U S C E N S U S B U R E A U

Helping You Make Informed Decisions

U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

What It’s Worth: Field of Training

and Economic Status in 2001

Household Economic Studies

Issued September 2005

Current

Population

Reports

By 

Camille L. Ryan

P70-98

Education often entails choices about field collected in the Survey of Income and

of study, alternative credentials, and the Program Participation (SIPP) in June

time to start and complete studies beyond through September of 2001, representing

high school. This report explores issues the civilian noninstitutionalized popularelated to school completion and degrees, tion living in the United States.1

fields of training, occupations pursued,

and earnings obtained. It also examines

the education and earnings of people who 1 The data in this report were collected from June obtain a General Educational Development through September 2001 in the second wave (inter-

(GED) certificate, the different educational view) of the 2001 SIPP. The population represented

(the population universe) is the civilian results for women and men, and trends noninstitutionalized population living in the 

across generations. This report uses data United States.

Figure 1.

Educational Attainment in 1984 and 2001

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, What's It Worth? Educational Background and Economic Status: 

Spring 1984, P70-11; Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2001 Panel.

(Percent of population 18 and older)

Less than high school

High school

Some college

Vocational certificate

Associate's degree

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Professional degree

Doctorate degree

2001

1984

0.5

1.0

1.0

1.4

3.4

5.5

10.6

15.6

3.4

6.6

1.8

3.6

17.8

19.1

35.5

31.1

26.0 

16.3
DEGREES HELD BY ADULTS

IN THE UNITED STATES

In 2001, more people in the United

States held postsecondary educational credentials than ever before.

Thirty-four percent of the adult

population (18 and over) had

degrees or certificates above the

high school level in 2001, up from

21 percent in 1984, the first year

covered by a report on this topic

(Figure 1).2 Bachelor’s and associate’s degrees accounted for most

of the increase. People with bachelor’s degrees accounted for 

2 U.S. Census Bureau

2 The proportion with postsecondary credentials did not exceed 25 percent before

1984, according to estimates that can be calculated from the report “Educational

Attainment in the United States: March 1999.” 

The estimates in this report (which may be

shown in text, figures, and tables) are based

on responses from a sample of the population

16 percent of the adult population

in 2001, compared with 11 percent

in 1984, while associate’s degree

and may differ from the actual values because

of sampling variability or other factors. As a

result, apparent differences between the estimates for two or more groups may not be statistically significant. All comparative statements have undergone statistical testing and

are significant at the 90-percent confidence

level unless otherwise noted. 

Table A.

Detailed Fields of Postsecondary Degrees of the Adult Population: 2001

(Population 18 and older with vocational certificate or higher. Numbers in thousands)

Detailed field of

postsecondary degree

Vocational certificate Associate’s degree Bachelor’s degree Advanced degree1

Number

90-percent

confidence

interval Number

90-percent

confidence

interval Number

90-percent

confidence

interval Number

90-percent

confidence

interval

Total ...................... 7,434 7,095–7,773 13,694 13,240–14,148 32,355 31,690–33,020 16,180 15,690–16,670

Agriculture/forestry/horticulture.... 68 35–101 197 141–253 361 285–437 173 120–226

Art/architecture . . ............... (X) (X) (X) (X) 1,067 937–1,197 257 193–321

Auto mechanics................. 359 283–435 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

Business/management........... 1,309 1,165–1,453 3,153 2,930–3,376 7,189 6,855–7,523 2,078 1,896–2,260

Communications . . .............. (X) (X) 314 243–385 898 778–1,018 168 116–220

Computer and information

science....................... 368 291–445 586 489–683 908 788–1,028 522 431–613

Construction trades.............. 274 208–340 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

Cosmetology . . ................. 693 588–798 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

Education ...................... (X) (X) 565 470–660 4,034 3,782–4,286 3,668 3,428–3,908

Electronics ..................... 406 325–487 (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

Engineering/drafting . . ........... 51 22–80 666 563–769 2,643 2,438–2,848 855 738–972

English/literature ................ (X) (X) (X) (X) 965 841–1,089 244 181–307

Foreign languages .............. (X) (X) (X) (X) 229 168–290 73 39–107

Health care/health sciences ...... 1,491 1,337–1,645 2,025 1,846–2,204 1,699 1,535–1,863 (X) (X)

Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) 1,447 1,295–1,599

Liberal arts/humanities........... (X) (X) 1,180 1,043–1,317 1,800 1,631–1,969 267 202–332

Mathematics/statistics . .......... (X) (X) (X) (X) 467 381–553 203 146–260

Medicine/dentistry . . ............. (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) 1,186 1,049–1,323

Natural sciences ................ (X) (X) 196 140–252 1,495 1,341–1,649 683 579–787

Nursing/pharmacy/public health . . . (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) 434 351–517

Philosophy/religion/theology ...... (X) (X) (X) (X) 345 271–419 348 273–423

Police and protective services . . . . 67 34–100 263 198–328 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Preprofessional ................. (X) (X) (X) (X) 193 137–249 (X) (X)

Psychology..................... (X) (X) (X) (X) 1,160 1,024–1,296 610 511–709

Social sciences/history........... (X) (X) 212 154–270 1,511 1,356–1,666 516 425–607

Other vocational . . . ............. 623 523–723 1,307 1,163–1,451 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Other .......................... 1,725 1,559–1,891 3,032 2,813–3,251 5,391 5,101–5,681 2,449 2,252–2,646

(X) Not applicable—category not in questionnaire for given education level.

1 Advanced degrees include master’s, professional, and doctorate degrees.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2001 Panel.
holders doubled from 3 percent to

7 percent.

Advanced degree holders accounted for a smaller part of the

increase. The percentage of adults

with master’s degrees increased

from 3 percent to about 6 percent,

while the percentage of adults with

professional or doctorate degrees

increased by less than 1 percentage point.

From 1984 to 2001, the percentage of adults reporting a high

school diploma as their highest

education fell from 35 percent to

31 percent. The percentage of

adults with less than a high school

diploma fell from 26 percent to 

16 percent.

FIELDS OF TRAINING

Business was the most popular

major of those with bachelor’s

degrees and was one of the most

common among people with vocational certificates, associate’s, or

advanced degrees (Table A).3 In

2001, 7.2 million people had bachelor’s degrees in business, 3.2 million had associate’s degrees, and

3 Among those with vocational certificates, the two most popular majors were

business and health. The number with business majors and the number with health

care/health sciences majors were not statistically different. The number of business

majors and those majoring in “other” were

not statistically different at the associate’s

degree level. At the advanced level, business was the second most common major.

Education majors were more numerous than

business majors, and the business majors

were more numerous than law majors.

2.1 million had M.B.A.s or other

advanced degrees in business.

Other common fields of training

for degree and certificate holders

were education, engineering, and

health care. Few people had

degrees in computer science and

computer-related subjects. 

