The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor is the principal Federal agency responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
Spotlight on Statistics
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AUGUST 2017
Profile Of The Labor Force By Educational Attainment
Vernon Brundage, Jr.
Increased education is associated with both higher wages and lower unemployment. This Spotlight on Statistics
highlights how that relationship has changed over time and examines additional detail on educational attainment.
The charts and analysis that follow illustrate historical and current statistics from the Current Population Survey on
the U.S. labor force for people age 25 years and older by educational attainment, defined as the highest diploma or
degree received at the time the survey was conducted.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
Spotlight on Statistics
Page 2
Educational attainment rises over the last 24 years
The U.S. labor force has become increasingly educated over the last 24 years. From 1992 to 2016, the share of the
labor force made up of people with a bachelor’s degree and an advanced degree (includes people with master's,
professional, and doctoral degrees) has grown consistently, rising by 7 percentage points and 5 percentage points,
respectively.
Over the same time period, the proportion of people with either less than a high school diploma or with a high school
diploma but no college experience has declined by about 5 and 10 percentage points, respectively.
Since 2012, people with some college or an associate’s degree have made up the largest share of the U.S. civilian
labor force compared to all other major categories of educational attainment. Prior to 2012, the largest share
comprised people with a high school diploma but no college experience.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
Spotlight on Statistics
Page 3
Two-thirds of labor force in 2016 had at least some college
In 2016, one-third of the labor force completed no more than high school, while the remaining two-thirds had at least
some college experience.
About one-fourth of the labor force had some college (16 percent) or an associate’s degree (11 percent). People with
an associa