Standard Bottom Standard
Age quartile error quartile error quartile error quartile error
19 * * * * * * * *
20 * * * * * * * *
21 * * * * * * * *
22 3.9 1.1 8.0 2.4 1.4 2.0 * *
23 5.1 0.8 6.0 1.4 5.6 2.5 * *
24 3.1 0.6 5.9 1.2 9.2 2.8 3.6 3.1
25 3.6 0.6 4.7 1.1 5.1 2.0 2.0 2.2
26 2.1 0.5 2.1 0.7 4.0 1.7 3.9 2.9
27 2.9 0.6 3.4 0.9 2.3 1.3 9.5 4.3
28 2.1 0.5 2.5 0.8 3.7 1.6 3.4 2.7
29 2.1 0.5 5.7 1.3 6.0 2.1 5.9 3.3
30 2.2 0.6 3.3 1.1 1.1 1.0 2.2 2.2
31 2.6 0.7 2.0 0.9 4.6 2.1 6.4 3.9
Science
Top Standard Second Standard Third Standard Bottom Standard
Age quartile error quartile error quartile error quartile error
19 * * * * * * * *
20 * * * * * * * *
21 * * * * * * * *
22 4.7 1.3 4.5 1.9 3.5 2.0
23 5.3 0.9 6.6 1.4 4.5 1.5 3.9 2.5
24 3.1 0.7 6.3 1.2 3.9 1.3 4.7 2.3
25 3.9 0.8 4.0 1.0 2.7 1.1 6.7 2.6
26 2.7 0.6 1.2 0.6 2.3 1.0 3.8 1.9
27 3.1 0.7 2.2 0.7 4.7 1.4 4.5 2.0
28 3.3 0.7 1.0 0.5 1.3 0.8 4.5 2.0
29 2.8 0.7 3.7 1.0 4.0 1.3 6.4 2.3
30 2.2 0.7 2.4 0.9 4.0 1.5 0.3 0.5
31 3.4 0.9 1.4 0.7 3.5 1.5 2.8 1.9
Paragraph Comprehension
Top Standard Second Standard Third Standard Bottom Standard
Age quartile error quartile error quartile error quartile error
19 * * * * * * * *
20 * * * * * * * *
21 * * * * * * * *
22 5.9 1.4 3.5 1.6 4.3 2.4 * *
23 5.1 0.9 5.7 1.3 7.2 2.0 2.7 2.6
24 4.4 0.8 2.9 0.9 5.9 1.6 6.3 3.2
25 4.2 0.8 2.8 0.8 5.1 1.4 5.9 3.0
26 2.5 0.6 1.0 0.5 3.0 1.1 8.2 3.3
27 2.5 0.6 3.4 0.9 4.9 1.4 3.7 2.2
28 2.3 0.6 1.7 0.7 2.2 1.0 9.9 3.4
29 3.0 0.7 3.3 0.9 4.2 1.3 7.6 3.1
30 3.0 0.8 1.0 0.6 3.1 1.2 3.5 2.3
31 3.0 0.9 0.3 0.3 5.9 1.8 5.3 2.9


*Too few observations to provide reliable estimates.

Note: Respondents who were out of the labor force at any given age were excluded from the sample for that age. Data based on fewer than 30 observations are excluded from the tables.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979-93.



Table A.15. Data for Figure 4.3, Estimated relationship between test scores and unemployment probability for 28-year-old workers

Subject and test quartile Percent difference in unemployment probability compared with those
in the bottom quartile

Standard
error

Mathematics

Top quartile

Second quartile

Third quartile

-2.1

-1.6

-2.1*

1.1

1.0

0.8

Science

Top quartile

Second quartile

Third quartile

-0.8

-2.0*

-1.7

1.1

1.0

0.9

Paragraph Comprehension

Top quartile

Second quartile

Third quartile

-1.5

-1.5

-1.3

1.1

1.0

0.9

Composite

Top quartile

Second quartile

Third quartile

-3.5*

-4.1*

-3.3*

1.0

0.9

0.8

*Significantly less than zero at the 95 percent confidence level in a two-tailed test.

NOTE: The number shown is the percentage impact of being in the specified quartile compared with being in the bottom quartile on the unemployment probability.

SOURCE: Authors' calculations based on the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1979-93 data.