Students in some fields tend to

join the labor force with lower levels of education, while students in

other fields are more likely to pursue higher degrees. This phenomenon is clearest among those with

a bachelor’s degree who reported

their college major as preprofessional (for example, pre-medicine

or pre-law), two-thirds (67 percent)

of whom went on to earn an

advanced degree (Table B). At the

U.S. Census Bureau 3

Table B.

Detailed Fields of Bachelor’s Degrees of People Who Went on to Get an Advanced Degree:

2001

(Population 18 and older with bachelor’s or higher degree. Numbers in thousands)

Detailed field of bachelor’s degree

Number

Percent of

all people

with a

bachelor’s

degree

Percent distribution by advanced degree field1

Total Same field Law Medicine Other

Total ............................ 16,180 33.4 100.0 39.4 8.9 7.3 44.4

Agriculture/forestry/horticulture.......... 173 32.5 100.0 51.5 4.9 - 43.7

Art/architecture ....................... 367 25.6 100.0 44.0 5.5 6.3 44.3

Business/management................. 1,686 19.0 100.0 60.0 9.8 1.0 29.2

Communications . . . ................... 257 22.3 100.0 24.5 10.3 7.5 57.7

Computer and information science ...... 332 26.8 100.0 62.0 - 2.1 35.9

Education ............................ 2,946 42.2 100.0 78.8 2.0 0.3 18.9

Engineering/drafting . . . ................ 1,282 32.7 100.0 54.4 3.1 2.3 40.2

English/literature . ..................... 544 36.1 100.0 26.0 14.2 2.3 57.6

Foreign languages .................... 213 48.2 100.0 20.3 7.3 4.4 68.0

Health care/health sciences ............ 563 24.9 100.0 31.1 3.7 29.6 35.6

Liberal arts/humanities ................. 1,012 36.0 100.0 11.0 27.0 6.9 55.1

Mathematics/statistics ................. 389 45.4 100.0 39.2 1.0 4.2 55.6

Natural sciences ...................... 1,378 48.0 100.0 35.7 2.9 29.2 32.2

Philosophy/religion/theology ............ 277 44.5 100.0 43.3 12.7 1.4 42.6

Preprofessional . . . .................... 394 67.1 100.0 (X) 24.3 49.7 26.1

Psychology. .......................... 722 38.3 100.0 44.5 5.8 3.5 46.3

Social sciences/history................. 889 37.0 100.0 29.4 17.3 1.6 51.6

Other2 ............................... 2,754 33.8 100.0 (X) 13.6 6.0 80.5

- Represents or rounds to zero.

(X) Not applicable.

1 Advanced degrees include master’s, professional, and doctorate degrees.

2 The category ‘‘Other’’ in this table refers to an actual response choice rather than a combination of specific fields.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2001 Panel.
opposite end of the spectrum were

college graduates who majored in

art/architecture, business, communications, health care, or computer

science: 25 percent or less of these

people completed studies beyond

the bachelor’s degree. Between 

30 percent and 50 percent of

people in other fields of training,

such as agriculture, completed

advanced degrees.

People who had preprofessional

college majors and earned

advanced degrees usually received

them in law or medicine (74 percent), while the majority of education majors who earned advanced

degrees did so in education 

(79 percent).4 Overall, the transition from undergraduate major to

advanced degree studies followed

diverse pathways. People with college majors in communications,

English, foreign languages, health

care, liberal arts, math, or natural

science obtained advanced degrees

in the same or related fields less

than half the time.5

OCCUPATION

One reason that people pursue

higher education is to enter professional and managerial occupations.

Bachelor’s or higher degrees were

held by 45 percent of people with

managerial jobs and 71 percent of

people with professional occupations. By comparison, 10 percent

or less of those in craft, service,

farm, and production occupations

had bachelor’s or higher degrees

(Figure 2).6

At nearly every level of education,

certain fields of training were

strongly associated with professional and managerial occupations.

Business majors were more likely

than others with the same level of

education to be in managerial

occupations—including those with

vocational certificates and associate’s degrees (Table C).7 People

who majored in other subjects

were increasingly likely to be in

professional occupations as their

educational level increased.8 At

the associate’s degree level or

higher, a person with a degree in

engineering or in arts/sciences was

more likely to have a professional

occupation than a management

occupation. 

EARNINGS

In 2001, the average monthly earnings of full-time workers with a

professional degree were approximately $8,000 (Table D). By contrast, full-time workers who did

4 U.S. Census Bureau

4 The percentage of people with preprofessional majors who earned advanced

degrees in law or medicine was not statistically different from the percentage of education majors who earned advanced degrees 

in education. 5 The percentage of college graduates

earning advanced degrees in the same field

depends in part on how narrowly the field is

defined. If respondents were asked to pick

from a different list of fields, a somewhat different rate of continuation might be apparent.

6 The percentage of people in farm occupations with bachelor’s degrees or higher is

not statistically different from the percentage of people in service occupations with

bachelor’s degrees or higher. 7 The percentage of people in managerial

occupations with vocational certificates who

majored in business is not statistically different from the percentage of people in managerial occupations with associate’s degrees

who majored in business.

8 The difference in the percentage of people in professional occupations who received

vocational certificates in vocational subjects

and those who received associate’s degrees

in these subjects was not statistically significant. In addition, among business majors,

an increase in education to the bachelor’s

and advanced degree levels was accompanied by a larger portion in professional occupations. At the advanced level, 22 percent

of business degree holders had professional

occupations, compared with 57 percent or

more of other degree holders.

Figure 2.

Percentage With Bachelor's or Advanced Degree 

for Occupational Groups

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2001 Panel.

(Population 18 and older, employed during previous 4 months)

Bachelor's degree Advanced degree

Production

Farm

Craft

Service

Clerical

Sales

Technical

Managerial

Professional

4.0

37.0

30.9 

22.9 

20.9

14.0 

7.5

5.2 

7.4 

3.4

34.4

14.3 

8.4 

4.1 

2.4 

1.5

0.9 

2.4 

0.6

71.4 

45.2 

31.2 

25.0

16.4 

9.0 

6.1 

9.8
U.S. Census Bureau 5

Table C.

Occupation by Educational Attainment and Field of Training: 2001

(Employed population 18 and older. Numbers in thousands)

Degree and field of training

Total

Occupation

ProfessionalManagerialTechnical Sales Clerical Service Craft FarmProduction

TOTAL

Number................. 143,925 23,259 22,025 4,681 15,973 19,741 20,559 14,679 3,452 19,556

Percent . ................

