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| 2022 Tables and Figures | All Years of Tables and Figures | Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest |
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| Table 507.10. | Literacy skills of adults, by type of literacy, proficiency levels, and selected characteristics: 1992 and 2003 |
| [Standard errors appear in parentheses] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selected characteristic | Prose literacy1 | Document literacy2 | Quantitative literacy3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Average score | Percent of adults at each proficiency level, 2003 | Average score | Percent of adults at each proficiency level, 2003 | Average score | Percent of adults at each proficiency level, 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992 | 2003 | Below basic | Basic | Intermed- iate |
Profic- ient |
1992 | 2003 | Below basic | Basic | Intermed- iate |
Profic- ient |
1992 | 2003 | Below basic | Basic | Intermed- iate |
Profic- ient |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 276 | (1.1) | 275 | (1.3) | 14 | (0.6) | 29 | (0.6) | 44 | (0.7) | 13 | (0.5) | 271 | (1.1) | 271 | (1.2) | 12 | (0.5) | 22 | (0.5) | 53 | (0.7) | 13 | (0.6) | 275 | (1.1) | 283 | (1.2) | 22 | (0.6) | 33 | (0.5) | 33 | (0.5) | 13 | (0.5) | |||||
| Sex | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Male | 276 | (1.2) | 272 | (1.5) | 15 | (0.6) | 29 | (0.7) | 43 | (0.7) | 13 | (0.6) | 274 | (1.2) | 269 | (1.5) | 14 | (0.6) | 23 | (0.5) | 51 | (0.8) | 13 | (0.6) | 283 | (1.4) | 286 | (1.3) | 21 | (0.6) | 31 | (0.5) | 33 | (0.5) | 16 | (0.6) | |||||
| Female | 277 | (1.3) | 277 | (1.4) | 12 | (0.6) | 29 | (0.6) | 46 | (0.8) | 14 | (0.6) | 268 | (1.2) | 272 | (1.2) | 11 | (0.6) | 22 | (0.6) | 54 | (0.8) | 13 | (0.6) | 269 | (1.2) | 279 | (1.3) | 22 | (0.8) | 35 | (0.7) | 32 | (0.7) | 11 | (0.6) | |||||
| Age | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16 to 18 years old | 270 | (2.3) | 267 | (2.8) | 11 | (1.7) | 37 | (2.5) | 48 | (2.7) | 5 | (1.4) | 270 | (2.2) | 268 | (2.9) | 11 | (1.4) | 24 | (1.8) | 56 | (2.4) | 9 | (1.7) | 264 | (2.5) | 267 | (3.1) | 28 | (2.3) | 38 | (2.1) | 28 | (2.1) | 6 | (1.3) | |||||
| 19 to 24 years old | 280 | (2.0) | 276 | (2.4) | 11 | (1.1) | 29 | (1.3) | 48 | (1.5) | 12 | (1.1) | 282 | (2.2) | 277 | (2.5) | 9 | (1.1) | 20 | (1.2) | 58 | (1.7) | 13 | (1.5) | 277 | (2.0) | 279 | (2.3) | 21 | (1.4) | 36 | (1.3) | 33 | (1.4) | 10 | (1.1) | |||||
| 25 to 39 years old | 288 | (1.3) | 283 | (1.7) | 12 | (0.6) | 25 | (0.7) | 45 | (0.7) | 18 | (0.8) | 286 | (1.2) | 282 | (1.8) | 8 | (0.7) | 19 | (0.7) | 56 | (1.1) | 17 | (1.1) | 286 | (1.3) | 292 | (1.8) | 17 | (0.8) | 31 | (0.8) | 35 | (0.8) | 17 | (0.9) | |||||
| 40 to 54 years old | 293 | (2.0) | 282 | (2.3) | 11 | (0.9) | 27 | (1.1) | 47 | (1.2) | 15 | (1.1) | 284 | (1.9) | 277 | (1.8) | 10 | (0.7) | 20 | (0.8) | 54 | (1.1) | 15 | (0.9) | 292 | (1.8) | 289 | (1.9) | 19 | (0.9) | 32 | (0.8) | 34 | (0.8) | 16 | (0.9) | |||||
| 55 to 64 years old | 269 | (1.4) | 278 | (1.9) | 13 | (0.8) | 27 | (0.9) | 44 | (1.1) | 15 | (0.8) | 258 | (1.4) | 270 | (2.1) | 12 | (0.9) | 23 | (0.9) | 54 | (1.2) | 12 | (1.1) | 272 | (1.8) | 289 | (1.9) | 19 | (1.0) | 30 | (0.8) | 34 | (0.9) | 17 | (0.8) | |||||
