Educational Attainment by Sex, 1910-2020
Updated July 8, 2021 |
Infoplease Staff
(percent of population age 25 and older)
| Year | Both sexes | Male | Female | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 5 years of elementary school | High school completion or higher1 | 4 or more years of college2 | Less than 5 years of elementary school | High school completion or higher1 | 4 or more years of college2 | Less than 5 years of elementary school | High school completion or higher1 | 4 or more years of college2 | |
| 19103 | 23.8% | 13.5% | 2.7% | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 19203 | 22.0% | 16.4% | 3.3% | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 19303 | 17.5% | 19.1% | 3.9% | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1940 | 13.7% | 24.5% | 4.6% | 15.1% | 22.7% | 5.5% | 12.4% | 26.3% | 3.8% |
| 1950 | 11.1% | 34.3% | 6.2% | 12.2% | 32.6% | 7.3% | 10.0% | 36.0% | 5.2% |
| 1960 | 8.3% | 41.1% | 7.7% | 9.4% | 39.5% | 9.7% | 7.4% | 42.5% | 5.8% |
| 1970 | 5.3% | 55.2% | 11.0% | 5.9% | 55.0% | 14.1% | 4.7% | 55.4% | 8.2% |
| 1980 | 3.4% | 68.6% | 17.0% | 3.6% | 69.2% | 20.9% | 3.%2 | 68.1% | 13.6% |
| 1985 | 2.7% | 73.9% | 19.4% | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1990 | 2.5% | 77.6% | 21.3% | 2.7% | 77.7% | 24.4% | 2.2% | 77.5% | 18.4% |
| 1995 | 1.9% | 81.7% | 23.0% | 2.0% | 81.7% | 26.0% | 1.7% | 81.6% | 20.2% |
| 2000 | 1.6% | 84.1% | 25.6% | 1.6% | 84.2% | 27.8% | 1.5% | 84.0% | 23.6% |
| 2005 | 1.6% | 85.2% | 27.6% | 1.7% | 84.9% | 28.9% | 1.5% | 85.4% | 26.5% |
| 2010 | - | 87.2% | 30.1% | - | 86.6% | 30.3% | - | 87.6% | 29.1% |
| 2015 | - | 88.3% | 32.5% | - | 88.0% | 32.3% | - | 88.9% | 32.7% |
| 2020 | - | 91.3% | 37.6% | - | 90.6% | 36.9% | - | 91.3% | 38.5% |
NOTE: (-) = not available.
1. Data for years prior to 1993 include all persons with at least 4 years of high school.
2. Data for 1993 and later years are for persons with a bachelor's degree or higher.
3. Estimates based on Bureau of the Census retrojection of 1940 Census data on education by age.
Source: Based on data from the 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Bureau of the Census, U.S Census of Population, 1960, Vol. 1, part 1; Current Population Reports, Series P-20 and unpublished data; and 1960 Census Monograph, “Education of the American Population,“ by John K. Folger and Charles B. Nam.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, and U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, various years.
| School Enrollment and Educational Attainment |
Trending
Here are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about.