Advanced Degree

100.0 16.2 15.3 3.3 11.1 13.7 14.3 10.2 2.4 13.6

Number . .................... 13,332 8,011 3,139 393 656 481 312 137 84 118

Percent ..................... 100.0 60.1 23.6 3.0 4.9 3.6 2.3 1.0 0.6 0.9

Business .................. 100.0 21.5 56.4 1.9 10.4 5.2 1.4 1.6 0.6 1.0

Engineering/computers...... 100.0 60.0 18.4 7.2 6.3 2.5 1.3 2.0 0.3 1.9

Arts, sciences. . . ........... 100.0 70.8 14.6 3.3 3.3 3.2 2.5 0.8 0.8 0.8

Education ................. 100.0 69.7 18.0 0.7 3.6 4.6 2.3 0.4 0.4 0.4

Other fields ................

Bachelor’s Degree

100.0 56.6 26.1 3.2 4.8 2.6 3.6 1.4 0.6 1.2

Number . .................... 25,807 8,599 6,810 1,073 3,345 2,760 1,541 761 255 663

Percent ..................... 100.0 33.3 26.4 4.2 13.0 10.7 6.0 3.0 1.0 2.6

Business .................. 100.0 13.1 42.1 1.9 21.3 11.8 3.2 2.8 0.4 3.4

Engineering/computers...... 100.0 48.6 20.9 8.3 7.2 4.6 2.8 4.4 0.6 2.6

Arts, sciences. . . ........... 100.0 36.5 19.6 5.0 11.7 12.6 8.1 3.0 1.2 2.2

Education ................. 100.0 61.7 11.3 1.3 5.4 9.7 5.5 1.9 1.7 1.7

Other fields ................

Associate’s Degree

100.0 27.3 29.7 4.9 12.1 10.8 8.8 2.6 1.3 2.5

Number . .................... 11,085 2,103 1,738 885 1,064 1,796 1,394 1,137 133 834

Percent ..................... 100.0 1.5 1.2 8.0 9.6 16.2 12.6 10.3 1.2 7.5

Business .................. 100.0 8.7 24.8 2.1 15.4 28.3 9.2 5.1 1.3 5.2

Engineering/computers...... 100.0 25.7 10.6 9.9 6.5 14.2 6.2 17.8 0.0 9.2

Arts, sciences.............. 100.0 28.4 12.2 12.8 6.9 12.7 15.5 4.7 1.7 5.1

Education ................. 100.0 23.7 15.2 0.0 15.4 17.4 13.5 5.5 3.6 5.8

Vocational . . . .............. 100.0 11.2 8.4 8.3 5.8 6.9 11.3 28.6 0.7 18.7

Other fields ................

Vocational Certificate

100.0 16.3 16.5 7.5 9.6 13.4 15.1 12.7 0.8 8.0

Number . .................... 5,473 532 632 405 349 846 1,044 951 56 658

Percent ..................... 100.0 9.7 11.6 7.4 6.4 15.5 19.1 17.4 1.0 12.0

Business .................. 100.0 5.7 20.6 3.8 14.3 32.8 9.6 6.0 2.1 5.2

Drafting/computers ......... 100.0 9.7 12.5 6.9 4.0 14.3 11.7 26.8 0.0 14.0

Vocational . . . .............. 100.0 10.2 8.3 8.9 3.6 11.3 25.9 17.5 1.1 13.3

Other fields ................

Some College

100.0 11.3 11.7 7.1 8.0 13.5 15.8 19.1 0.8 12.7

Number . .................... 29,218 2,243 4,638 1,044 4,149 6,090 4,419 2,900 582 3,153

Percent .....................

High School

100.0 7.7 15.9 3.6 14.2 20.8 15.1 9.9 2.0 10.8

Number . .................... 43,076 1,546 4,347 806 4,989 6,919 7,645 6,170 1,200 9,454

Percent .....................

Less Than High School

Graduate

100.0 3.6 10.1 1.9 11.6 16.1 17.7 14.3 2.8 21.9

Number . .................... 15,931 225 721 75 1,420 848 4,203 2,623 1,141 4,675

Percent ..................... 100.0 1.4 4.5 0.5 8.9 5.3 26.4 16.5 7.2 29.3

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2001 Panel.
not complete high school earned studied 1 year past high school or Earnings also varied by race and

about $2,000 per month. Other less, on average, and doing so Hispanic origin. In 2001, Blacks

degree levels ranged in between increased earnings by about $500 and Hispanics earned less than nonthese levels.9 per month.10 High school comple- Hispanic Whites at almost every

tion provided benefit as well. The educational level (Table D).11 If

Small amounts of postsecondary average earnings of people whose Black and non-Hispanic White edu- education were associated with highest degree was a high school cational levels were equal, 71 per- higher earnings. People who had diploma were $600 per month cent of the earnings gap would “some college but no degree” had higher than those of people who remain. If the educational levels of

did not complete high school.

6 U.S. Census Bureau

Table D.

Monthly Earnings by Educational Attainment: 2001

(Population 18 and older with earnings, employed full-time for previous 4 months. Earnings in dollars)

Earnings category,

Educational attainment

Less

characteristic, than Vocaand field of training high High tional Associ- Bach- Professchool school Some certifi- ate’s elor’s Master’s sional Doctorate

Total graduate diploma college cate degree degree degree degree degree

Measures of Earnings

Average . . ................... 3,319 1,963 2,532 3,058 2,912 3,171 4,281 5,207 7,941 6,953

25th percentile . . ............. 1,700 1,200 1,500 1,700 1,755 1,920 2,400 3,000 3,294 3,825

Median...................... 2,576 1,632 2,120 2,475 2,550 2,800 3,500 4,200 5,875 5,352

75th percentile . . .............

Average Earnings by Race

and Hispanic Origin

4,000 2,325 3,060 3,600 3,600 3,938 5,211 6,057 9,952 8,100

White . . . .................... 3,410 2,013 2,600 3,178 2,952 3,231 4,384 5,241 8,082 7,216

White, non-Hispanic ........ 3,579 2,281 2,678 3,265 2,983 3,256 4,435 5,249 8,233 7,257

Black . ...................... 2,560 1,673 2,106 2,425 2,675 2,717 3,673 4,268 (B) (B)

Hispanic (any race)...........

Average Earnings by Age

2,309 1,759 2,052 2,471 2,503 3,028 3,549 (B) (B) (B)

18 to 29 years . .............. 2,379 1,679 2,045 2,220 2,442 2,318 3,181 3,804 (B) (B)

30 to 49 years . .............. 3,506 1,993 2,650 3,234 2,997 3,378 4,569 5,203 7,910 6,759

50 years or older .............

