! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
NOTE: “Not in education or work” category identifies “disengaged” young adults who presently are neither in education nor employed (see p. 5 of Analyzing U.S. Young Adults’ Skills by Student and Employment Status: Methodology for a New PIAAC Variable with Initial Results for more discussion). Estimates exclude adults who could not be interviewed due to a language barrier or a cognitive or physical limitation. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Estimates based on samples are subject to sampling variability, and apparent differences may not be statistically significant. In NCES surveys, efforts are made to minimize the effects of nonsampling errors such as item nonresponse, measurement error, data processing error, or other systematic error. Please see the corresponding data table for standard errors (download Excel file).
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), U.S. PIAAC 2017.
! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
NOTE: “Not in education or work” category identifies “disengaged” young adults who presently are neither in education nor employed (see p. 5 of Analyzing U.S. Young Adults’ Skills by Student and Employment Status: Methodology for a New PIAAC Variable with Initial Results for more discussion). Estimates exclude adults who could not be interviewed due to a language barrier or a cognitive or physical limitation. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Estimates based on samples are subject to sampling variability, and apparent differences may not be statistically significant. In NCES surveys, efforts are made to minimize the effects of nonsampling errors such as item nonresponse, measurement error, data processing error, or other systematic error. Please see the corresponding data table for standard errors (download Excel file).
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), U.S. PIAAC 2017.
| Education or work status | Percent | s.e. |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 100 | † |
| Not in education or work | 10.5 | (1.41) |
| Not in education or work but participated in education or training in the last 12 months | 7.4 | (1.10) |
| Not in education or work and did not participate in education or training in the last 12 months | 3.2 | (0.65) |
| In work only | 30.1 | (2.25) |
| In education and work | 39.6 | (2.60) |
| In education only | 19.8 | (2.10) |
† Not applicable.
NOTE: “Not in education or work” category identifies “disengaged” young adults who presently are neither in education nor employed (see p. 5 of Analyzing U.S. Young Adults’ Skills by Student and Employment Status: Methodology for a New PIAAC Variable with Initial Results for more discussion). Standard error is abbreviated as s.e. Estimates exclude adults who could not be interviewed due to a language barrier or a cognitive or physical limitation. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Estimates based on samples are subject to sampling variability, and apparent differences may not be statistically significant. In NCES surveys, efforts are made to minimize the effects of nonsampling errors such as item nonresponse, measurement error, data processing error, or other systematic error.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), U.S. PIAAC 2017.
| Education or work status | Total | Level 1 or below | Level 2 | Level 3 or above | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent | s.e. | Percent | s.e. | Percent | s.e. | Percent | s.e. | |
| Not in education or work | 100 | † | 20 | (5.9) | 48 | (7.5) | 32 | (6.9) |
| Not in education or work but participated in education or training in the last 12 months | 100 | † | 19! | (7.7) | 43 | (9.1) | 38 | (9.0) |
| Not in education or work and did not participate in education or training in the last 12 months | 100 | † | ‡ | † | 59 | (16.5) | ‡ | † |
| In work only | 100 | † | 21 | (4.0) | 32 | (5.0) | 46 | (5.7) |
| In education and work | 100 | † | 14 | (3.6) | 36 | (5.7) | 51 | (5.6) |
| In education only | 100 | † | 9! | (3.4) | 38 | (8.1) | 53 | (7.8) |
† Not applicable.
! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
‡ Reporting standards not met. Either there were too few cases for a reliable analysis or the coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is greater than 50 percent.
NOTE: “Not in education or work” category identifies “disengaged” young adults who presently are neither in education nor employed (see p. 5 of Analyzing U.S. Young Adults’ Skills by Student and Employment Status: Methodology for a New PIAAC Variable with Initial Results for more discussion). Standard error is abbreviated as s.e. Estimates exclude adults who could not be interviewed due to a language barrier or a cognitive or physical limitation. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Estimates based on samples are subject to sampling variability, and apparent differences may not be statistically significant. In NCES surveys, efforts are made to minimize the effects of nonsampling errors such as item nonresponse, measurement error, data processing error, or other systematic error.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), U.S. PIAAC 2017.
| Education or work status | Total | Level 1 or below | Level 2 | Level 3 or above | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent | s.e. | Percent | s.e. | Percent | s.e. | Percent | s.e. | |
| Not in education or work | 100 | † | 39 | (7.0) | 45 | (8.7) | 17! | (6.8) |
| Not in education or work but participated in education or training in the last 12 months | 100 | † | 32 | (8.6) | 47 | (11.2) | 20! | (8.5) |
| Not in education or work and did not participate in education or training in the last 12 months | 100 | † | 53 | (15.9) | 38! | (16.6) | ‡ | † |
| In work only | 100 | † | 34 | (5.5) | 30 | (4.9) | 36 | (5.3) |
| In education and work | 100 | † | 25 | (4.9) | 33 | (4.7) | 42 | (5.4) |
| In education only | 100 | † | 23 | (5.1) | 39 | (7.5) | 38 | (6.7) |
† Not applicable.
! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
‡ Reporting standards not met. Either there were too few cases for a reliable analysis or the coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is greater than 50 percent.
NOTE: “Not in education or work” category identifies “disengaged” young adults who presently are neither in education nor employed (see p. 5 of Analyzing U.S. Young Adults’ Skills by Student and Employment Status: Methodology for a New PIAAC Variable with Initial Results for more discussion). Standard error is abbreviated as s.e. Estimates exclude adults who could not be interviewed due to a language barrier or a cognitive or physical limitation. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Estimates based on samples are subject to sampling variability, and apparent differences may not be statistically significant. In NCES surveys, efforts are made to minimize the effects of nonsampling errors such as item nonresponse, measurement error, data processing error, or other systematic error.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), U.S. PIAAC 2017.
Suggested Citation: Young adults’ proficiency levels on the PIAAC literacy and numeracy scales by their education and work status: 2017 (NCES 2024-068). U.S. Department of Education. Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. Available at https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2024068.