Skip Navigation
Digest of Education Statistics
2017 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 507.50b. Percentage and percentage distribution of those 16- to 65-year-olds who have work credentials or have completed a work experience program, by college degree attainment status and selected characteristics: 2016
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Selected characteristic All 16- to 65-year-olds who have work credentials or have completed a work experience program Those without a college degree1 Those with a college degree2
Work credentials3 Work experience program6 Work credentials3 Work experience program6 Work credentials3 Work experience program6
Any work credentials Certifica-tion4 License5 Any work credentials Certifica-tion4 License5 Any work credentials Certifica-tion4 License5
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
  Percent
Work credential field7                                                                        
Science, engineering, and
     mathematics
5.2   (0.29) 12.7   (0.78) 2.0   (0.21)   (†) 3.2   (0.41) 8.2   (1.16) 1.0   (0.29)   (†) 6.3   (0.40) 15.6   (1.15) 2.6   (0.27)   (†)
Business 7.9   (0.40) 13.8   (0.89) 5.0   (0.37)   (†) 4.4   (0.48) 5.4   (0.64) 3.5   (0.58)   (†) 10.0   (0.54) 19.2   (1.36) 5.9   (0.43)   (†)
Finance, insurance, and real
     estate
9.7   (0.49) 5.7   (0.58) 10.1   (0.54)   (†) 9.7   (0.74) 4.2   (0.82) 10.6   (0.84)   (†) 9.8   (0.63) 6.7   (0.86) 9.9   (0.69)   (†)
Healthcare 30.7   (0.66) 19.3   (1.17) 32.9   (0.77)   (†) 25.9   (1.14) 20.2   (2.22) 25.7   (1.32)   (†) 33.4   (0.84) 18.8   (1.41) 36.9   (0.92)   (†)
Personal care and services 7.4   (0.36) 4.1   (0.47) 7.6   (0.41)   (†) 12.8   (0.85) 4.8   (0.74) 14.1   (0.99)   (†) 4.3   (0.40) 3.5   (0.61) 4.0   (0.42)   (†)
Public and social services 15.6   (0.61) 9.7   (0.96) 15.9   (0.63)   (†) 15.2   (1.10) 10.0   (1.63) 15.4   (1.19)   (†) 15.8   (0.66) 9.5   (0.99) 16.1   (0.69)   (†)
Teaching and instruction 16.2   (0.59) 6.9   (0.81) 17.5   (0.62)   (†) 3.8   (0.59) 4.5   (1.05) 3.1   (0.57)   (†) 23.4   (0.80) 8.4   (1.08) 25.5   (0.83)   (†)
Trades 14.4   (0.51) 15.2   (1.02) 13.1   (0.60)   (†) 29.1   (1.21) 26.5   (2.07) 28.3   (1.47)   (†) 5.9   (0.34) 7.9   (0.88) 4.7   (0.31)   (†)
Other fields 1.7   (0.19) 2.5   (0.40) 1.2   (0.16)   (†) 1.5   (0.29) 2.4   (0.63) 0.9   (0.28)   (†) 1.9   (0.22) 2.6   (0.42) 1.4   (0.21)   (†)
Unknown 13.9   (0.53) 19.0   (1.05) 11.9   (0.58)   (†) 16.3   (1.00) 21.6   (2.12) 14.1   (1.04)   (†) 12.5   (0.68) 17.3   (1.21) 10.7   (0.75)   (†)
  Percentage distribution
Field of last work experience
   program
                                                                       
Construction   (†)   (†)   (†) 5.5   (0.37)   (†)   (†)   (†) 17.1   (1.23)   (†)   (†)   (†) 1.8   (0.21)
Healthcare   (†)   (†)   (†) 26.5   (0.59)   (†)   (†)   (†) 31.2   (1.50)   (†)   (†)   (†) 24.9   (0.68)
Accounting, finance, insurance,
     or real estate
  (†)   (†)   (†) 5.6   (0.34)   (†)   (†)   (†) 4.0   (0.64)   (†)   (†)   (†) 6.1   (0.38)
Chef, cook, or food preparation   (†)   (†)   (†) 1.5   (0.18)   (†)   (†)   (†) 2.9   (0.55)   (†)   (†)   (†) 1.0   (0.16)
Computer networking or information
     technology
  (†)   (†)   (†) 4.8   (0.32)   (†)   (†)   (†) 3.8   (0.69)   (†)   (†)   (†) 5.1   (0.38)