Average Earnings by Field of

Training

3,664 2,152 2,708 3,565 3,017 3,257 4,469 5,590 8,419 7,510

Business .................... 4,729 (X) (X) (X) 2,538 3,353 4,815 6,751 (B) (B)

Computers .................. 4,526 (X) (X) (X) 2,630 3,407 5,051 6,054 (B) (B)

Engineering.................. 5,263 (X) (X) (X) 3,368 3,578 5,296 6,471 (B) (B)

Liberal arts . . . ............... 3,716 (X) (X) (X) (B) 3,087 3,443 5,043 (B) (B)

Social science, law ........... 4,968 (X) (X) (X) (B) 3,288 3,656 4,388 8,414 6,861

Science, medicine . . .......... 4,254 (X) (X) (X) 2,593 2,993 3,693 4,448 9,405 6,261

Education ................... 3,766 (X) (X) (X) (B) (B) 3,433 4,123 (B) (B)

Vocational ................... 3,015 (X) (X) (X) 3,044 2,979 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Other ....................... 3,983 (X) (X) (X) 3,068 3,143 4,253 4,641 (B) (B)

(B) Base for the derived figure is less than 200,000.

(X) Not applicable—category not in questionnaire for given education level.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2001 Panel.

9 The earnings of people with some col- 11 Because Hispanics may be any race,

lege, no degree were not statistically differ- data in this report for Hispanics overlap

ent from the earnings of people with a voca- 10 The majority of people who said they slightly with data for the Black population.

tional certificate or an associate’s degree. have “some college but no degree” reported Based on the SIPP 2001 panel, 6 percent of

The earnings of people with a vocational cer- that they had completed 1 year or less of the Black population 18 and older was

tificate were not statistically different from postsecondary schooling. See Robert Hispanic. Data for the Asian population 

the earnings of people with an associate’s Kominski and Paul M. Siegel, “Measuring and the American Indian and Alaska Native

degree. The earnings of people with a pro- Education in the Current Population Survey,” population are not shown in this report

fessional degree were not statistically differ- Monthly Labor Review, September 1993, because of their small sample size in the

ent from those with a doctorate. p. 35. SIPP 2001 panel.
Hispanics and non-Hispanic Whites

were equal, the earnings gap would

be 53 percent of its current value.12

People 18 to 29 years old earned

less than older people in almost all

educational categories except

vocational.13 Earnings were low for

people under age 30 with less than

a bachelor’s degree. In that age

group, people with some college

but no degree, vocational certificates, or associate’s degrees had

about the same earnings as those

with only a high school diploma.

At 50 and older, people with some

college but no degree earned as

much as those with a high school

diploma or a vocational certificate

or associate’s degree.14

Field of training sometimes affects

earnings as much as the level of

education. In 2001, people with

U.S. Census Bureau 7

Figure 3.

Average Monthly Earnings by Field of Training for 

Selected Education Levels: 2001

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2001 Panel.

(Population 18 and older with earnings, employed full-time for 

previous 4 months. Earnings in dollars) Vocational certificate

Associate’s degree 

Bachelor's degree 

Other

Vocational studies

Education

Science

Social science

Liberal arts

Engineering

Computers

Business

3,068

4,815

3,353

2,538

5,051

3,407

2,630

5,296 

3,578

3,368

3,443

3,087 

3,656

3,288

3,693

2,993

2,593

3,433

2,979

3,044

4,253 

3,143 

12 The comparisons of differences in earnings by race and Hispanic origin were based

on standardization, using all levels of education (including those with a small number of

sample cases). In Table D, the differences in

earnings between Blacks and non-Hispanic

Whites at the vocational, associate’s, and

master’s levels are not statistically significant. The differences in earnings between

Hispanics and non-Hispanic Whites at the

vocational and associate’s levels are also not

statistically significant. Some comparisons at

the master’s, professional, and doctorate levels were not possible, due to the small number of sample cases. Earnings differences

between Hispanics and Blacks were not statistically significant at the educational levels

that could be tested. 13 Earnings for people 18 to 29 years old

with vocational certificates were not statistically different from earnings for people 30 to

49 years old or 50 and older with vocational

certificates. Professional degree recipients

and doctorate degree recipients could not be

compared because the sample of people 18

to 29 years old was too small. Earnings for

people 30 to 49 years old were not statistically different from earnings for people 50

and older for any educational level. 14 Earnings for people 50 and older with

a vocational certificate were not statistically

different from those of people with an associate’s degree.
bachelor’s degrees in engineering engineering had similarly high month, approximately the average

earned 54 percent more than peo- earnings (Figure 3). of people with master’s degrees. 

ple with bachelor’s degrees in edu- Variation in earnings occurred at cation. Vocational certificate and DIFFERENCES BETWEEN

each level of education. One- associate’s degree holders who WOMEN AND MEN

quarter of all bachelor’s degree studied technical fields such as Over time, women and men have recipients earned $2,400 per month computers and engineering earned or less, which is less than the aver- had different patterns in their fields as much as people who held bach- age of people with some college but of training. From 1984 to 2001, elor’s degrees in liberal arts, educa- no degree. The highest-paid one- business was one of the most popu- tion, or social science. People with quarter of bachelor’s degree recipi- lar fields of training for men whose associate’s degrees in computers or ents earned $5,200 or more per highest degree was a bachelor’s

8 U.S. Census Bureau

Table E.

Broad Field of Training by Sex for Selected Years: 1984–2001

(Population 18 and older for 1984–1993; 15 and older for 1996 and 2001. Highest degree was bachelor’s. Numbers in thousands)

Broad field of training

1984 1987

Male Female Male Female

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Total .........................

Business .........................

Engineering .......................

Liberal arts........................

Social science, law ................

Natural science, medicine . . ........

Education.........................

Other.............................

Total .........................

Business .........................

Engineering .......................

Liberal arts........................

Social science, law ................

Natural science, medicine . . ........

Education.........................

Other.............................

Total .........................

Business .........................

Engineering .......................

Liberal arts........................

Social science, law ................

Natural science, medicine . . ........

Education.........................

Other.............................

9,581

2,553

1,886

1,479

1,074

1,127

716

746

100

27

20

15

11

12

7

8

8,489

922

277

2,045

1,092

1,240

2,554

359

100

11

3

24

13

15

30

4

10,909

2,975

2,245

1,876

1,214

1,253

653

693

100

27

21

17

11

11

6

6

10,110

1,229

300

2,217

1,184

1,759

2,756

665

100

12

3

22

12

17

27

7

1990 1993

Male Female Male Female

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

11,758

3,301

2,556

1,635

1,233

1,267

749

1,017

100

28

22

14

10

11

6

9

11,076

1,570

368

2,869

1,177

1,723

2,707

662

100

14

3

26

11

16

24

6

12,554

3,427

2,585

1,890

1,370

1,426

764

1,092

100

27

21

15

11

11

6

9

12,389

1,855

558

2,569

1,676

1,976

2,850

905

100

15

5

21

14

16

23

7

1996 2001

Male Female Male Female

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

13,536

4,206

2,681

1,634

1,005

1,389

744

1,877

100

31

20

12

7

10

5

14

13,840

2,670

579

2,297

1,393

2,072

3,097

1,732

100

19

4

17

10

15

22

13

15,994

4,966

3,248

1,766

1,059

1,371

864

2,719

100

31

20

11

7

9

5

17

16,361

3,122

770

2,638

1,805

2,184

3,170

2,672

100

19

5

16

11

13

19

16

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 1984, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1996, and 2001 Panels.
degree. The total number of men

majoring in business grew from 

2.6 million in 1984 to 5.0 million in

2001 (Table E). The percentage of

men majoring in business rose from

27 percent in 1984 to 31 percent in

2001. Another popular field of

training—engineering—was chosen

by about 20 percent of men

between 1984 and 2001.