| 65 years old and older | 235 | (1.7) | 248 | (2.0) | 23 | (1.3) | 38 | (1.2) | 34 | (1.4) | 4 | (0.6) | 221 | (2.2) | 235 | (2.0) | 27 | (1.5) | 33 | (1.0) | 38 | (1.4) | 3 | (0.4) | 235 | (2.7) | 257 | (2.2) | 34 | (1.6) | 37 | (1.2) | 24 | (1.2) | 5 | (0.6) | |||||
| Race/ethnicity | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| White | 287 | (1.2) | 288 | (1.5) | 7 | (0.5) | 25 | (0.8) | 51 | (0.9) | 17 | (0.9) | 281 | (1.2) | 282 | (1.5) | 8 | (0.5) | 19 | (0.7) | 58 | (1.0) | 15 | (1.0) | 288 | (1.1) | 297 | (1.3) | 13 | (0.7) | 32 | (0.7) | 39 | (0.8) | 17 | (0.8) | |||||
| Black | 237 | (1.4) | 243 | (1.8) | 24 | (1.4) | 43 | (1.2) | 31 | (1.4) | 2 | (0.4) | 230 | (1.4) | 238 | (2.1) | 24 | (1.7) | 35 | (1.4) | 40 | (1.9) | 2 | (0.5) | 222 | (1.6) | 238 | (2.1) | 47 | (1.8) | 36 | (1.3) | 15 | (1.1) | 2 | (0.4) | |||||
| Hispanic | 234 | (2.3) | 216 | (3.5) | 44 | (1.8) | 30 | (1.0) | 23 | (1.1) | 4 | (0.4) | 238 | (1.8) | 224 | (3.6) | 36 | (1.6) | 26 | (0.8) | 33 | (1.2) | 5 | (0.5) | 233 | (2.3) | 233 | (3.2) | 50 | (1.7) | 29 | (0.9) | 17 | (0.9) | 4 | (0.5) | |||||
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 255 | (6.1) | 271 | (4.0) | 14 | (2.0) | 32 | (2.2) | 42 | (2.5) | 12 | (1.8) | 259 | (6.1) | 272 | (5.0) | 11 | (2.2) | 22 | (2.1) | 54 | (3.0) | 13 | (2.3) | 268 | (7.8) | 285 | (5.1) | 19 | (3.0) | 34 | (2.9) | 35 | (2.8) | 12 | (2.5) | |||||
| Highest level of education | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Still in high school | 268 | (2.5) | 262 | (3.7) | 14 | (2.5) | 37 | (2.8) | 45 | (3.1) | 4 | ! | (1.5) | 270 | (2.4) | 265 | (4.3) | 13 | (2.3) | 24 | (2.2) | 54 | (3.0) | 9 | (1.9) | 263 | (3.2) | 261 | (4.2) | 31 | (2.9) | 38 | (2.5) | 25 | (2.3) | 5 | (1.4) | ||||
| Less than high school completion | 216 | (1.4) | 207 | (2.4) | 50 | (1.4) | 33 | (1.0) | 16 | (0.9) | 1 | (0.2) | 211 | (1.5) | 208 | (2.6) | 45 | (1.4) | 29 | (0.7) | 25 | (1.0) | 2 | (0.3) | 209 | (2.1) | 211 | (2.2) | 64 | (1.3) | 25 | (0.8) | 10 | (0.7) | 1 | (0.2) | |||||
| GED/high school equivalency | 265 | (2.2) | 260 | (2.1) | 10 | (1.8) | 45 | (2.9) | 43 | (3.0) | 3 | ! | (1.1) | 259 | (2.3) | 257 | (2.5) | 13 | (1.9) | 30 | (2.3) | 53 | (2.8) | 4 | ! | (1.2) | 265 | (2.3) | 265 | (3.1) | 26 | (3.1) | 43 | (3.1) | 28 | (2.9) | 3 | ! | (1.2) | ||
| High school graduate | 268 | (1.0) | 262 | (1.3) | 13 | (1.0) | 39 | (1.2) | 44 | (1.3) | 4 | (0.6) | 261 | (1.4) | 258 | (1.5) | 13 | (1.0) | 29 | (1.1) | 52 | (1.4) | 5 | (0.7) | 267 | (1.2) | 269 | (1.6) | 24 | (1.4) | 42 | (1.3) | 29 | (1.3) | 5 | (0.7) | |||||
| Vocational/trade/business | 278 | (2.1) | 268 | (2.7) | 10 | (1.8) | 36 | (2.6) | 49 | (2.7) | 5 | ! | (1.5) | 273 | (2.0) | 267 | (2.5) | 9 | (1.5) | 26 | (2.3) | 59 | (2.7) | 7 | (1.7) | 280 | (2.2) | 279 | (2.2) | 18 | (2.1) | 41 | (2.3) | 35 | (2.3) | 6 | (1.4) | ||||
| Some college | 292 | (1.4) | 287 | (1.6) | 5 | (0.7) | 25 | (1.4) | 59 | (1.7) | 11 | (1.4) | 288 | (1.6) | 280 | (1.7) | 5 | (0.8) | 19 | (1.3) | 65 | (1.8) | 10 | (1.5) | 295 | (1.7) | 294 | (1.7) | 10 | (1.2) | 36 | (1.8) | 43 | (1.8) | 11 | (1.5) | |||||
| Associate's degree | 306 | (1.9) | 298 | (2.4) | 4 | (0.7) | 20 | (1.5) | 56 | (2.0) | 19 | (2.0) | 301 | (1.9) | 291 | (2.0) | 3 | (0.7) | 15 | (1.5) | 66 | (2.3) | 16 | (2.2) | 305 | (2.0) | 305 | (2.1) | 7 | (1.1) | 30 | (1.9) | 45 | (2.1) | 18 | (2.1) | |||||
