About 33% of young women age 25-29 had a bachelor’s degree or higher level of education in 2007, compared with 26% of their male counterparts, according to tabulations released earlier this month by the US Census Bureau.
 
Among adults 25 and older, however, men remain slightly more likely than women to hold at least a bachelor’s degree (30% compared with 28%), according to the series of tables, the series of tables, “Educational Attainment in the United States: 2007,” show.
Though the percentage for women rose between 2006 and 2007 (from 27%), it remained statistically unchanged for men.
The tables also show that more education continues to pay off. Adults with advanced degrees earn four times more than those with less than a high school diploma: Workers 18 and older with a master’s, professional or doctoral degree earned an average of $82,320 in 2006, while those with less than a high school diploma earned $20,873.
Other highlights:
- In 2007, 86% of all adults 25 and older reported they had completed at least high school and 29% at least a bachelor’s degree.
- More than half of Asians 25 and older had a bachelor’s degree or more (52%), compared with 32% of non-Hispanic whites, 19% of African Americans and 13% of Hispanics.
- The proportion of the foreign-born population with a bachelor’s degree or more was 28%, compared with 29% of the native population. However, the proportion of naturalized citizens with a college degree was 34%.
- Workers 18 and older with a bachelor’s degree earned an average of $56,788 in 2006, while those with a high school diploma earned $31,071.
- Among those whose highest level of education was a high school diploma or equivalent, non-Hispanic white workers had the highest average earnings ($32,931), followed by Asians ($29,426) and African Americans ($26,268). Average earnings of Hispanic workers in the same group ($27,508) were not statistically different from those of Asian or African-American workers.
- Among workers with advanced degrees, Asians ($88,408) and non-Hispanic whites ($83,785) had higher average earnings than Hispanics ($70,432) and African Americans ($64,834).
About the study: The data package consists of a series of data tables on educational trends and attainment levels. Data are shown by characteristics, such as age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, marital status, labor force status, occupation, industry and native status. The data are from the 2007 Current Population Survey’s Annual Social and Economic Supplement, which is conducted in February, March and April at about 100,000 addresses nationwide.