Women made different educational

choices than men between 1984

and 2001. In 1984, 30 percent of

women majored in education and

24 percent in liberal arts. By 2001,

these percentages had decreased to

19 percent and 16 percent, respectively. Some of the decrease was

offset by an increase in women

majoring in business, from 11 percent in 1984 to 19 percent in 2001. 

In 2001, women earned less than

men at every degree level (Table F).

The overall female-to-male average

monthly earnings ratio was 0.73.

The ratio did not vary by education. 

Labor force experience also varied

among women, possibly leading to

women’s earnings being more variable than men’s.15 One way to

examine this variation is to compare the difference between the

75th percentile of earnings and the

25th percentile for men to this

same difference for women. This

comparison indicates that women’s

earnings variation was statistically

different from men’s for all education levels except vocational.

Differences in earnings did not vary

by field (Table G).16 In fact, the

earnings ratios for several fields

were not statistically different from

1.00. At the associate’s and bachelor’s levels, the earnings ratios for

liberal arts majors and science/

medicine majors were not statistically different from 1.00. The earnings ratios for education or “other”

majors at the bachelor’s level were

also not statistically different from

1.00. Among those with advanced

degrees, the earnings ratio for

social science/law was not statistically different from 1.00.

At the bachelor’s level, men were

more likely to enroll in higher earning fields such as business and

engineering, while the most common field of training for women

was education (Figure 4).

U.S. Census Bureau 9

Table F.

Monthly Earnings by Educational Attainment and Sex: 2001

(Population 18 and older with earnings, employed full-time for previous 4 months. Earnings in dollars)

Sex and earnings category

Total

Educational attainment

High school

graduate

or less

Some

college

Vocational

certificate

Associate’s

degree

Bachelor’s

degree

Advanced1

degree

MEN

Measures of Earnings

Average.............................. 3,729 2,644 3,461 3,309 3,617 4,812 6,828

25th percentile........................ 1,892 1,574 1,980 2,070 2,250 2,588 3,500

Median .............................. 2,893 2,210 2,860 2,925 3,200 4,000 5,250

75th percentile........................

WOMEN

Measures of Earnings

4,500 3,200 4,122 4,068 4,500 6,015 8,000

Average.............................. 2,730 1,989 2,540 2,432 2,701 3,527 4,537

25th percentile........................ 1,503 1,238 1,500 1,555 1,727 2,184 2,800

Median .............................. 2,228 1,700 2,080 2,200 2,476 3,000 3,800

75th percentile........................

EARNINGS RATIO

Ratio of women’s average earnings to

3,290 2,400 2,900 3,150 3,353 4,297 5,250

men’s . . . ........................... 0.73 0.75 0.73 0.73 0.75 0.73 0.66

1 Advanced degrees include master’s, professional, and doctorate degrees.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2001 Panel.

15 See Suzanne M. Bianchi and Daphne was statistically different from the ratio of

Spain, American Women in Transition, those majoring in “other” among people with

Russell Sage Foundation, New York, 1986, an associate’s degree. Nineteen of 33 possipp. 139–168. ble comparisons of fields by degree level 16 There was one exception: the earnings between men and women could be made. In

ratio for those majoring in science/medicine other fields, the sample sizes were too small.
HIGH SCHOOL military. The GED tests provide a

EQUIVALENCY way for many adults to gain a high

school credential. To pass the People can complete their high tests, individuals must achieve school education in a variety of scores equivalent to those attained ways. The General Educational by the top 70 percent of graduat- Development (GED) test was creat- ing high school seniors. Passing ed around the time of World War II

the GED test is considered by most as a new pathway to high school states and many federal programs completion, in part for the benefit as formally equivalent to high of veterans who had interrupted school graduation. In recent years, their schooling to serve in the approximately 700,000 people

have taken the GED exam each

year, with the majority passing and

receiving certification.17

In 2001, 19.3 million adults reported they had received their high

10 U.S. Census Bureau

Table G.

Average Monthly Earnings by Educational Attainment, Sex, and Field of Training: 2001

(Population 18 and older with earnings, employed full-time for previous 4 months. Earnings in dollars)

Educational attainment and field of training

Average monthly earnings

Ratio of women’s

Men Women earnings to men’s

Vocational certificate .......................................... 3,309 2,432 0.73

Business . . . ................................................... (B) 2,365 (B)

Computers . . . ................................................. (B) (B) (B)

Engineering.................................................... 3,308 (B) (B)

Social science, law ............................................. (B) (B) (B)

Science, medicine .............................................. (B) 2,526 (B)

Education . . ................................................... (B) (B) (B)

Vocational . ................................................... 3,271 2,287 0.70

Other ......................................................... 3,497 2,413 0.69

Associate’s degree ............................................ 3,617 2,701 0.75

Business . . . ................................................... 4,212 2,739 0.65

Computers . . . ................................................. 3,865 (B) (B)

Engineering.................................................... 3,665 (B) (B)

Liberal arts . ................................................... 3,393 2,800 0.83

Social science, law ............................................. 3,550 (B) (B)

Science, medicine .............................................. 3,074 2,966 0.96

Education . . ................................................... (B) (B) (B)

Vocational . ................................................... 3,194 (B) (B)

Other ......................................................... 3,670 2,442 0.67

Bachelor’s degree. . . .......................................... 4,812 3,527 0.73

Business . . . ................................................... 5,287 3,816 0.72

Computers . . . ................................................. 4,917 (B) (B)

Engineering.................................................... 5,491 4,060 0.74

Liberal arts . ................................................... 3,852 3,064 0.80

Social science, law ............................................. 4,224 3,180 0.75

Science, medicine .............................................. 4,030 3,420 0.85

Education . . ................................................... 4,030 3,185 0.79

Other ......................................................... 4,514 3,862 0.86

Advanced degree1

............................................. 6,828 4,537 0.66

Business . . . ................................................... 7,421 5,174 0.70

Computers . . . ................................................. 6,488 (B) (B)

Engineering.................................................... 7,171 (B) (B)

Liberal arts . ................................................... 6,055 3,595 0.59

Social science, law ............................................. 7,473 5,384 0.72

Science, medicine .............................................. 7,539 5,230 0.69

Education . . ................................................... 5,051 3,905 0.77

Other ......................................................... 5,885 4,155 0.71

(B) Base for the derived figure is less than 200,000.