| Bachelor's degree | 325 | (1.9) | 314 | (2.1) | 3 | (0.5) | 14 | (1.0) | 53 | (1.7) | 31 | (1.8) | 317 | (1.9) | 303 | (2.2) | 2 | ! | (0.6) | 11 | (1.2) | 62 | (2.5) | 25 | (2.7) | 324 | (1.8) | 323 | (1.8) | 4 | (0.6) | 22 | (1.2) | 43 | (1.5) | 31 | (1.9) | ||||
| Graduate studies/degree | 340 | (2.0) | 327 | (2.8) | 1 | ! | (0.4) | 10 | (1.2) | 48 | (2.3) | 41 | (2.6) | 328 | (1.9) | 311 | (2.2) | 1 | ! | (0.4) | 9 | (1.1) | 59 | (2.6) | 31 | (2.8) | 336 | (2.1) | 332 | (2.1) | 3 | (0.6) | 18 | (1.5) | 43 | (2.1) | 36 | (2.6) | |||
| Employment | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full-time | 290 | (1.3) | 285 | (1.5) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | 286 | (†) | 281 | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | 292 | (1.3) | 296 | (1.1) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | |||||
| Part-time | 285 | (1.7) | 281 | (2.2) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | 279 | (†) | 277 | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | 281 | (1.7) | 287 | (2.2) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | |||||
| Unemployed | 263 | (2.3) | 269 | (2.8) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | 261 | (†) | 265 | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | 261 | (3.2) | 270 | (3.6) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | |||||
| Not in labor force | 252 | (1.4) | 255 | (1.7) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | 244 | (†) | 250 | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | 247 | (1.9) | 261 | (1.8) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | |||||
| Language spoken before starting school |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| English only | 282 | (1.2) | 283 | (1.4) | 9 | (0.5) | 27 | (0.7) | 49 | (0.8) | 15 | (0.7) | 275 | (1.2) | 276 | (1.3) | 9 | (0.5) | 21 | (0.6) | 56 | (0.8) | 13 | (0.7) | 280 | (1.2) | 289 | (1.2) | 18 | (0.6) | 33 | (0.6) | 35 | (0.6) | 15 | (0.6) | |||||
| English and Spanish | 255 | (2.9) | 262 | (3.1) | 14 | (2.1) | 38 | (2.2) | 42 | (2.4) | 6 | (1.3) | 253 | (3.6) | 259 | (3.4) | 12 | (2.5) | 29 | (3.0) | 54 | (3.8) | 5 | ! | (1.8) | 247 | (4.6) | 261 | (3.8) | 31 | (3.3) | 39 | (2.6) | 26 | (2.8) | 4 | ! | (1.3) | |||
| English and other language | 273 | (4.0) | 278 | (3.1) | 7 | (1.5) | 33 | (2.8) | 51 | (3.1) | 9 | (2.1) | 260 | (4.5) | 268 | (3.2) | 10 | (2.0) | 25 | (2.3) | 57 | (2.9) | 8 | (2.0) | 271 | (5.6) | 289 | (4.1) | 15 | (2.7) | 38 | (2.7) | 34 | (3.0) | 14 | (2.6) | |||||
| Spanish | 205 | (2.9) | 188 | (3.8) | 61 | (1.8) | 25 | (1.1) | 13 | (0.9) | 1 | ! | (0.3) | 216 | (2.8) | 199 | (4.6) | 49 | (2.0) | 25 | (1.0) | 23 | (1.3) | 3 | (0.4) | 212 | (3.3) | 211 | (4.6) | 62 | (2.2) | 25 | (1.2) | 11 | (1.1) | 2 | (0.5) | ||||
| Other language | 239 | (3.4) | 249 | (4.6) | 26 | (2.2) | 33 | (2.0) | 34 | (2.3) | 7 | (1.3) | 241 | (3.7) | 257 | (4.2) | 20 | (1.9) | 24 | (1.3) | 46 | (2.0) | 10 | (1.2) | 246 | (4.3) | 270 | (4.3) | 28 | (2.3) | 33 | (1.7) | 29 | (1.9) | 10 | (1.5) | |||||
