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Career and Technical Education (CTE) Statistics
Career and Technical Education (CTE) Statistics

Tables: Adult

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Table A1. Total number of adults and percentage who have a nondegree credential, by type of credential and adult characteristics: 2016

Adult characteristic Number
(thousands)		 Percent with
any nondegree
credential		   Percent with work credentials   Percent with
postsecondary
certificates		  
  Any   Certification   License    
Total 196,343 27   21   6   18   8  
Sex                      
Male 91,182 24   19   6   15   8  
Female 105,161 29   23   6   20   8  
Race/Ethnicity1                      
White, non-Hispanic 120,744 29   24   7   20   8  
Black, non-Hispanic 24,033 28   20   5   17   11  
Hispanic 33,546 19   14   4   12   7  
Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic 12,081 21   17   5   14   5  
Other, non-Hispanic 5,939 24   17   6   14   10  
Age                      
16 to 24 years 27,302 11   9   3   7   4  
25 to 34 years 41,619 28   23   7   19   7  
35 to 44 years 40,044 32   26   8   21   9  
45 to 54 years 41,778 31   24   7   20   10  
55 to 65 years 45,599 28   20   5   17   10  
Highest level of education                      
Less than high school 21,297 7   5   2   4   2  
High school (or equivalent) 52,605 17   11   3   9   7  
Some college, no degree 43,815 29   18   6   15   15  
Associate's degree 16,317 42   30   9   25   17  
Bachelor's degree 41,861 31   27   8   23   5  
Graduate or professional degree 20,449 49   48   10   43   3  
Labor force and employment status                      
In labor force 142,347 31   25   7   21   8  
Employed 127,795 32   27   8   22   8  
Underemployed2 14,333 22   16   5   13   8  
Not underemployed 113,461 33   28   8   23   8  
Unemployed 14,552 20   12   4   9   10  
Not in labor force 53,995 17   11   3   9   7  
Earnings over past 12 months3                      
$0 to $20,000 50,030 19   14   4   11   7  
$20,001 to $50,000 54,796 31   24   6   20   10  
$50,001 or more 48,180 41   37   11   31   7  
Job sector category (among employed adults)                      
Public sector4 21,932 43   37   8   34   9  
Private sector 105,863 30   24   8   20   8  
Last occupational field (among adults ever employed)                      
Business Management and Operations (except financial) 20,316 25   19   8   14   7  
Financial Specialists 3,934 33   30   13   22   4  
Scientists, Engineers and Architects 5,004 29   23   10   16   6  
Computer Occupations 4,443 21   15   13   5   8  
Community, Social Service, and Legal 4,655 47   43   8   39   6  
Education and Library Occupations 11,842 52   49   6   47   4  
Arts, Design, Entertainment, and Media 3,612 14   8   5   5   7  
Healthcare 13,226 74   70   15   64   14  
Protective Services 3,443 46   39   8   37   13  
Food Preparation and Serving 10,035 12   7   2   6   6  
Personal, Building and Grounds Services 14,062 23   17   4   15   8  
Sales 17,553 20   15   4   13   6  
Administrative Support 26,240 18   9   3   7   10  
Manufacturing and Farming 11,073 17   9   3   6   10  
Construction and Extraction 7,843 23   17   5   14   9  
Installation and Repair 5,061 38   27   14   19   19  
Transportation 10,248 22   16   3   14   8  
Military 940 17   15   6 ! 12 ! ‡  
Unknown 13,846 18   13   5   9   7  
‡ Reporting standards not met. There were too few cases for a reliable estimate.
! Interpret data with caution; coefficient of variation is between 30 and 50 percent.
1 Other race, non-Hispanic includes American Indian and Alaska Native adults who are not Hispanic, adults who are not Hispanic and reported more than one race, and adults with an unspecified race/ethnicity.
2 Underemployed adults are those who reported that they are employed part time but would prefer full time or are working in a temporary job but would prefer a permanent job.
3 Excludes respondents who reported that they never worked for pay or last worked over 12 months ago.
4 Public sector includes adults who worked for a local, state, or federal government.
NOTE: As defined in the survey, adults are ages 16 to 65 and not enrolled in high school. Postsecondary certificates are defined in the survey as certificates obtained from a community or technical college or other school after high school, and that included at least 40 hours of instruction and did not require being enrolled in or having completed a bachelor's or higher degree program. A nondegree credential is a certification, license, or postsecondary certificate. Work credentials are certifications and licenses; cases for which one or more reported work credentials were deemed invalid are treated as not having any reported work credentials (n=170). The percentage of adults with "any" work credential is less than the sum of those with certifications and licenses because some respondents reported having both work credentials. 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 (ATES) of the National Household Education Surveys Program, 2016.
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