Bachelor Degree Achievement Tops 30 Percent
Written by Matthew C. Keegan // 02/28/2012 // College News // 1 Comment
Percentage of college-educated Americans reaches new high.
In March 2011, the number of American adults with a four-year college degree hit the 30 percent mark, the highest level ever. That attainment is significant because as recently as 1998 fewer than one in four adults had a bachelor’s degree. This news comes from the U.S. Census Bureau in its report, “Educational Attainment in the United States: 2011,” that was released last Thursday.
Significant Increase
The most significant rise in people groups was among Hispanics as the bureau reported a rise in the number of bachelor degrees or higher attained went from 2.1 million in 2001 to 3.8 million in 2011. As a percentage, 14.1 percent of Hispanics now have a degree up from 11.1 percent just 10 years earlier. Overall, 30.4 percent of adult Americans now have at least a bachelor’s degree, up from 26.2 percent in 2001.
“This is an important milestone in our history,” Census Bureau Director Robert Groves said. “For many people, education is a sure path to a prosperous life. The more education people have the more likely they are to have a job and earn more money, particularly for individuals who hold a bachelor’s degree.”
Employment Comparisons
The bureau’s findings have also revealed that those who have a bachelor’s degree fared much better in the recent recession than those without a degree. The bureau says that the unemployment rate for college grads reached a high of 5.9 percent in February 2010. That same month the unemployment rate for high school drop outs peaked at 17.9 percent. Workers with bachelor’s degrees earned more too, averaging $47,510 per year. That compares to the $26,776 adults with a high school diploma or a GED earn and to the $22,534 earned by high school drop outs.
Among regions of the country, the northeast boasted the highest percentage of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the midwest, more adults had at least a high school education than any other region. A large number of Americans on the west coast also have at least a bachelor’s degree.
Salary Comparisons
The Census Bureau’s report will likely fuel more interest in higher education among a greater number of Americans despite the cost in attaining a degree. The bureau noted that those Americans with a professional degree averaged $11,927 per month followed by bachelor’s degree earners who averaged $5,455 per month. However, the study also revealed some sharp differences in pay and education despite years spent in college as engineering students with an associate or two-year degree averaged $4,800 per month while four-year education graduates averaged just $3,800 per month.
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One Comment on "Bachelor Degree Achievement Tops 30 Percent"
This is absolutely delightful news and a fitting reply to those who have been questioning the value of college education. What’s even better is the fact that graduates of Bachelor programs have generally fared better during recession than their non-degree holder counterparts.
Now that it’s established that college is the way to go, you need to start looking for programs that hold the highest promise. One such field worth exploring is respiratory therapy. Check out the respiratory therapist programs at California College San Diego to see what it’s all about!