Table 2. Event dropout rates of 15- through 24-year-olds who dropped out of grades 10–12, and number of dropouts and population of 15- through 24-year-olds who were enrolled: October 1972 through October 2004
Year1	Event dropout rate (percent)	Number of dropouts (thousands)	Population enrolled (thousands)
1972	6.1	616	10,286
1973	6.3	648	10,510
1974	6.7	702	10,675
1975	5.8	618	10,617
1976	5.9	629	10,629
1977	6.5	704	10,933
1978	6.7	712	10,816
1979	6.7	711	10,695
1980	6.1	623	10,554
1981	5.9	605	10,471
1982	5.5	552	10,082
1983	5.2	502	9,911
1984	5.1	480	9,573
1985	5.2	479	9,382
1986	4.7	441	9,651
1987	4.1	405	9,620
1988	4.8	462	9,467
1989	4.5	403	9,001
1990	4.0	347	8,675
1991	4.1	348	8,700
1992	4.4	383	8,705
1993	4.5	381	8,469
1994	5.3	497	9,377
1995	5.7	544	9,509
1996	5.0	485	9,612
1997	4.6	454	9,984
1998	4.8	479	10,079
1999	5.0	519	10,464
2000	4.8	488	10,126
2001	5.0	505	10,187
2002	3.6	367	10,254
2003	4.0	429	10,698
2004	4.7	486	10,385
1 Estimates beginning in 1987 reflect new editing procedures for cases with missing data on school enrollment items. Estimates beginning in 1992 reflect new wording of the educational attainment item. Estimates beginning in 1994 reflect changes due to newly instituted computer-assisted interviewing. For details about changes in the Current Population Survey (CPS) over time, please see Kaufman, Alt, and Chapman (2004). NOTE: The event dropout rate indicates percentage of youth ages 15 through 24 who dropped out of grades 10–12 between one October and the next (e.g., October 2002 to October 2003). Dropping out is defined as leaving school without a high school diploma or equivalent credential such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October 1972–2004.