Table A.16. Data for Figure 4.4, Mean hourly rate of pay for civilian workers ages 19-31 years, by age-adjusted ASVAB score quartile

Mathematics
Top Standard Second Standard Third Standard Bottom Standard
Age quartile error quartile error quartile error quartile error
19 $6.11 0.08 $6.48 0.08 $6.50 0.08 $6.49 0.11
20 6.68 0.09 6.96 0.08 6.97 0.09 6.80 0.09
21 7.27 0.09 7.63 0.09 7.31 0.08 7.03 0.07
22 8.07 0.10 8.21 0.09 7.85 0.08 7.46 0.07
23 9.43 0.10 8.66 0.09 8.12 0.08 7.79 0.10
24 10.73 0.12 9.49 0.10 8.60 0.10 7.85 0.08
25 11.47 0.13 9.89 0.12 8.96 0.10 8.10 0.09
26 12.07 0.14 10.42 0.12 9.36 0.12 8.22 0.09
27 12.67 0.15 10.66 0.12 9.31 0.11 8.38 0.10
28 13.50 0.18 11.13 0.12 9.53 0.11 8.76 0.11
29 14.17 0.19 11.48 0.15 9.86 0.13 8.70 0.11
30 14.93 0.22 11.82 0.16 10.08 0.14 8.59 0.10
31 15.01 0.24 11.90 0.17 10.14 0.18 8.96 0.14
Science
Top Standard Second Standard Third Standard Bottom Standard
Age quartile error quartile error quartile error quartile error
19 $6.35 0.08 $6.63 0.11 $6.23 0.09 $6.36 0.09
20 6.84 0.09 7.22 0.12 6.85 0.08 6.47 0.07
21 7.37 0.09 7.78 0.10 7.27 0.07 6.82 0.07
22 8.19 0.10 8.37 0.11 7.76 0.07 7.27 0.07
23 9.41 0.11 8.89 0.11 8.25 0.08 7.46 0.07
24 10.69 0.13 9.63 0.11 8.71 0.09 7.73 0.08
25 11.10 0.13 10.15 0.13 9.27 0.11 7.99 0.08
26 11.86 0.15 10.68 0.13 9.52 0.10 8.14 0.09
27 12.49 0.16 10.91 0.13 9.57 0.11 8.23 0.08
28 13.10 0.18 11.46 0.14 9.95 0.12 8.62 0.10
29 13.58 0.19 11.92 0.18 10.30 0.13 8.61 0.10
30 14.26 0.22 12.23 0.18 10.44 0.15 8.83 0.11
31 14.36 0.24 12.19 0.19 10.73 0.19 8.92 0.14
Paragraph Comprehension
Top Standard Second Standard Third Standard Bottom Standard
Age quartile error quartile error quartile error quartile error
19 $6.10 0.07 $6.44 0.10 $6.50 0.09 $6.57 0.10
20 6.65 0.09 6.90 0.10 7.03 0.08 6.83 0.08
21 7.16 0.08 7.43 0.10 7.55 0.08 7.12 0.07
22 7.98 0.10 7.88 0.09 8.14 0.08 7.61 0.08
23 8.97 0.10 8.79 0.10 8.45 0.08 7.84 0.09
24 10.16 0.11 9.51 0.11 9.06 0.09 8.03 0.09
25 10.69 0.12 10.09 0.13 9.48 0.11 8.24 0.09
26 11.16 0.13 10.73 0.14 9.91 0.11 8.40 0.09
27 11.65 0.15 10.97 0.14 10.05 0.11 8.52 0.09
28 12.43 0.17 11.41 0.14 10.37 0.13 8.89 0.11
29 12.93 0.18 11.79 0.17 10.78 0.14 8.91 0.11
30 13.45 0.22 12.54 0.19 10.74 0.14 9.10 0.12
31 13.40 0.23 12.72 0.21 10.90 0.17 9.23 0.15


Note: Respondents reporting hourly pay of less than $1.00 or greater than $100.00 (1992 dollars) at any given age were excluded from the sample for that age. To control for differences in age at testing, individuals were assigned to age-specific performance quartiles for each subject based on their age at testing.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1979-93.



Table A.17. Data for Figure 4.5, Mean hourly rate of pay for civilian workers ages 19-31 years, by educational attainment and age-adjusted ASVAB score quartile

