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In 2014, among people age 25 and older in the labor force, over 90 percent of Whites, Blacks, and Asians had at least a high school diploma. By contrast, 72 percent of Hispanics age 25 and older in the labor force had completed high school.
Educational attainment | White | Black or African American |
Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
---|---|---|---|---|
Less than a high school diploma |
8.0 | 8.2 | 6.2 | 27.7 |
High school graduates, no college |
26.7 | 31.3 | 17 | 30.3 |
Some college, no degree |
16.3 | 21.8 | 9.8 | 15.2 |
Associate's degree |
11.3 | 11.3 | 6.8 | 8.2 |
Bachelor's degree and higher |
37.7 | 27.3 | 60.1 | 18.6 |
Note: People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Data may not sum to 100 percent due to rounding. |
Asians were the most likely to have graduated from college. Sixty percent of Asians in the labor force had a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared with 38 percent of Whites, 27 percent of Blacks, and 19 percent of Hispanics.
Individuals with higher levels of education are more likely to be employed in higher-paying jobs—such as those in management, professional, and related occupations—than are individuals with less education.
In 2014, 51 percent of Asians worked in management, professional, and related occupations—the highest paying major occupational category—compared with 39 percent of employed Whites, 30 percent of employed Blacks, and 21 percent of employed Hispanics.
Occupation group | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
---|---|---|---|---|
Management, professional, and related occupations |
39.0 | 29.5 | 50.7 | 20.8 |
Service occupations |
16.5 | 25.0 | 16.7 | 25.7 |
Sales and office occupations |
22.9 | 23.9 | 19.4 | 21.2 |
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations |
10.1 | 5.9 | 3.3 | 15.9 |
Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations |
11.5 | 15.7 | 9.9 | 16.3 |
Note: People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Data may not sum to 100 percent due to rounding. |
Hispanics (26 percent) and Blacks (25 percent) were more likely than other groups to be employed in service occupations.
These data are from the Current Population Survey (CPS). For more information, see "Labor Force Characteristics by Race and Ethnicity, 2014" (PDF). For additional data about race and ethnicity, visit the CPS demographics page.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Educational attainment and occupation groups by race and ethnicity in 2014 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2015/educational-attainment-and-occupation-groups-by-race-and-ethnicity-in-2014.htm (visited October 10, 2024).