1 Advanced degrees include master’s, professional, and doctorate degrees.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2001 Panel.

17 For a description of GED history and

trends and a general evaluation of the GED

program, see: David Boesel, Nabeel Alsalam,

and Thomas M. Smith, “Educational and Labor

Market Performance of GED Recipients,”

National Library of Education, U.S.

Department of Education, February 1998.
school certification by means of a

GED exam. As shown in Table H,

GED recipients were less likely to

go on to higher education than

those who earned a regular diploma. For most GED recipients, high

school certification represented the

highest level of school they completed, while 30 percent completed

at least some postsecondary education, and 12 percent earned a

bachelor’s degree or higher. 

GED holders were generally older

than high school diploma holders

(a greater portion were 50 or older

and a smaller portion were 18 to

29). While the GED exam has

grown more popular in recent

years, and the relative number of

young people earning a GED has

increased, on average, GED holders

remained older than high school

diploma holders.18

GED holders earned less than people who graduated from high

school through traditional means.

The earnings gap is evident across

all sex, age, and race and Hispanicorigin groups examined here

except for Blacks. Earnings differed by age: people 18 to 29

years old with a GED earned

around $500 per month less than

people with a regular high school

diploma. In the 30- to 49-year-old

group, the difference was $700.

One factor in these earnings differences was subsequent education.

Comparing GED holders and diploma holders who completed no further education beyond high school

reveals a smaller earnings gap than

the overall gap. Some of the difference between a high school

diploma and a GED results because

diploma holders were more likely

to pursue higher education. 

TIME SPENT COMPLETING

DEGREES

On average, people who pursued

higher degrees spent more than

the minimum number of years to

complete a degree or certificate.

For example, people averaged

more than 2 years to complete

vocational programs that were

designed to take 1 year or less

(Table I). Similarly, people who

earned associate’s degrees, which

generally require a 2-year course

of study, took an average of over 4

years to complete them. Bachelor’s

and higher degrees took an average of 5 or more years to complete. One reason may be that

people pursued their studies parttime or intermittently. Some

people drop out of school and

return a number of years later.

Others take courses part-time

while working or change majors.

People who completed a bachelor’s

or higher degree tended to start

their postsecondary education

almost immediately after high

school (an average delay of around

1 year). People earning associate’s

degrees or vocational certificates

on average started their postsecondary education a little later (an

average delay of 3 years or more).

Many students may have used

these degrees to switch careers or

to improve skills.

Women took an average of 3.3

years longer than men to complete

U.S. Census Bureau 11

Figure 4.

Relative Earnings and Percentage of Bachelor's 

Degree Holders Who Are Women by 

Field of Training: 2001

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2001 Panel.

(Based on women and men whose highest degree is bachelor's degree, 

18 and older, with earnings, employed full-time for previous 4 months)

Other

Education

Science

Social science

Liberal arts

Engineering

Business

Other

Education

Science

Social science

Liberal arts

Engineering

Business

38.7

0.72

0.85

0.80

0.75

0.85

0.79

0.86

31.7

15.3

48.2

51.8

47.6

69.6

Female-to-male earnings ratio

Percent female in field of training

18 See GED Testing Service, “Who took the

GED? GED 2001 statistical report,”

Washington, DC: American Council on

Education, 2002.
12 U.S. Census Bureau

Table H.

Pathways to High School Completion and Characteristics of GED and High School Diploma

Holders: 2001

(Population 18 and older. Numbers in thousands, earnings in dollars)

Characteristic

GED holders1 High school diploma holders

Number Percent

Monthly

earnings2 Number Percent

Monthly

earnings2

Total. . . .............................. 19,274 100.0 2,842 154,385 100.0 3,529

Highest Degree Level

High school graduate ...................... 11,263 58.4 2,387 53,163 34.4 2,560

Some postsecondary education ............. 5,722 29.7 2,871 54,976 35.6 3,087

Bachelor’s degree or higher ................ 2,289 11.9 4,459 46,246 30.0 4,852

Sex

Men . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,621 49.9 3,144 73,526 47.6 4,016

Women . ................................. 9,653 50.1 2,419 80,859 52.4 2,861

Race and Hispanic Origin

White .................................... 15,627 81.1 2,886 130,529 84.5 3,627

White, non-Hispanic ..................... 13,919 72.2 2,988 120,152 77.8 3,718

Black . . . ................................. 2,576 13.4 2,438 15,818 10.2 2,691

Hispanic (any race). ....................... 1,892 9.8 2,192 11,507 7.5 2,688

Age

18 to 29 years ............................ 3,902 20.2 2,037 33,805 21.9 2,507

30 to 49 years ............................ 8,252 42.8 2,986 67,019 43.4 3,726

50 years and older ........................ 7,119 36.9 3,126 53,561 34.7 3,911

1 People who have received a GED are considered high school graduates.

2 Earnings are for population 18 and older with earnings, employed full-time for previous 4 months.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2001 Panel.

Table I.

Average Number of Years to Start and Complete Postsecondary Certification and Degrees:

2001

(Population 18 and older)

Characteristic

Vocational Associate’s Bachelor’s Master’s Professional Doctorate

Years to

start of

program

Years to

complete

program

Years to

start of

program

Years to

complete

program

Years to

start of

program

Years to

complete

program

Years to

complete

program

Years to

complete

program

Years to

complete

program

Total . . .................... 3.5 2.6 3.3 4.6 0.9 5.6 7.1 5.6 9.3

Sex

Men . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Women ........................

3.6

3.5

2.6

2.7

3.2

3.3

4.6

4.6

0.9

0.9

5.4

5.7

6.8

7.5

5.9

5.0

8.3

11.6

Race and Hispanic Origin

White. .........................

White, non-Hispanic...........

Black . . . .......................

Hispanic (any race) . ............

3.5

3.5

3.3

3.6

2.6

2.6

2.8

2.4

3.2

3.2

4.2

3.1

4.6

4.7

4.3

4.2

0.9

0.9

1.7

1.2

5.6

5.6

5.9

5.5

7.2

7.3

8.2

5.9

5.5

5.6

(B)

(B)

9.3

9.3

(B)

(B)

(B) Base for the derived figure is less than 200,000.

Note: Average number of years to start of program measured from high school completion. Completion measured from first enrollment in

postsecondary education or, in the case of advanced degrees, from completion of bachelor’s degree.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2001 Panel.
a doctorate degree and about the

same length of time to complete a

vocational certificate, associate’s,

bachelor’s, master’s, or professional

degree.19 No statistical differences

existed by race and Hispanic origin

in time to complete bachelor’s

degrees.