High school graduates
Mathematics
Top Standard Second Standard Third Standard Bottom Standard
Age quartile error quartile error quartile error quartile error
19 $6.21 0.10 $6.47 0.10 $6.53 0.11 $6.55 0.14
20 7.23 0.16 7.37 0.11 7.19 0.12 6.94 0.15
21 7.86 0.17 8.08 0.13 7.49 0.10 7.17 0.10
22 8.56 0.19 8.54 0.12 8.03 0.10 7.42 0.09
23 9.25 0.22 9.05 0.14 8.16 0.11 7.85 0.14
24 9.80 0.24 9.42 0.15 8.62 0.13 7.85 0.11
25 10.26 0.29 9.67 0.14 8.85 0.12 8.11 0.13
26 10.49 0.31 10.22 0.16 9.29 0.15 8.22 0.11
27 10.61 0.30 10.33 0.17 9.34 0.15 8.17 0.13
28 10.73 0.33 10.55 0.16 9.29 0.14 8.60 0.14
29 11.59 0.54 11.02 0.24 9.71 0.16 8.56 0.14
30 11.81 0.41 11.21 0.24 9.75 0.18 8.53 0.14
31 12.34 0.47 11.05 0.25 9.86 0.23 8.85 0.18
Science
Top Standard Second Standard Third Standard Bottom Standard
Age quartile error quartile error quartile error quartile error
19 $6.41 0.10 $6.72 0.13 $6.09 0.09 $6.52 0.12
20 7.40 0.16 7.74 0.17 7.06 0.11 6.58 0.09
21 7.94 0.15 8.31 0.14 7.44 0.10 6.98 0.09
22 8.69 0.18 8.77 0.14 7.83 0.09 7.33 0.09
23 9.38 0.22 9.13 0.18 8.28 0.11 7.42 0.10
24 9.77 0.22 9.37 0.16 8.65 0.12 7.71 0.12
25 9.61 0.21 9.76 0.16 9.02 0.14 7.94 0.11
26 10.13 0.25 10.40 0.20 9.26 0.13 8.11 0.11
27 10.90 0.32 10.18 0.18 9.22 0.16 8.14 0.11
28 10.44 0.25 10.49 0.19 9.44 0.14 8.51 0.13
29 11.42 0.39 10.72 0.23 9.75 0.18 8.56 0.13
30 11.32 0.33 10.90 0.23 9.75 0.18 8.71 0.16
31 11.24 0.33 11.06 0.27 10.15 0.25 8.49 0.16
Paragraph Comprehension
Top Standard Second Standard Third Standard Bottom Standard
Age quartile error quartile error quartile error quartile error
19 $6.15 0.09 $6.38 0.11 $6.59 0.11 $6.74 0.14
20 7.12 0.13 7.24 0.16 7.28 0.11 7.05 0.12
21 7.67 0.13 7.67 0.12 7.76 0.11 7.38 0.10
22 8.43 0.15 7.92 0.12 8.21 0.11 7.79 0.11
23 8.55 0.16 8.60 0.15 8.50 0.11 8.14 0.15
24 9.03 0.18 8.81 0.16 9.00 0.12 8.19 0.13
25 9.12 0.18 9.44 0.17 9.23 0.14 8.25 0.11
26 9.58 0.21 9.87 0.20 9.60 0.14 8.48 0.12
27 9.66 0.23 9.80 0.21 9.67 0.15 8.59 0.13
28 9.73 0.23 9.94 0.19 9.80 0.14 8.91 0.14
29 10.33 0.34 10.47 0.25 10.05 0.16 9.01 0.17
30 10.09 0.28 10.66 0.26 9.93 0.16 9.34 0.18
31 10.61 0.35 10.85 0.28 9.96 0.20 9.31 0.21

Table A.17 (continued)

1 to 3 years of college
Mathematics
Top Standard Second Standard Third Standard Bottom Standard
Age quartile error quartile error quartile error quartile error
19 $5.92 0.11 $6.45 0.20 $6.69 0.46 $6.29 0.48
20 6.45 0.10 6.31 0.11 6.31 0.16 6.59 0.20
21 7.06 0.10 6.94 0.13 7.04 0.18 6.59 0.19
22 7.61 0.13 7.66 0.16 7.41 0.19 7.98 0.27
23 8.70 0.16 8.27 0.15 8.22 0.19 8.69 0.28
24 9.58 0.18 9.41 0.18 8.67 0.18 8.74 0.29
25 10.26 0.22 9.77 0.27 8.93 0.20 9.07 0.29
26 10.77 0.21 10.26 0.23 9.31 0.26 9.40 0.30
27 11.27 0.26 10.67 0.22 9.52 0.23 9.74 0.29
28 12.22 0.43 11.29 0.24 10.13 0.27 10.67 0.42
29 11.73 0.29 11.50 0.26 10.18 0.26 10.34 0.33
30 12.56 0.39 11.90 0.29 11.01 0.37 9.74 0.30
31 13.18 0.38 11.87 0.28 11.05 0.43 10.44 0.35
Science
Top Standard Second Standard Third Standard Bottom Standard
Age quartile error quartile error quartile error quartile error
19 $6.06 0.15 $6.12 0.21 $6.44 0.24 $6.31 0.43
20 6.51 0.10 6.34 0.12 6.21 0.13 6.39 0.26
21 7.09 0.11 7.13 0.16 6.83 0.13 6.45 0.14
22 7.63 0.12 7.75 0.20 7.58 0.16 7.36 0.21
23 8.80 0.18 8.43 0.18 8.31 0.17 8.00 0.19
24 9.78 0.20 9.40 0.20 8.72 0.18 8.62 0.22
25 10.22 0.22 9.84 0.30 9.33 0.20 8.82 0.27
26 10.82 0.26 10.03 0.22 9.64 0.20 9.59 0.33
27 11.50 0.30 10.63 0.23 9.84 0.21 9.42 0.23
28 12.50 0.41 11.16 0.29 10.75 0.34 9.93 0.27
29 11.79 0.31 11.34 0.28 10.85 0.26 10.04 0.30
30 12.79 0.37 11.73 0.34 11.18 0.35 10.11 0.31
31 13.46 0.44 11.50 0.30 11.27 0.32 10.94 0.40
Paragraph Comprehension
Top Standard Second Standard Third Standard Bottom Standard
Age quartile error quartile error quartile error quartile error
19 $5.87 0.12 $6.49 0.22 $6.12 0.28 $7.31 0.49
20 6.22 0.09 6.52 0.14 6.59 0.16 6.57 0.19
21 6.86 0.10 7.15 0.15 7.16 0.15 6.72 0.17
22 7.42 0.14 7.63 0.16 8.01 0.17 7.62 0.23
23 8.56 0.17 8.60 0.17 8.32 0.17 8.15 0.20
24 9.56 0.18 9.27 0.19 9.07 0.20 8.61 0.25
25 9.87 0.20 9.87 0.28 9.60 0.24 8.82 0.28
26 10.13 0.20 10.13 0.22 10.26 0.29 9.53 0.26
27 10.71 0.25 10.56 0.23 10.42 0.24 9.81 0.27
28 11.66 0.36 11.51 0.28 10.89 0.34 10.29 0.32
29 11.61 0.29 11.23 0.27 10.99 0.28 10.10 0.30
30 11.85 0.36 12.36 0.36 11.22 0.30 10.26 0.37
31 12.44 0.38 11.94 0.32 11.87 0.37 10.55 0.35

