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Technical information: (202) 691-6378

 http://www.bls.gov/cps/

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 05-487

For release: 10:00 A.M. EST

Friday, March 25, 2005

COLLEGE ENROLLMENT AND WORK ACTIVITY OF 2004 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES

In October 2004, 66.7 percent of high school graduates from the class of 2004 were enrolled in colleges

or universities, according to data released today by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. The college enrollment rate for recent high school graduates was almost 3 percentage points higher than

a year earlier and approached the historical high for the series (67.0 percent in 1997).

Information on school enrollment and work activity is collected monthly in the Current Population Survey

(CPS). Each October, a supplement to the basic CPS gathers more detailed information on full-time and

part-time enrollment status, level of education, and enrollment status a year earlier. The CPS is a monthly

nationwide survey of about 60,000 households that obtains information on employment, unemployment,

earnings, demographics, and other characteristics of the civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and over.

Additional information about the October supplement is included in the Technical Note.

Recent High School Graduates and Dropouts

Of the 2.8 million youth who graduated from high school between October 2003 and October 2004, 1.8

million (66.7 percent) were attending college in October 2004. (See table 1.) The enrollment rate of young

women, 71.6 percent, continued to exceed that of young men, 61.4 percent. Asian high school graduates

(76.0 percent) were more likely than white graduates (68.4 percent) to be enrolled in college. Black and

Hispanic or Latino graduates were about equally likely to be college students in the fall—61.1 and 61.9

percent, respectively.

Among recent high school graduates enrolled in college, 93.2 percent were full-time students. Of these

full-time students, 42.1 percent were employed or looking for work in October 2004. In contrast, 82.4

percent of part-time college students participated in the labor force.

Two-thirds of the 2004 high school graduates enrolled in college attended 4-year institutions. The labor

force participation rate for these students was 36.5 percent, and their unemployment rate was 11.8 percent.

In contrast, 61.1 percent of the recent high school graduates enrolled in 2-year institutions were in the labor

force, and their unemployment rate was 15.0 percent. (See table 1.)

Recent high school graduates who were not enrolled in college in the fall of 2004 were more likely than

enrolled graduates to participate in the labor force (77.5 versus 44.8 percent). The unemployment rate for

those not enrolled in college was 20.0 percent in October 2004.

Between October 2003 and October 2004, about 500,000 young people dropped out of high school.

The labor force participation rate for these dropouts (53.7 percent) was considerably lower than the
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participation rate for recent high school graduates who had not enrolled in college (77.5 percent). Among

recent high school dropouts, men were more likely than women to be participating in the labor force in

October 2004 (59.9 versus 45.9 percent). The unemployment rate for high school dropouts was 39.9 percent in October 2004, nearly twice the unemployment rate of high school graduates who had not enrolled in

college (20.0 percent).

Youth Enrolled in School

In October 2004, 20.2 million 16- to 24-year olds were either enrolled in high school (9.4 million) or

college (10.8 million). Among high school students, 31.8 percent were engaged in some form of labor force

activity in October. The labor force participation rate for high school students hovered around 40 percent

throughout the 1990s but has fallen in recent years. Among college students who were enrolled full time,

53.7 percent participated in the labor force. In contrast, 87.0 percent of part-time college students participated in the labor force. (See table 2.)

Overall, the unemployment rate for high school students (16.5 percent) was higher than for college

students (8.2 percent). Unemployment rates for black (33.3 percent) and Hispanic or Latino (24.4 percent)

high school students continued to be higher than for whites (14.3 percent). Among college students, blacks

and Asians had the highest unemployment rates (15.3 and 12.8 percent, respectively), while Hispanic or

Latino and white college students had similar rates (7.6 and 7.1 percent, respectively).

Out-of-School Youth

Of the 16.3 million 16- to 24-year olds not enrolled in school in October 2004, 80.8 percent were in

the labor force. Among youth not in school, men were more likely than women to be in the labor force.

The difference was greatest among those with less than a high school diploma and diminished with more

education. (See table 2.)

Unemployment rates for youth not in school were lower among those with higher education levels. The

unemployment rates for youth who had college degrees were 5.0 percent for men and 5.6 percent for

women. In contrast, youth not enrolled in school with less than a high school diploma had unemployment

rates of 20.0 percent for men and 23.6 percent for women.
Technical Note

The estimates in this release were obtained from a

supplement to the October 2004 Current Population Survey

(CPS), a monthly survey of about 60,000 households which

provides information on the labor force, employment, and

unemployment for the nation. The survey is conducted

monthly for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census

Bureau. Data relate to the school enrollment status of persons

16 to 24 years of age in the civilian noninstitutional population

in the calendar week that includes the 12th of the month. Data

reflect revised population controls for the Current Population

Survey introduced in January 2004.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory

impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200;

TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339.

Reliability of the estimates

Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and

nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than the entire

population, is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample

estimates may differ from the “true” population values they

represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies

depending on the particular sample selected, and this variability

is measured by the standard error of the estimate. There is

about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that an

estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6

standard errors from the “true” population value because of

sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 90-

percent level of confidence.

The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error.

Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the

failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain

information for all respondents in the sample, inability or

unwillingness of respondents to provide correct information,

and errors made in the collection or processing of the data.

For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS

and information on estimating standard errors, see the

“Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error” section of

Employment and Earnings.

Concepts

The principal concepts used in connection with the school

enrollment series are described briefly below.

School enrollment. Respondents were asked whether they

were currently enrolled in a regular school, including day or

night school in any type of public, parochial, or other private

school. Regular schooling is that which may advance a person

toward a high school diploma or a college, university, or

professional degree. Such schools include elementary schools,

junior or senior high schools, and colleges and universities.

Other schooling, including trade schools; on-the-job training;

and courses that do not require physical presence in school,

such as correspondence courses or other courses of

independent study, is included only if the credits granted count

toward promotion in regular school.

Full-time and part-time enrollment in college. College

students are classified as attending full time if they were taking

12 hours of classes or more (or 9 hours of graduate classes)

during an average school week and as part time if they were

taking fewer hours.

High school graduation status. Persons who were not

enrolled in school at the time of the survey were asked whether

they had graduated from high school. Those who

had graduated were asked when they completed their high

school education. Persons who had not graduated, that

is, school dropouts, were asked when they last attended

a regular school. Those who were enrolled in college at the

time of the survey also were asked when they graduated from

high school.
Table 1. Labor force status of 2004 high school graduates and 2003-04 high school dropouts 16 to 24 years old 

by school enrollment, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, October 2004

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

Civilian labor force

Not in

labor

Total force Percent of

population

Employed Unemployed

Total Percent of

population Number Rate

Total, 2004 high school graduates 1 ........... 2,752 1,533 55.7 1,282 46.6 251 16.4 1,219

 Men ........................................................... 1,327 764 57.6 645 48.6 119 15.6 562

 Women ..................................................... 1,425 768 53.9 636 44.6 132 17.2 657

 White ........................................................ 2,111 1,211 57.4 1,037 49.1 174 14.4 900

 Black or African American ........................ 416 204 48.9 152 36.6 51 25.1 213

 Asian ......................................................... 121 57 46.7 46 38.0 10 2 ( ) 65

 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ....................... 286 153 53.5 129 45.3 23 15.3 133

 Enrolled in college .................................... 1,835 821 44.8 712 38.8 109 13.3 1,013

 Enrolled in 2-year college ....................... 618 378 61.1 321 51.9 57 15.0 240

 Enrolled in 4-year college ....................... 1,217 444 36.5 392 32.2 52 11.8 773

 Full-time students ................................... 1,711 720 42.1 624 36.5 95 13.3 991

 Part-time students .................................. 124 102 82.4 88 71.3 14 13.5 22

 Men ......................................................... 815 347 42.6 293 35.9 54 15.6 468

 Women ................................................... 1,020 475 46.6 420 41.1 55 11.6 545

 White ...................................................... 1,444 685 47.5 602 41.7 84 12.2 759

 Black or African American ...................... 254 91 35.9 72 28.2 19 21.3 163

 Asian ....................................................... 92 33 35.4 27 29.7 5 2 ( ) 60

 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ..................... 177 74 42.0 67 37.8 7 2 ( ) 103

 Not enrolled in college .............................. 918 711 77.5 569 62.1 142 20.0 206

 Men ......................................................... 512 418 81.6 353 68.9 65 15.6 94

 Women ................................................... 406 294 72.4 217 53.5 77 26.2 112

 White ...................................................... 667 526 78.8 435 65.2 91 17.3 141

 Black or African American ...................... 162 112 69.4 81 49.8 32 28.2 49

 Asian ....................................................... 29 24 2 ( ) 19 2 () 5 2 () 5

 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ..................... 109 79 72.1 63 57.3 16 20.4 31

Total, 2003-04 high school dropouts 3 ....... 496 267 53.7 160 32.3 106 39.9 229

 Men ........................................................... 278 166 59.9 99 35.6 67 40.4 112

 Women ..................................................... 218 100 45.9 61 28.1 39 38.9 118

 White ........................................................ 370 196 53.0 140 37.7 56 28.8 174

 Black or African American ........................ 91 50 54.4 11 12.3 39 2 ( ) 42

 Asian ......................................................... 2 2 2 () 2 2 () – – –

 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ....................... 154 87 56.8 61 39.3 27 30.7 67

1 Data refer to persons who graduated from high school between October

2003 and October 2004.

2 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000. 3 Data refer to persons who dropped out of school between October 2003

and October 2004.

 NOTE: Detail for the above race groups (white, black or African American,

and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. 

In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be

of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race. 

Because of rounding, sums of individual items may not equal totals. Dash

represents or rounds to zero. Data reflect revised population controls for the

Current Population Survey introduced in January 2004.
Table 2. Labor force status of persons 16 to 24 years old by school enrollment, educational attainment, sex, race,

and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, October 2004

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

Civilian labor force

Not in

labor

Total force Percent of

population

Employed Unemployed

Total Percent of

population Number Rate

 Total, 16 to 24 years ............................... 36,504 22,484 61.6 19,847 54.4 2,637 11.7 14,020

Enrolled in school ....................................... 20,173 9,293 46.1 8,283 41.1 1,010 10.9 10,880

 Enrolled in high school 1 ........................... 9,372 2,982 31.8 2,490 26.6 493 16.5 6,389

 Men ......................................................... 4,913 1,545 31.5 1,258 25.6 287 18.6 3,367

 Women ................................................... 4,459 1,437 32.2 1,231 27.6 205 14.3 3,022

 White ...................................................... 7,138 2,503 35.1 2,146 30.1 357 14.3 4,635

 Black or African American ...................... 1,522 319 20.9 213 14.0 106 33.3 1,204

 Asian ....................................................... 358 52 14.4 43 11.9 9 2 ( ) 306

 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ..................... 1,515 390 25.7 295 19.4 95 24.4 1,125

 Enrolled in college .................................... 10,801 6,311 58.4 5,794 53.6 517 8.2 4,490

 Enrolled in 2-year college ....................... 2,684 1,867 69.5 1,673 62.3 193 10.4 818

 Enrolled in 4-year college ....................... 8,117 4,444 54.8 4,120 50.8 324 7.3 3,672

 Full-time students ................................... 9,256 4,967 53.7 4,534 49.0 433 8.7 4,289

 Part-time students .................................. 1,545 1,344 87.0 1,260 81.5 84 6.3 201

 Men ......................................................... 4,934 2,751 55.8 2,503 50.7 248 9.0 2,183

 Women ................................................... 5,867 3,560 60.7 3,291 56.1 269 7.6 2,307

 White ...................................................... 8,486 5,130 60.5 4,767 56.2 364 7.1 3,355

 Black or African American ...................... 1,276 678 53.1 574 45.0 104 15.3 598

 Asian ....................................................... 712 302 42.4 263 37.0 39 12.8 410

 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ..................... 1,245 758 60.9 700 56.2 58 7.6 487

Not enrolled in school ................................. 16,331 13,191 80.8 11,564 70.8 1,627 12.3 3,140

 16 to 19 years ........................................... 3,210 2,322 72.4 1,858 57.9 464 20.0 887

 20 to 24 years ........................................... 13,121 10,868 82.8 9,705 74.0 1,163 10.7 2,253

 Men ........................................................... 8,560 7,485 87.4 6,578 76.9 907 12.1 1,075

 Less than a high school diploma ............ 2,140 1,668 77.9 1,334 62.3 334 20.0 472

 High school graduates, no college 3 ....... 3,978 3,540 89.0 3,110 78.2 429 12.1 438

 Some college or associate degree ......... 1,658 1,532 92.4 1,425 86.0 106 6.9 126

 Bachelor’s degree and higher ................. 784 746 95.1 708 90.4 37 5.0 38

 Women ..................................................... 7,771 5,706 73.4 4,986 64.2 720 12.6 2,066

 Less than a high school diploma ............ 1,626 867 53.3 662 40.7 205 23.6 759

 High school graduates, no college 3 ....... 3,265 2,384 73.0 2,050 62.8 334 14.0 881

 Some college or associate degree ......... 1,799 1,478 82.2 1,352 75.2 126 8.5 321

 Bachelor’s degree and higher ................. 1,081 976 90.3 921 85.2 55 5.6 105

 White ........................................................ 12,842 10,486 81.7 9,441 73.5 1,045 10.0 2,356

 Black or African American ........................ 2,466 1,924 78.0 1,484 60.2 440 22.9 542

 Asian ......................................................... 425 333 78.4 296 69.7 37 11.1 92

 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ....................... 3,541 2,737 77.3 2,429 68.6 308 11.2 804

1 Includes a small number of persons enrolled in grades below high

school.

2 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000. 3 Includes high school diploma or equivalent.

 NOTE: Detail for the above race groups (white, black or African American,

and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. 

In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be

of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race. 

Because of rounding, sums of individual items may not equal totals. Data

reflect revised population controls for the Current Population Survey

introduced in January 2004.