EMBARGOED UNTIL: 10 A.M. EDT, SEPTEMBER 5, 1996 (THURSDAY) Please note our new policy: NO BROADCAST OR PRINT BEFORE 10 A.M. EDT Public Information Office CB96-148 301-457-3030/301-457-3670 (fax) **REVISED** 301-457-4067 (TDD) e-mail: pio@census.gov REVISIONS IN BOLD Jennifer Day 301-457-2464 HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION RATES FOR YOUNG ADULT AFRICAN AMERICANS, WHITES ARE SIMILAR, CENSUS BUREAU REPORTS The proportion of Whites aged 25 to 29 who had completed high school remained statistically unchanged--at about 87 percent--between 1985 and 1995, while the share of young adult African Americans in the same age group with a high school degree improved significantly--from 81 percent in 1985 to 87 percent in 1995, according to a report released today by the Commerce Department's Census Bureau. "School completion is one of the most important influences on economic well-being. Higher educational attainment tends to be reflected in greater socio-economic success for individuals and the nation," says Jennifer Day, author of the report, "Educational Attainment in the United States: March 1995" (P20-489). The report points out that overall educational attainment levels for the total population ages 25 and above, continued to increase and reached an all time high in 1995, as a younger, more educated population continued to replace an older, less educated one. Other highlights from the report include: - Alaska appears to have had the highest rate of high school completionin 1995. However, the completion rate was not statistically different from Washington, Colorado, and Utah. - Washington, D.C.'s population ranked first in the nation in bachelor's degree completions at 38 percent. At the bottom of the list, West Virginia appears to have had the smallest percent of bachelor's degree completions at 12.7 percent. This percentage, however, was not statistically different from Arkansas. - People's earnings were higher at each higher level of education in 1995. For example, the earnings of someone who had not completed high school were nearly $24,000 below those of college graduates with a bachelor's degree ($13,697 versus $37,224). The data presented here were collected in a sample survey, and are therefore subject to sampling variability as well as reporting and coverage errors.
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