Table A.17 (continued)

4 to 5 years of college
Mathematics
Top Standard Second Standard Third Standard Bottom Standard
Age quartile error quartile error quartile error quartile error
19 * * * * * * * *
20 * * * * * * * *
21 * * * * * * * *
22 $8.99 0.22 $8.22 0.28 $9.33 1.27 * *
23 9.97 0.16 8.16 0.21 9.49 0.59 * *
24 11.54 0.17 9.80 0.22 10.41 0.55 $9.64 0.92
25 12.23 0.18 10.61 0.26 10.28 0.48 8.49 0.53
26 12.99 0.20 11.11 0.27 12.03 0.77 10.54 0.47
27 13.87 0.23 11.54 0.31 11.05 0.49 11.38 1.00
28 14.53 0.24 12.41 0.29 11.46 0.37 11.56 0.78
29 15.37 0.26 12.45 0.30 11.38 0.53 10.91 0.55
30 16.07 0.31 12.99 0.35 11.84 0.44 11.36 0.64
31 16.32 0.38 13.48 0.41 12.56 0.75 11.33 0.71
Science
Top Standard Second Standard Third Standard Bottom Standard
Age quartile error quartile error quartile error quartile error
19 * * * * * * * *
20 * * * * * * * *
21 * * * * * * * *
22 $8.97 0.25 $8.61 0.40 $8.25 0.36 * *
23 9.96 0.19 9.05 0.25 9.08 0.26 $7.93 0.38
24 11.67 0.21 10.58 0.23 10.25 0.27 8.45 0.32
25 12.23 0.21 11.11 0.23 11.04 0.43 9.48 0.45
26 13.22 0.25 11.89 0.29 11.23 0.31 9.92 0.36
27 13.91 0.27 12.85 0.31 11.39 0.33 9.93 0.57
28 14.56 0.28 13.45 0.29 12.16 0.36 10.60 0.43
29 14.93 0.27 14.15 0.43 13.15 0.38 10.71 0.42
30 15.71 0.34 14.66 0.42 13.41 0.45 11.79 0.49
31 16.10 0.41 14.69 0.48 13.86 0.62 12.00 0.91
Paragraph Comprehension
Top Standard Second Standard Third Standard Bottom Standard
Age quartile error quartile error quartile error quartile error
19 * * * * * * * *
20 * * * * * * * *
21 * * * * * * * *
22 $8.82 0.26 $8.71 0.33 $9.10 0.49 * *
23 9.56 0.19 9.57 0.23 9.69 0.33 $7.62 0.48
24 11.25 0.20 10.84 0.22 10.85 0.30 10.39 0.69
25 11.79 0.21 11.63 0.27 11.27 0.31 10.04 0.47
26 12.46 0.24 12.72 0.29 11.85 0.34 10.61 0.42
27 13.29 0.26 13.31 0.31 12.26 0.32 10.08 0.80
28 14.05 0.28 13.51 0.28 13.19 0.37 11.90 0.56
29 14.43 0.29 14.29 0.36 13.92 0.44 11.51 0.55
30 14.97 0.34 15.46 0.38 14.12 0.49 10.61 0.57
31 14.94 0.42 16.23 0.49 14.14 0.49 12.04 1.22

*Too few cases to provide reliable estimates.