| —Not available. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| †Not applicable. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| !Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 Prose literacy refers to the knowledge and skills needed to search, comprehend, and use information from continuous texts. Adults at the Below Basic level, rated 0 to 209, range from being nonliterate in English to being able to locate easily identifiable information in short, commonplace prose texts. At the Basic level, rated 210 to 264, adults are able to read and understand information in short, commonplace prose texts. At the Intermediate level, rated 265 to 339, adults are able to read and understand moderately dense, less commonplace prose texts as well as summarize, make simple inferences, determine cause and effect, and recognize author's purpose. At the Proficient level, rated 340 to 500, adults are able to read lengthy, complex, abstract prose texts as well as synthesize information and make complex inferences. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 Document literacy refers to the knowledge and skills needed to search, comprehend, and use information from noncontinuous texts in various formats. Adults at the Below Basic level, rated 0 to 204, range from being nonliterate in English to being able to locate easily identifiable information and follow instructions in simple documents (e.g., charts or forms). At the Basic level, rated 205 to 249, adults are able to read and understand information in simple documents. At the Intermediate level, rated 250 to 334, adults are able to locate information in dense, complex documents and make simple inferences about the information. At the Proficient level, rated 335 to 500, adults are able to integrate, synthesize, and analyze multiple pieces of information located in complex documents. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 Quantitative literacy refers to the knowledge and skills required to identify and perform computations, either alone or sequentially, using numbers embedded in printed materials. Adults at the Below Basic level, rated 0 to 234, range from being nonliterate in English to being able to locate numbers and use them to perform simple quantitative operations (primarily addition) when the mathematical information is very concrete and familiar. At the Basic level, rated 235 to 289, adults are able to locate easily identifiable quantitative information and use it to solve simple, one-step problems when the arithmetic operation is specified or easily inferred. At the Intermediate level, rated 290 to 349, adults are able to locate less familiar quantitative information and use it to solve problems when the arithmetic operation is not specified or easily inferred. At the Proficient level, rated 350 to 500, adults are able to locate more abstract quantitative information and use it to solve multistep problems when the arithmetic operations are not easily inferred and the problems are more complex. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NOTE: Adults are defined as people age 16 and older living in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this table. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Totals include racial/ethnic groups not separately shown. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), A First Look at the Literacy of America's Adults in the 21st Century; and supplemental data retrieved July 6, 2006, from http://nces.ed.gov/naal/Excel/2006470_DataTable.xls. (This table was prepared July 2006.) |
