Educational Attainment by Race and Hispanic Origin, 1940-2014
Updated August 5, 2020 |
Infoplease Staff
(percent of population age 25 and older, by years of school completed)
| Month and year | White1 | Black1 | Hispanic | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 5 years of elementary school | High school completion or higher2 | 4 or more years of college3 | Less than 5 years of elementary school | High school completion or higher2 | 4 or more years of college3 | Less than 5 years of elementary school | High school completion or higher2 | 4 or more years of college3 | |
| April 1940 | 10.9% | 26.1% | 4.9% | 41.8% | 7.7% | 1.3% | - | - | - |
| April 1950 | 8.9 | 36.4 | 6.6 | 32.6 | 13.7 | 2.2 | - | - | - |
| April 1960 | 6.7 | 43.2 | 8.1 | 23.5 | 21.7 | 3.5 | - | - | - |
| March 1970 | 4.2 | 57.4 | 11.6 | 14.7 | 36.1 | 6.1 | - | - | - |
| March 1980 | 1.9 | 71.9 | 18.4 | 9.1 | 51.4 | 7.9 | 15.8% | 44.5% | 7.6% |
| March 1985 | 1.4 | 77.5 | 20.8 | 6.1 | 59.9 | 11.1 | 13.5 | 47.9 | 8.5 |
| March 1990 | 1.1 | 81.4 | 23.1 | 5.1 | 66.2 | 11.3 | 12.3 | 50.8 | 9.2 |
| March 1995 | 0.7 | 85.9 | 23.4 | 2.5 | 73.8 | 13.3 | 10.6 | 53.4 | 9.3 |
| March 2000 | 0.5 | 88.4 | 28.1 | 1.6 | 78.9 | 16.6 | 8.7 | 57.0 | 10.6 |
| March 2005 | 0.5 | 90.1 | 30.5 | 1.5 | 81.5 | 17.7 | 7.9 | 58.5 | 12.0 |
| 2010 | - | 87.6 | 30.3 | - | 84.2 | 19.8 | - | 62.9 | 13.9 |
| 2014 | - | 88.8% | 32.3% | - | 85.8% | 22.2% | - | 66.52% | 15.2% |
NOTE: (-) = not available.
1. Includes persons of Hispanic origin for years prior to 1980.
2. Data for years prior to 1993 include all persons with at least 4 years of high school.
3. Data for 1993 and later years are for persons with a bachelor's or higher degree.
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, U.S. Census of Population, 1960, Vol. 1, part 1; Current Population Reports, Series P-20 and unpublished data; and 1960 Census Monograph, “Education of the American Population,“ by John K. Folger and Charles B. Nam. From U.S. Dept. of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics 2007, U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States.
| School Enrollment and Educational Attainment |
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