AGE AND EDUCATION

TRENDS

In 2001, twice as many people 25

to 34 years old had bachelor’s

degrees as those 65 and older

(Table J). The population 65 and

older would have been teenagers

and young adults in the 1930s

through the 1950s. During those

decades, high school education

was not as common as it is today

and college education was relatively rare. For example, in 1940, 25

percent of the population 25 and

older had completed 4 years of

high school or more education.20

Women’s educational attainment relative to men has also increased. In

2001, men held a higher percentage of bachelor’s or higher degrees

among those 55 and older, while

women had a higher percentage

among those 25 to 34 years old. An

opposite trend is apparent in associate’s degrees and vocational certificates: women held 63 percent of

these degrees among those 65 and

older and 56 percent among those

25 to 34 years old.

In the 25-to-34 age group, 25 percent of bachelor’s degree holders

had majored in business, compared

with 20 percent of those in the 65-

and-older age group. The rise in

bachelor’s degrees in business was wave (interview) of the 2001 SIPP.

accompanied by a decline in bache- The data presented in this report

lor’s degrees in education for these reflect the experiences of respontwo age groups. At the associate’s dents during the 4 months precedand vocational levels, business ing the interview. Since the interdegrees declined as a share of all views are spread out over 4

degrees and certificates, with most months (June through September),

of the offsetting growth occurring the actual months represented by

in liberal arts, engineering, and the data vary from February to

computer-related credentials. This August 2001. 

shift from business to engineering

and computer-related degrees For the 2001 SIPP Panel, approxiacross age groups occurred as the mately 50,500 housing units were

proportion of men among the in sample for Wave 1. Of the

youngest holders of associate’s 40,500 eligible units, 35,100 were

degrees and vocational certificates interviewed. In Wave 2, a 

was increasing. 13-percent sample cut was implemented. In the second wave, about Among those whose highest 28,100 interviews were obtained degree was a bachelor’s degree, from the 30,500 eligible units. The 83 percent of the 25-to-34 age institutionalized population, which group started college the same is excluded from the population year they completed high school, universe, is composed primarily of compared with 64 percent of the the population in correctional insti- 65-and-older age group. It is not tutions and nursing homes (91 per- clear whether the younger group cent of the 4.1 million institutional- was more likely than the older ized population in Census 2000). group to finish within 5 years,

since many members of the Although the main focus of the

younger age group had probably SIPP is information on labor force

not yet completed their school- participation, jobs, income, and

ing—particularly those who participation in federal assistance

delayed their postsecondary educa- programs, information on other

tion or who were taking extra topics is also collected in topical

years to complete their degrees. modules on a rotation basis. The

The longer delays in completing Education and Training History topeducation among the older group ical module includes questions on

may relate to wartime interrup- degrees earned, the year in which

tions of schooling. they were received, and the major

field of training. Questions about

SOURCE OF THE DATA the type of high school attended,

high school course work, and adult The population represented (the work training were not analyzed in population universe) in the 2001 this report. Degree status has Survey of Income and Program been defined in this report to Participation (SIPP) is the civilian include mutually exclusive cate- noninstitutionalized population liv- gories. Those without postsec- ing in the United States. The SIPP ondary degrees fall into three cateis a longitudinal survey conducted gories: people who have not

at 4-month intervals. The data in completed high school, those comthis report are from the Education pleting high school only (high

and Training topical module col- school diploma or equivalent,

lected from June through including GED), and people who

September 2001 in the second have attended postsecondary

U.S. Census Bureau 13

19 The estimates for master’s and professional degrees by sex are based on smaller

samples and the apparent differences are not

statistically significant. 20 U.S. Census Bureau, “Table A-2. Percent

of People 25 Years and Over Who Have

Completed High School or College, by Race,

Hispanic Origin and Sex: Selected Years 1940

to 2003,” Internet release date June 29, 2004,

<www.census.gov/population

/socdemo/education/tabA-2.pdf>. 
school but did not receive a of degrees was not examined. when they have an estimated base

degree. Higher degree levels were Whether one degree actually of at least 200,000 people.

determined by the highest degree represents more education than Average monthly earnings are received: diplomas or certificates another degree is not at issue. computed as the total of all earn- from a vocational, technical, trade, While data may show the highest ings over the 4-month period, or business school beyond the value on some scale (for example, divided by the number of months high school level; associate’s income) for one degree, the same in which earnings were received. degrees; bachelor’s degrees (for degree could result in less than Earnings refer to wages and/or example, B.A., A.B., B.S.); master’s the highest score on another scale salary from one or more jobs degrees (for example, M.A., M.S., (for example, years to complete

M.Eng., M.Ed., M.S.W., M.B.A.); pro- (including self-employment). the degree).

Average monthly earnings are fessional degrees (for example,

M.D., D.D.S., D.V.M., L.L.B., J.D.); Because the SIPP is a sample survey, calculated this way because some

there are not always enough sample jobs are seasonal or may not pay and doctorate degrees (for example, Ph.D., Ed.D.). Individuals were cases to provide statistically reliable on a regular monthly basis, or

estimates of every field and degree asked to identify their highest because people may have only

combination. Cells show estimated degree, and their implicit ordering recently begun or ended a job. 

earnings and other characteristics

14 U.S. Census Bureau

Table J.

Educational Characteristics by Age: 2001

(Population 25 and older. Numbers in thousands)

Sex, field, and education

timing

Less than high school graduate, high

school graduate, or some college Associate’s degree or vocational certificate

Total

Age

Total

Age

25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 65+ 25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 65+

Total. . . ..................

Percent of age group at this

education level...............

PERCENT OF TOTAL

Sex

Men . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Women . .....................

Field of Training

Business . . . ..................

Engineering, computers ........

Liberal arts . ..................

Social science, law ............

Science, medicine .............

Education . . ..................

Vocational studies .............

Other ........................

Start of Postsecondary

Education After High

School

Same year . ..................

Next 2 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

More than 2 years .............

Completion of Postsecondary

Education

In scheduled time or less1 ......

Longer than1

..................

Continuously enrolled

Continuously enrolled ..........