Notes: Respondents reporting hourly pay of less than $1.00 or more than $100 (1992 dollars) at any given age were excluded from the sample for that age. Data based on fewer than 30 observations are excluded from the tables.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979-93.



Table A.18. Data for Figure 4.6, Estimated relationship between test scores and wage rates for 28-year-old workers

Subject and test quartile Percent difference in hourly
wage compared with those
in the bottom quartile
Standard
error
Mathematics

Top quartile

Second quartile

Third quartile

15.0*

10.6*

2.6

2.3

1.9

1.7

Science

Top quartile

Second quartile

Third quartile

4.2

6.2*

3.9*

2.2

1.9

1.7

Paragraph Comprehension

Top quartile

Second quartile

Third quartile

4.6*

4.6*

4.8*

2.2

2.0

1.8

Composite

Top quartile

Second quartile

Third quartile

19.5*

18.2*

10.1*

2.1

1.8

1.7

*Significantly greater than zero at the 95 percent confidence level in a two-tailed test.

NOTE: The number shown is the percentage impact of being in the specifiied quartile compared with being in the bottom quartile on the hourly wage.

SOURCE: Authors' calculations based on the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1979-93 data.



Table A.19. Data for Figure 4.7, Trends in average U.S. achievement scores in science, mathematics, and reading: 1969-1992

Age 9 Age 13 Age 17
Year Science Mathematics Reading Science Mathematics Reading Science Mathematics Reading
1969             305    

1970

225

   

255

         
1971     208     255     285
1973 220 219   250 266   296 304  
1975     210     256     286
1977 220     247     290    
1978   219     264     300  
1980     215     258     286
1982 221 219   250 269   283 298  
1984     211     257     289
1986 224 222   251 269   288 302  
1988     212     258     290
1990 229 230 209 255 270 257 290 305 290
1992

231 230 210 258 273 260 294 307 290

Source: U.S. Department of Education, , The National Assessment of Educational Progress: 1992 Trends in Academic Progress, 1994.



Table A.20. Data for Figure 4.8, Difference in average NAEP proficiency scores for whites and blacks and whites and Hispanics age 17 years, by subject: 1969-92

Average NAEP score for white students minus average score for black students

Year Science Reading Mathematics
1969 54    
1971   53  
1973 54   40
1975   52  
1977 57    
1978     38
1980   50  
1982 58   32
1984   31  
1986 45   29
1988   20  
1990 48 29 21
1992 48 37 26

Average NAEP score for white students minus average score for Hispanic students

Year Science Reading Mathematics
1973     33
1975   40  
1977 35    
1978     30
1980   31  
1982 44   27
1984   27  
1986 38   24
1988   24  
1990 40 22 26
1992 34 26 20

Note: Blank spaces indicate no data available for that subject for that year.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, , The National Assessment of Educational Progress: 1992 Trends in Academic Progress, 1994.



Table A.21 Data for Figure IV.9, Trends in percent of students at or above four mathematics and four science proficiency levels, 1977-1992

  Year
Mathematics
proficiency level
1978 1982 1986 1990 1992
Beginning skills and understanding 100 100 100 100 100
Numeric operations and beginning problem solving 92 93 96 96 97
Moderately complex procedures and reasoning 52 48 52 56 59
Multi-step problem solving and algebra 7 6 6 7 7
  Year
Science
proficiency level
1977 1982 1986 1990 1992
Understands simple scientific principles 97 96 97 97 98
Applies general scientific information 82 77 81 81 83
Analyzes scientific procedures and data 42 37 41 43 47
Integrates specialized scientific information 8 7 8 9 10

Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1992 Mathematics and Science Trend Assessments.





Table A.22. Data for Figure 5.1, Unemployment rate of adult labor force participants, by proficiency level on three literacy scales (percent): 1992

Proficiency level
Literacy scale 1 2 3 4 5

Prose

16.9

15.4

7.9

5.6

4.2

Document 17.1 12.9 8.4 5.0 5.2
Quantitative

19.9 12.5 8.8 4.9 2.7

Source: Andrew Sum, Literacy and the Labor Force: Results of the National Adult Literacy Survey, forthcoming; U.S. Department of Education, , National Adult Literacy Survey, 1992.