Engineering or architecture   (†)   (†)   (†) 6.0   (0.35)   (†)   (†)   (†) 3.0   (0.52)   (†)   (†)   (†) 6.9   (0.44)
Law enforcement, security, or
     firefighting
  (†)   (†)   (†) 2.1   (0.22)   (†)   (†)   (†) 2.9   (0.71)   (†)   (†)   (†) 1.8   (0.24)
Legal practice   (†)   (†)   (†) 3.7   (0.29)   (†)   (†)   (†) 1.3 ! (0.49)   (†)   (†)   (†) 4.5   (0.35)
Management or administration   (†)   (†)   (†) 5.3   (0.31)   (†)   (†)   (†) 4.5   (0.69)   (†)   (†)   (†) 5.5   (0.37)
Mechanic or repair work   (†)   (†)   (†) 0.9   (0.12)   (†)   (†)   (†) 2.7   (0.45)   (†)   (†)   (†) 0.4   (0.09)
Social work, counseling, or
     religious vocations
  (†)   (†)   (†) 6.5   (0.35)   (†)   (†)   (†) 1.8   (0.39)   (†)   (†)   (†) 8.1   (0.45)
Teaching   (†)   (†)   (†) 12.7   (0.58)   (†)   (†)   (†) 2.7   (0.56)   (†)   (†)   (†) 15.9   (0.73)
Utility or telecommunications
     technician
  (†)   (†)   (†) 1.1   (0.19)   (†)   (†)   (†) 1.4 ! (0.46)   (†)   (†)   (†) 1.0   (0.20)
Other fields8   (†)   (†)   (†) 17.9   (0.56)   (†)   (†)   (†) 20.8   (1.34)   (†)   (†)   (†) 17.0   (0.58)
                                                                         
Occupational field (among
   ever-employed adults)
                                                                       
Business management and operations
     (except financial)
9.6   (0.38) 13.7   (0.89) 8.1   (0.37) 12.7   (0.44) 7.7   (0.64) 8.8   (1.23) 7.4   (0.65) 6.5   (0.77) 10.7   (0.51) 16.9   (1.21) 8.5   (0.50) 14.7   (0.52)
Financial specialists 2.8   (0.23) 4.3   (0.53) 2.5   (0.24) 2.7   (0.26) 0.8   (0.18) 1.1 ! (0.42) 0.7   (0.17) 0.5 ! (0.22) 4.0   (0.34) 6.4   (0.83) 3.4   (0.35) 3.4   (0.32)
Scientists, engineers, and
     architects
2.9   (0.25) 4.3   (0.52) 2.4   (0.23) 5.2   (0.32) 0.5   (0.12) 1.0 ! (0.34) 0.3   (0.09) 2.7   (0.53) 4.2   (0.40) 6.4   (0.81) 3.5   (0.36) 6.0   (0.39)
Computer occupations 1.6   (0.17) 4.8   (0.54) 0.6   (0.09) 3.3   (0.29) 0.9   (0.23) 2.5   (0.71) 0.5   (0.14) 2.0   (0.55) 2.1   (0.24) 6.2   (0.83) 0.6   (0.12) 3.7   (0.34)
Community, social service, and
     legal
4.9   (0.32) 3.2   (0.43) 5.3   (0.33) 6.2   (0.36) 0.8 ! (0.26)   (†) 0.6 ! (0.24) 0.8   (0.18) 7.3   (0.46) 4.6   (0.57) 7.8   (0.49) 7.9   (0.46)
Education and library occupations 14.2   (0.59) 6.2   (0.68) 16.2   (0.67) 12.9   (0.55) 3.0   (0.46) 2.3   (0.67) 3.2   (0.56) 3.8   (0.74) 20.6   (0.83) 8.7   (0.95) 23.3   (0.88) 15.8   (0.67)
Arts, design, entertainment, and
     media
0.7   (0.12) 1.5   (0.39) 0.6   (0.10) 3.5   (0.25) 0.5   (0.16) 1.1 ! (0.44) 0.5 ! (0.18) 1.4   (0.29) 0.8   (0.13) 1.7   (0.45) 0.6   (0.13) 4.2   (0.33)
Healthcare 22.4   (0.66) 16.7   (1.08) 24.6   (0.73) 16.9   (0.52) 15.4   (0.97) 12.4   (1.52) 15.5   (1.13) 14.0   (1.15) 26.4   (0.86) 19.4   (1.49) 29.6   (0.91) 17.8   (0.64)
Protective services 3.3   (0.30) 2.3   (0.56) 3.7   (0.33) 1.6   (0.19) 4.7   (0.61) 3.5 ! (1.17) 5.2   (0.69) 2.3   (0.49) 2.5   (0.29) 1.5 ! (0.57) 2.9   (0.34) 1.4   (0.20)
Food preparation and serving 1.7   (0.19) 1.6   (0.29) 1.6   (0.22) 2.4   (0.22) 3.4   (0.47) 2.8   (0.51) 3.6   (0.57) 5.6   (0.81) 0.7   (0.14) 0.9 ! (0.29) 0.6   (0.15) 1.4   (0.18)
Personal, building, and grounds
     services