114,706

63.5

46.9

53.1

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

22,962

59.3

52.2

47.8

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

26,524

59.7

50.1

49.9

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

22,813

58.6

47.6

52.4

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

16,600

66.3

45.8

54.2

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

25,807

76.8

39.1

60.9

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

(X)

19,550

10.8

43.3

56.7

22.1

9.7

5.9

2.5

19.3

2.8

15.3

22.4

47.9

20.7

31.4

68.7

31.3

(X)

4,447

11.5

43.7

56.3

19.0

10.1

9.1

2.5

18.3

3.6

13.8

23.6

52.7

24.7

22.6

67.4

32.6

(X)

5,633

12.7

43.7

56.3

19.4

11.2

4.9

2.7

19.7

2.4

17.3

22.4

47.2

21.3

31.5

68.5

31.5

(X)

4,862

12.5

46.1

53.9

20.6

10.4

5.8

3.1

18.3

1.4

16.1

24.2

46.8

16.9

36.3

66.4

33.6

(X)

2,397

9.6

41.8

58.2

25.5

6.8

5.5

2.3

20.0

3.5

13.9

22.7

46.4

17.6

36.0

67.3

32.7

(X)

2,211

6.6

36.9

63.1

35.1

6.3

3.1

1.2

21.5

4.7

12.5

15.7

44.4

22.6

33.0

78.8

21.2

(X)

See footnotes at end of table.
ACCURACY OF THE DATA Nonsampling errors in surveys may veys, the wording of questions, the

be attributed to a variety of review of the work of interviewers Statistics from surveys are subject sources, such as how the survey is and coders, and the statistical to sampling and nonsampling designed, how respondents inter- review of reports to minimize error. All comparisons presented in pret questions, how able and will- these errors. this report have taken sampling

ing respondents are to provide cor- error into account and are statisti- The SIPP weighting procedure uses rect answers, and how accurately cally significant at the 90-percent ratio estimation, whereby sample

confidence level unless otherwise the answers are coded and classi- estimates are adjusted to indenoted. This means the 90-percent fied. The U.S. Census Bureau pendent estimates of the national

confidence interval for the differ- employs quality control procedures population by age, race, sex, and

ence between the estimates being throughout the production process, Hispanic origin. This weighting

compared does not include zero. including the overall design of sur- partially corrects for bias due to

U.S. Census Bureau 15

Table J.

Educational Characteristics by Age: 2001—Con.

(Population 25 and older. Numbers in thousands)

Sex, field, and education

timing

Bachelor’s degree Advanced degree

Total

Age

Total

Age

25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 65+ 25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 65+

Total . . ..................

Percent of age group at this

education level ..............

PERCENT OF TOTAL

Sex

Men . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Women . .....................

Field of Training

Business . . ..................

Engineering, computers . . . ....

Liberal arts . ..................

Social science, law ...........

Science, medicine ............

Education . . ..................

Vocational studies . . . .........

Other ........................

Start of Postsecondary

Education After High

School

Same year . ..................

Next 2 years .................

More than 2 years ............

Completion of Postsecondary

Education

In scheduled time or less1 .....

Longer than1 .................

Continuously enrolled

Continuously enrolled .........

30,403

16.8

49.9

50.1

25.2

12.6

13.5

8.6

11.1

12.7

(X)

16.5

76.3

13.4

10.4

71.8

28.2

75.0

8,391

21.7

47.0

53.0

25.4

12.3

13.6

10.2

11.1

9.7

(X)

17.7

83.3

12.1

4.6

76.2

23.8

80.3

8,228

18.5

48.7

51.3

30.5

14.7

10.8

7.6

10.9

9.1

(X)

16.4

74.8

14.6

10.6

71.4

28.6

75.8

6,842

17.6

51.1

48.9

21.9

10.9

14.1

9.2

11.6

15.7

(X)

16.7

76.8

12.5

10.7

68.1

31.9

69.1

3,468

13.9

53.2

46.8

23.4

11.4

14.7

7.6

10.7

17.6

(X)

14.6

74.2

11.5

14.3

70.4

29.6

73.7

3,473

10.3

54.5

45.5

20.1

12.5

16.8

6.9

10.7

17.6

(X)

15.5

63.8

16.8

19.4

71.3

28.7

73.0

16,035

8.9

54.3

45.7

13.7

9.8

7.3

16.0

15.2

22.7

(X)

15.2

81.0

10.9

8.1

55.0

45.0

80.7

2,896

7.5

47.1

52.9

16.8

13.3

6.1

17.1

16.5

16.7

(X)

13.5

87.3

9.7

3.0

76.3

23.7

89.1

4,036

9.1

51.4

48.6

18.8

11.7

6.6

16.1

16.2

14.4

(X)

16.2

85.2

8.7

6.1

53.7

46.3

83.7

4,410

11.3

54.8

45.2

12.5

7.7

6.9

15.7

15.2

26.9

(X)

15.2

81.4

10.4

8.2

50.5

49.5

78.1

2,559

10.2

59.2

40.8

11.4

9.1

8.0

14.6

13.2

28.1

(X)

15.5

79.0

11.1

9.9

47.0

53.0

77.8

2,134

6.4

62.7

37.3

5.3

6.4

10.5

16.7

14.2

31.8

(X)

15.1

66.5

16.9

16.6

47.0

53.0

72.3

(X) Not applicable—category not in questionnaire for given education level.

1 ‘‘In scheduled time or less’’ refers to those who completed associate’s degree or vocational certificate training no more than 3 years

after entering postsecondary education or who completed bachelor’s degree training no more than 5 years after entering postsecondary

education or completed their advanced degree no more than 5 years after receiving their bachelor’s degree. ‘‘Longer than’’ refers to those

who did not complete their training within this time.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2001 Panel.
undercoverage, but biases may still MORE INFORMATION CONTACTS

be present when people who are A detailed set of tables has been Information and Research Services missed by the survey differ from prepared showing income, earn- Branch those interviewed in ways other ings, occupation, and time to Population Division than age, race, sex, and Hispanic degree by highest degree, field of pop@census.gov origin. How this weighting proce- training, and various social and 301-763-2422 dure affects other variables in the demographic characteristics. The survey is not precisely known. All Camille L. Ryan table package is available on the of these considerations affect com- Education and Social Stratification Internet at <www.census.gov>; in parisons across different surveys Branch the “Subjects A-Z” area, click on or data sources. Population Division “E;” under “Education,” click on

camille.l.ryan@census.gov For further information on statisti- “General Information” and then on

301-763-2464 cal standards and the computation “Field of Training.” Alternatively,

and use of standard errors, go to go directly to the site: USER COMMENTS <www.sipp.census.gov/sipp <www.census.gov/population

/sourceac/S&A2_SIPP2001_w1tow9 /www/socdemo/fld-of-trn.html>. The Census Bureau welcomes the

_20050214.pdf> or contact David comments and advice of users of See also these SIPP Web sites for Hall of the Census Bureau’s our data products and reports. If additional information: Demographic Statistical Methods you have any suggestions or comDivision via e-mail at SIPP Home Page: ments, please write to: 

<david.warren.hall@census.gov>. www.sipp.census.gov/sipp Chief, Population Division

SIPP Quality Profile: U.S. Census Bureau

www.sipp.census.gov/sipp Washington, DC 20233

/workpapr/wp230.pdf or send e-mail to:

SIPP User’s Guide: <pop@census.gov>.

www.sipp.census.gov/sipp

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