Thursday, December 10, 2009

Educational Attainment in the United States: Let's Take a Look at the Numbers

(Click on table to enlarge. Table is on page 3 of report.)

Link to December 8 Time magazine article, "The Job Market: Is a College Degree Worth Less?"

Excerpt: Employers and career experts see a growing problem in American society — an abundance of college graduates, many burdened with tuition-loan debt, heading into the work world with a degree that doesn't mean much anymore.

The problem isn't just a soft job market — it's an oversupply of graduates. In 1973, a bachelor's degree was more of a rarity, since just 47% of high school graduates went on to college. By October 2008, that number had risen to nearly 70%. For many Americans today, a trip through college is considered as much of a birthright as a driver's license.

(See pictures of the college dorm's evolution.)
Well, of course, let's jump to the important stuff.

The most important number is not included in the second excerpted paragraph. How many high school graduates who went on to college earned a bachelor's degree?

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