Table A.23. Data for Figure 5.2, Average proficiencies of the unemployed and full-time employed with high school diplomas only, by literacy scale: 1992

Literacy scale Unemployed Full-time employed

Prose

259

275

Document
256
272
Quantitative

256
278

Source: Andrew Sum, Literacy and the Labor Force: Results of the National Adult Literacy Survey, forthcoming; U.S. Department of Education, , National Adult Literacy Survey, 1992.



Table A.24. Data for Figure 5.3, Mean weekly earnings of full-time workers, by literacy proficiency on three literacy scales: 1992

Proficiency level
Literacy scale 1 2 3 4 5

Prose

$355

$436

$531

$709

$910

Document 355 458 553 710 807
Quantitative

330 438 533 684 913

Source: Andrew Sum, Literacy and the Labor Force: Results of the National Adult Literacy Survey, forthcoming; U.S. Department of Education, , National Adult Literacy Survey, 1992.



Table A.25. Data for Figure 5.4, Mean weekly earnings of full-time employed college graduates, by proficiency level on three literacy scales: 1992

Proficiency level
Literacy scale 1 2 3 4 5

Prose

$586

$677

$739

$866

$993

Document 632 717 787 878 904
Quantitive

NA 610 731 865 1,031

NA = not available.

Source: Andrew Sum, Literacy and the Labor Force: Results of the National Adult Literacy Survey, forthcoming; U.S. Department of Education, , National Adult Literacy Survey, 1992.



Table A.26. Data for Figure 5.5, Weekly earnings of full-time black workers as a percentage of white workers' earnings, by literacy proficiency level (percent): 1992

Proficiency level
Literacy scale
1 2 3 4

Prose

82

87

93

95

Quantitative

93 92 98 97

Note: Figures provided are black workers' earnings as a percentage of white workers' earnings.

No data are available for proficiency level 5.

Source: Andrew Sum, Literacy and the Labor Force: Results of the National Adult Literacy Survey, forthcoming; U.S. Department of Education, , National Adult Literacy Survey, 1992.



Table A.27. Data for Figure 5.6, Percentage of the labor force in each proficiency level on the three literacy scales: 1992

Proficiency level
Literacy scale
1 2 3 4 5

Prose

14.4

25.3

35.2

20.8

4.2

Document 15.8 27.2 34.6 19.0 3.4
Quantitative 15.2 24.5 34.5 20.8 5.0

Source: Andrew Sum, Literacy and the Labor Force: Results of the National Adult Literacy Survey, forthcoming; U.S. Department of Education, , National Adult Literacy Survey, 1992.



Table A.28. Data for Figure 6.1, Mean literacy proficiency scores of full-time workers, by occupation: 1992

Literacy scale
Occupation Prose Document Quantitative

Professional

329

321
326
Managers and executives
319
310
321
Technical
309
308
308
Administrative support
296
290
293
Sales
290
285
291
Craft production
267
267
275
Service
262
259
258
Transport operatives
258
260
266
Laborers and cleaners
248
247
249
Assemblers and operators
247
242
248
Farming and forestry
245
245
254

Source: Andrew Sum, Literacy and the Labor Force: Results of the National Adult Literacy Survey, forthcoming; U.S. Department of Education, , National Adult Literacy Survey, 1992.



Table A.29. Data for Figure 6.2, College graduates in the labor force and in jobs that do not require college degrees: 1967-90

Year College graduates in labor force (thousands) College graduates in nondegree jobs or unemployed (thousands) Percent of college graduates in nondegree jobs or unemployed Civilian labor force (thousands) Percent of labor force members with college degrees

1967

8,792

1,032

11.7

77,347

11.4

1968 9,328 987 10.6 78,737 11.8
1969 9,676 1,032 10.7 80,734 12.0
1970 10,157 1,151 11.3 82,771 12.3
1971 10,859 1,375 12.7 84,382 12.9
1972 11,604 1,668 14.4 87,034 13.3
1973 12,368 1,793 14.5 89,429 13.8
1974 13,428 2,070 15.4 91,949 14.6
1975 14,328 2,398 16.7 93,775 15.3
1976 15,356 2,714 17.7 96,158 16.0
1977 16,200 3,010 18.6 99,009 16.4
1978 16,701 2,893 17.3 102,251 16.3
1979 17,925 3,163 17.6 104,962 17.1
1980 19,237 3,585 18.6 106,940 18.0
1981 19,759 3,715 18.8 108,670 18.2
1982 20,958 4,129 19.7 110,204 19.0
1983 22,479 4,648 20.7 111,550 20.2
1984 23,357 4,453 19.1 113,544 20.6
1985 24,137 4,645 19.2 115,461 20.9
1986 24,686 4,792 19.4 117,834 20.9
1987 25,765 5,029 19.5 119,865 21.5
1988 27,135 5,287 19.5 121,669 22.3
1989 28,080 5,353 19.1 123,869 22.7
1990 28,983 5,753 19.9 124,787 23.2

Note: Unemployed graduates are counted as college graduates in nondegree jobs. Data refer to noninstitutionalized population 16 years and older.

Source: Daniel H. Hecker. "Reconciling Conflicting Data on Jobs for College Graduates." Monthly Labor Review, (July 1992), 3-12; U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Surveys.



Table A.30. Data for Figure 7.1, Median weekly earnings of full-time workers age 16 years and over, by training status and educational attainment: January 1991

Workers Who Needed No Qualifying Training for Current Job
Highest education
completed
Workers
training to improve
skills since start of job
Workers who did not
training to improve
skills since start of job
Fewer than 12 Years

High school graduate

1-3 years of college

College graduate

$333

396

471

601

$263

314

353

461

Workers Who Needed Qualifying Training for Current Job
Fewer than 12 Years

High school graduate

1-3 years of college

College graduate

$405

465

515

683

$319

380

422

616

SOURCE: Alan Eck, "Job-Related Education and Training: Their Impact on Earnings," Monthly Labor Review, (October 1993) 21-38; U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey, January 1991.



Table A.31. Data for Figure 7.2, Workers 16 and older who participated in skill improvement training while on their current jobs (percent of workers in each category): 1983 and 1991

1983 1991
All Workers
35
41
Gender

Male

Female

35

34

40

41

Race/ethnicity

White

Black

All other races

Hispanic

36

28

32

23

42

34

38

28

Highest grade completed

High school or less

Some college

College graduate

26

41

54

29

46

61

Occupational group

Executive, administrative, and managerial

Professional

Technicians

Sales

Administrative support

Private household

Service

Farming, forestry, and fishing

Precision production, craft, and repair

Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors

Transportation and material moving

Handlers, cleaners, and laborers

47

61

52

32

32

3

25

16

35

22

18

14

53

67

59

35

40

6

29

21

38

25

25

15

Training source

School

Formal company programs

Informal on-the-job training

Other source

12

11

14

4

13

16

15

7

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, How Workers Get Their Training: A 1991 Update, 1992; U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey, January 1983 and 1991.



Table A.32. Data for Figure 7.3, Workers age 17 and older who were enrolled in employment-related training in the previous 12 months (percent of workers in each category): 1991

All workers 33
Gender

Male

33

Female 34
Race-ethnicity

White

35

Black 24
Hispanic 27
Education

Less than high school

9

High school diploma 22
Some postsecondary education 38
College graduation 53
Occupation

Managerial/professional

56

Technical/sales/administrative support 32
Service 21
Precision production/repair 26
Operations/fabrications/laborers 17

NOTE:Sample includes employed adults age 17 and older. Employment status of individuals was determined by status during the week of the survey.

SOURCE:U.S. Department of Education, , Adult Education: Employment-Related Training, 1994 and the National Household Education Survey, 1991.



Table A.33. Data for Figure 7.4, Training participation by training type (percent of workers participating in each type of training): 1991

From CPS Data

Technical

26

Computer-related
13
Managerial/supervisory
11
Reading/writing/math
6
Other
7
From NHES Data

Professional development

25

Technical or skilled
20
Executive or management development
13
Supervisory skills
12
Job health and safety
12
Computer
10
Quality or statistical process control
10
Sales and marketing
8
New employee
7

NOTE: CPS data include all employed individuals age 16 and older. NHES data include all employed individuals age 17 and older. CPS data refer to any training on the current job and NHES data to training in the last 12 months.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, How Workers Get Their Training: A 1991 Update, 1992; U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey, January 1991; U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Adult Education: Employment-Related Training, 1994, and the National Household Education Survey, 1991.



Table A.34. Data for Figure 8.1, Secondary school completion, by age (percent of population): 1992

Country 25-64 years of age 25-34 years of age

United States

84.0

86.5

Japan
69.7
90.6
Germany
81.9
88.6
United Kingdom
68.1
80.9
France
52.2
67.1
Italy
28.4
42.4
Canada
71.3
80.8

Note: In the United States, completing secondary school is defined as graduating from high school or earning a GED.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, , The Condition of Education, 1995; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Indicators of Education's Systems, Digest of International Education Statistics, forthcoming.



Table A.35. Data for Figure 8.2, Completion of higher education, by age (percent of population): 1992

Country 25-64 years of age 25-34 years of age

United States

23.6

23.2

Japan
13.3
22.9
Germany
11.6
11.8
United Kingdom
10.7
12.5
France
10.2
12.3
Italy
6.4
6.8
Canada
15.0
16.1

Note: In the United States, completing higher education is defined as earning a bachelor's degree.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, , The Condition of Education, 1995; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Indicators of Education's Systems, Digest of International Education Statistics, forthcoming.



Table A.36. Data for Figure 8.3, Completion of postsecondary education, percent of population ages 25-64 years: 1991

Country
Completion rate

United States

36

Germany
22
United Kingdom
16
France
15
Italy
6
Canada
40

Notes: Postsecondary education includes university and nonuniversity education above the secondary level. Completion of postsecondary education is defined according to the International Standard Classification of Education, which is used as a means of compiling internationally comparable statistics on education. Postsecondary completion includes education at the postsecondary level which leads to an award or degree. The classification is described in detail in Annex 4 of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (1993). In the United States, completion of postsecondary education refers to high school graduates who complete programs at a technical or vocational institution, a two-year college, or a four-year college or university.

Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Education at a Glance, 1993.



Table A.37. Data for Figure 8.4, Mean mathematics achievement of students in their last year of secondary school in industrialized countries: 1980-82

Number
Systems
Algebra Geometry Functions and
Calculus
Country Mean Standard
error of mean
Mean Standard
error of mean
Mean Standard
error of mean
Mean Standard
error of mean
United States 40 1.1 43 1.2 31 1.0 29 1.2
Japan 68* 1.1 78* 1.0 60* 1.1 66* 1.5
United Kingdom 59* 0.8 66* 0.6 51* 0.5 58* 0.6
Canada (B.C.) 43 1.3 47 1.4 30 1.2 21* 1.0

* Mean score is significantly different from that of U.S. students.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, , International Mathematics and Science Assessments: What Have We Learned?, 1992, based on data from the Second International Mathematics Study (SIMS).



Table A.38. Data for Figure 8.5, Mean science achievement of students in their last year of secondary school in industrialized countries: 1983-86

Country

Biology Chemistry Physics
Mean Standard
error of mean
Mean Standard
error of mean
Mean Standard
error of mean
United States 37.9 0.41 37.7 0.67 45.5 0.53
Japan 46.2* 0.48 51.9* 0.86 56.1* 0.58
United Kingdom 63.4* 0.24 69.5* 0.29 58.3* 0.20
Italy 42.3* 1.05 38.0 1.45 28.0* 0.25
Canada 45.9* 0.20 36.9 0.31 39.6* 0.20

* Mean score is significantly different from that of U.S. students.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, , International Mathematics and Science Assessments: What Have We Learned, 1992, based on data from the Second International Science Study (SISS).



Table A.39. Data for Figure 8.6, Mean reading achievement of 14-year-old students in industrialized countries: 1990-91

Country

Narrative Expository Documents
Mean
Standard
error
Mean Standard
error
Mean Standard
error
United States 539
4.9
539
5.6
528
4.0
Germany (West) 514*
4.9
521*
4.5
532
3.9
France 556*
4.2
546
4.3
544*
4.2
Italy 520*
3.6
524*
3.2
501*
3.3
Canada (B.C.) 526*
3.1
516*
3.1
522
2.7

*Mean score is significantly different from that of U.S. students.

SOURCE: Warwick B. Elley, How in the World Do Students Read?, Hamburg: International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, 1992, based on data from the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, Reading Literacy Study.



Table A.40. Data for Figure 8.7, Estimated percentage of the population in each proficiency level on three adult literacy scales, by selected countries: 1994

Proficiency level
Scale and Country 1 2 3 4/5

Prose

   United States

   Canada

   Germany

   Netherlands

   Poland

   Sweden

   Switzerland (French)

   Switzerland (German)

20.7

16.6

14.4

10.5

42.6

7.5

17.6

19.3

25.9

25.6

34.2

30.1

34.5

20.3

33.7

35.7

32.4

35.1

38.0

44.1

19.8

39.7

38.6

36.1

21.1

22.7

13.4

15.3

3.1

32.4

10.0

8.9

Document

   United States

   Canada

   Germany

   Netherlands

   Poland

   Sweden

   Switzerland (French)

   Switzerland (German)

23.7

18.2

9.0

10.1

45.4

6.2

16.2

18.1

25.9

24.7

32.7

25.7

30.7

18.9

28.8

29.1

31.4

32.1

39.5

44.2

18.0

39.4

38.9

36.6

19.0

25.1

18.9

20.0

5.8

35.5

16.0

16.1

Quantitative

   United States

   Canada

   Germany

   Netherlands

   Poland

   Sweden

   Switzerland (French)

   Switzerland (German)

21.0

16.9

6.7

10.3

39.1

6.6

12.9

14.2

25.3

26.1

26.6

25.5

30.1

18.6

24.5

26.2

31.3

34.8

43.2

44.3

23.9

39.0

42.2

40.7

22.5

22.2

23.5

19.9

6.8

35.8

20.4

19.0

Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and Statistics Canada, Literacy, Economy and Society: Results of the First International Adult Literacy Survey, 1995.

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