5.7   (0.37) 5.4   (0.63) 6.1   (0.43) 4.0   (0.32) 11.5   (0.91) 10.0   (1.54) 12.7   (1.09) 7.7   (0.95) 2.4   (0.24) 2.5   (0.41) 2.5   (0.26) 2.8   (0.27)
Sales 6.6   (0.37) 5.9   (0.74) 6.7   (0.40) 6.0   (0.40) 8.8   (0.76) 6.7   (1.14) 9.0   (0.87) 8.2   (1.14) 5.3   (0.40) 5.5   (0.88) 5.4   (0.45) 5.3   (0.36)
Administrative support 6.0   (0.36) 7.4   (0.95) 5.3   (0.33) 9.0   (0.44) 8.4   (0.69) 9.1   (1.50) 8.0   (0.67) 13.3   (1.15) 4.6   (0.44) 6.3   (1.04) 3.8   (0.43) 7.6   (0.49)
Manufacturing and farming 2.3   (0.23) 3.3   (0.51) 2.0   (0.27) 2.6   (0.28) 3.8   (0.45) 4.8   (0.97) 3.5   (0.52) 6.5   (0.90) 1.4   (0.23) 2.4   (0.53) 1.2   (0.26) 1.4   (0.21)
Construction and extraction 3.3   (0.28) 3.6   (0.60) 3.2   (0.25) 2.8   (0.26) 7.1   (0.68) 6.2   (1.21) 7.3   (0.65) 8.9   (0.81) 1.1   (0.20) 2.0 ! (0.64) 1.0   (0.21) 0.9   (0.17)
Installation and repair 3.3   (0.29) 6.0   (0.76) 2.8   (0.27) 1.9   (0.24) 6.6   (0.70) 11.0   (1.78) 5.8   (0.63) 5.2   (0.80) 1.5   (0.24) 2.8   (0.59) 1.2   (0.23) 0.8   (0.17)
Transportation 4.0   (0.34) 2.7   (0.41) 4.3   (0.40) 1.7   (0.21) 9.0   (0.93) 5.5   (1.05) 10.0   (1.10) 4.3   (0.68) 1.1   (0.15) 1.0   (0.25) 1.2   (0.16) 0.9   (0.15)
Military 0.3   (0.10) 0.5 ! (0.20) 0.3 ! (0.11) 0.3 ! (0.09) 0.6 ! (0.24)   (†) 0.6 ! (0.29)   (†) 0.2 ! (0.08)   (†) 0.2 ! (0.08) 0.4 ! (0.12)
Unknown 4.3   (0.34) 6.5   (0.77) 3.8   (0.34) 4.2   (0.36) 6.4   (0.68) 9.5   (1.41) 5.6   (0.75) 6.2   (1.01) 3.0   (0.33) 4.6   (0.79) 2.7   (0.33) 3.6   (0.32)
                                                                         
Labor force and employment status                                                                        
In labor force9 86.1   (0.48) 88.1   (0.96) 85.6   (0.56) 80.9   (0.67) 82.2   (1.03) 82.5   (2.06) 81.8   (1.13) 68.3   (1.65) 88.3   (0.54) 91.7   (0.91) 87.7   (0.62) 85.0   (0.68)
Employed 82.0   (0.55) 82.9   (1.06) 81.8   (0.61) 75.7   (0.76) 75.9   (1.26) 74.3   (2.22) 76.3   (1.37) 59.5   (1.84) 85.5   (0.62) 88.4   (1.09) 84.9   (0.70) 80.9   (0.69)
Underemployed10 5.6   (0.36) 6.7   (0.72) 5.5   (0.34) 7.1   (0.45) 6.4   (0.59) 7.9   (1.36) 6.0   (0.61) 9.4   (0.97) 5.2   (0.42) 5.9   (0.81) 5.2   (0.39) 6.4   (0.48)
Not underemployed 76.3   (0.64) 76.2   (1.00) 76.3   (0.69) 68.5   (0.81) 69.4   (1.32) 66.5   (2.15) 70.3   (1.42) 50.1   (1.84) 80.3   (0.75) 82.5   (1.28) 79.6   (0.80) 74.5   (0.82)
Unemployed11 4.1   (0.32) 5.2   (0.57) 3.8   (0.35) 5.2   (0.34) 6.3   (0.74) 8.2   (1.27) 5.5   (0.77) 8.8   (0.95) 2.9   (0.33) 3.3   (0.62) 2.9   (0.37) 4.1   (0.29)
Not in labor force 13.9   (0.48) 11.9   (0.96) 14.4   (0.56) 19.1   (0.67) 17.8   (1.03) 17.5   (2.06) 18.2   (1.13) 31.7   (1.65) 11.7   (0.54) 8.3   (0.91) 12.3   (0.62) 15.0   (0.68)
                                                                         
Earnings over past 12 months12                                                                        
$0 to $20,000 18.3   (0.66) 16.7   (0.89) 18.1   (0.73) 23.0   (0.74) 28.8   (1.31) 25.3   (1.59) 29.2   (1.56) 43.3   (1.77) 12.4   (0.59) 11.6   (1.14) 12.3   (0.63) 17.1   (0.78)
$20,001 to $50,000 34.7   (0.76) 32.9   (1.32) 35.0   (0.85) 33.1   (0.71) 44.2   (1.67) 46.1   (2.23) 43.4   (1.85) 36.6   (1.84) 29.4   (0.87) 25.0   (1.59) 30.6   (0.99) 32.0   (0.79)
$50,001 or more 47.1   (0.70) 50.4   (1.41) 46.8   (0.80) 44.0   (0.68) 27.0   (1.27) 28.6   (2.21) 27.4   (1.38) 20.1   (1.40) 58.2   (0.90) 63.4   (1.62) 57.1   (1.04) 50.8   (0.83)
†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 Includes those with no high school credential, only a high school credential, or some college but no degree.
2 Includes those with an associate's or higher degree.
3 "Work credentials" include only occupational certifications and licenses, as defined in footnotes 4 and 5. They do not include postsecondary degrees and certificates.
4 A certification is an occupational credential awarded by a certification body--such as a professional association or certifying board--based on an individual demonstrating through an examination process that he or she has acquired the designated knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform a specific job; examples include Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification and medical technician certification.
5 A license is an occupational credential awarded by a government agency that constitutes legal authority to do a specific job; examples include a medical license and an electrician's license.
6 A work experience program is defined in the survey as an internship, co-op, practicum, clerkship, externship, residency, clinical experience, apprenticeship, or similar program.
7 Respondents who reported having work credentials in multiple fields are included in each relevant field. Since these respondents are counted separately for each reported field, the sum of all fields is greater than 100 percent.
8 Other fields include driving, piloting, or other transportation; machinist or tool and die maker; marketing; and other subject areas.
9 Respondents were considered to be in the labor force if they reported either being employed the previous week or actively looking for work during the previous 4 weeks.
10 Employed persons were considered underemployed if they worked only at a part-time job or jobs but would prefer a full-time job (at least 35 hours per week) or they worked at a temporary job but would prefer a permanent job. Persons who worked at a part-time job but also had a full-time permanent job were not considered underemployed.
11 Respondents were considered to be unemployed if they were in the labor force but were not employed (i.e., they were looking for work). Percentages in this row represent unemployed persons as a percentage of all persons (including persons who were not in the labor force), which is not the same as the "unemployment rate" shown in some other tables. (The unemployment rate represents unemployed persons as a percentage of labor force participants only.)
12 Excludes respondents who reported that they never worked for pay or last worked over 12 months ago.
NOTE: Survey respondents were noninstitutionalized 16- to 65-year-olds who were not enrolled in high school at the time of sampling (although they could be enrolled in college). This table includes only respondents who had work credentials or completed a work experience program. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Adult Training and Education Survey of the National Household Education Surveys Program (ATES-NHES:2016). (This table was prepared January 2018.)

2017 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest