For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Friday, April 8, 2011 USDL-11-0462 

Technical information: (202) 691-6378 • cpsinfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/cps 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov 

COLLEGE ENROLLMENT AND WORK ACTIVITY OF

2010 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES

In October 2010, 68.1 percent of 2010 high school graduates were enrolled in colleges or universities, 

the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Recent high school graduates not enrolled in college 

in October 2010 were more likely than enrolled graduates to be working or looking for work (76.6 percent compared with 40.0 percent). 

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

Survey (CPS), a nationwide survey of about 60,000 households that provides information on employment and unemployment. Each October, a supplement to the CPS gathers more detailed information 

about school enrollment, such as full- and part-time enrollment status. Additional information about the 

October supplement is included in the Technical Note. 

Recent High School Graduates and Dropouts 

Of the 3.2 million youth age 16 to 24 who graduated from high school between January and October 

2010, about 2.2 million (68.1 percent) were enrolled in college in October 2010. The college enrollment 

rate of recent high school graduates was slightly lower than the record high set in October 2009 (70.1 

percent). For 2010 graduates, the college enrollment rate was 74.0 percent for young women and 62.8 

percent for young men. The college enrollment rate of Asians (84.0 percent) was higher than for recent 

white (68.6 percent), black (61.4 percent), and Hispanic (59.6 percent) graduates. (See table 1.) 

The labor force participation rate (the proportion of the population working or looking for work) for 

recent high school graduates enrolled in college was 40.0 percent. The participation rates for male and 

female graduates enrolled in college were about the same (41.1 and 38.9 percent, respectively). 

Among recent high school graduates enrolled in college in October 2010, 90.4 percent were full-time 

students. Recent graduates enrolled as full-time students were about half as likely to be in the labor force 

(36.7 percent) as were their peers enrolled part time (71.3 percent). 

About 6 in 10 recent high school graduates who were enrolled in college attended 4-year institutions. Of 

these students, 32.0 percent participated in the labor force, compared with 52.4 percent of recent graduates enrolled in 2-year colleges. 

Recent high school graduates not enrolled in college in the fall of 2010 were more likely than enrolled 

graduates to be in the labor force (76.6 percent compared with 40.0 percent). The unemployment rate for 
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recent high school graduates not enrolled in school was 33.4 percent, compared with 22.8 percent for 

recent graduates enrolled in college. 

Between October 2009 and October 2010, 340,000 young people dropped out of high school. The labor 

force participation rate for recent dropouts (53.9 percent) was lower than for recent high school graduates not enrolled in college (76.6 percent). The jobless rate for recent high school dropouts was 42.7 percent, compared with 33.4 percent for recent high school graduates not enrolled in college. 

All Youth Enrolled in High School or College 

In October 2010, 58.0 percent of the nation's 16- to -24 year olds, or 22.0 million young people, either 

were enrolled in high school (9.6 million) or in college (12.4 million). The labor force participation rate 

(38.6 percent) and unemployment rate (16.8 percent) of youth enrolled in school were essentially 

unchanged from October 2009 to October 2010. (See table 2.) 

In October 2010, college students continued to be more likely to participate in the labor force than high 

school students (51.3 percent compared with 22.1 percent). About 85 percent of college students were 

enrolled full time. Those attending college full time had a much lower labor force participation rate than 

did part-time students. Asian college students were less likely to participate in the labor force than black, 

white, or Hispanic college students. Female college students were more likely to be in the labor force 

(53.5 percent) than their male counterparts (48.8 percent). Female high school students were also 

somewhat more likely to be in the labor force (24.2 percent) than were males (20.1 percent). 

The unemployment rate for high school students, at 28.8 percent in October 2010, was more than twice 

the rate for college students (12.8 percent). Unemployment rates for black (49.3 percent) and Hispanic 

(32.7 percent) high school students continued to be higher than for white students (24.8 percent). 

All Youth Not Enrolled in School 

In October 2010, 15.9 million persons age 16 to 24 were not enrolled in school. The labor force participation rate of youth not enrolled in school was little changed from a year earlier at 79.4 percent in 

October 2010. Among youth not enrolled in school in October 2010, men continued to be more likely 

than women to participate in the labor force—83.7 percent compared with 74.8 percent. Labor force 

participation rates for not-enrolled men and women were highest for college graduates and lowest for 

those with less than a high school diploma. (See table 2.) 

The unemployment rate for youths age 16 to 24 not enrolled in school fell from 20.3 percent in October 

2009 to 18.7 percent in October 2010. Among the educational attainment categories, unemployment 

rates for youth not in school in October 2010 were highest for those without a high school diploma—

27.7 percent for young men and 31.4 percent for young women. In contrast, the jobless rates for young 

male and female college graduates were 9.9 percent and 9.3 percent, respectively. Black youth not 

enrolled in school had an unemployment rate of 30.0 percent in October 2010, higher than the rates for 

their white (16.2 percent), Asian (20.8 percent), and Hispanic (20.8 percent) counterparts. 
Technical Note 

The estimates in this release were obtained from a 

supplement to the October 2010 Current Population Survey 

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

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 in this release 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 October. Updated population controls for the 

Current Population Survey are introduced annually with the 

release of January data. Additional information about 

population controls is available on the BLS Web site at 

www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#pop. 

Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 

(202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (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. 

A full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS 

and information on estimating standard errors is available at 

www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#reliability. 

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 

towards 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. 

Recent high school graduates. Persons who completed 

high school in the calendar year of the survey (January 

through October) are recent high school graduates. 

Recent high school dropouts. Persons who were not 

enrolled in school at the time of the survey, attended school a 

year earlier, and did not have a high school diploma are recent 

dropouts. 
Table 1. Labor force status of 2010 high school graduates and 2009-10 high school dropouts 16 to 24 years

old by school enrollment, educational attainment, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, October 2010

(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, 2010 high school graduates 1 ........... 3,160 1,633 51.7 1,179 37.3 454 27.8 1,528

Men ........................................................... 1,679 926 55.2 659 39.3 267 28.9 752

Women ..................................................... 1,482 706 47.7 520 35.1 187 26.4 775

White ........................................................ 2,388 1,285 53.8 989 41.4 296 23.0 1,103

Black or African American ........................ 495 241 48.7 120 24.3 121 50.2 254

Asian ......................................................... 144 40 27.8 33 22.7 7 2 ( ) 104

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ....................... 507 278 54.9 215 42.5 63 22.5 229

Enrolled in college .................................... 2,152 860 40.0 664 30.9 196 22.8 1,292

Enrolled in 2-year college ....................... 842 441 52.4 359 42.6 82 18.7 401

Enrolled in 4-year college ....................... 1,309 419 32.0 305 23.3 114 27.1 890

Full-time students ................................... 1,946 714 36.7 537 27.6 176 24.7 1,233

Part-time students .................................. 206 147 71.3 127 61.7 20 13.4 59

Men ......................................................... 1,055 433 41.1 317 30.1 116 26.8 621

Women ................................................... 1,097 427 38.9 347 31.6 80 18.7 670

White ...................................................... 1,637 692 42.2 547 33.4 145 20.9 946

Black or African American ...................... 304 107 35.1 68 22.5 38 35.8 197

Asian ....................................................... 121 24 19.9 24 19.9 – – 97

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ..................... 302 114 37.6 93 30.8 21 18.1 189

Not enrolled in college .............................. 1,009 773 76.6 515 51.0 258 33.4 236

Men ......................................................... 624 493 79.0 342 54.8 151 30.7 131

Women ................................................... 385 280 72.7 173 45.0 107 38.2 105

White ...................................................... 750 593 79.1 442 58.9 151 25.5 157

Black or African American ...................... 191 134 70.2 52 27.0 83 61.6 57

Asian ....................................................... 22 16 2 ( ) 8 2 ( ) 7 2 ( ) 7

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ..................... 204 164 80.4 122 59.9 42 25.5 40

Total, 2009-10 high school dropouts 3 ........ 340 183 53.9 105 30.9 78 42.7 157

Men ........................................................... 179 77 43.1 47 25.9 31 39.8 102

Women ..................................................... 161 106 66.0 59 36.4 48 44.8 55

White ........................................................ 231 122 52.8 78 33.7 44 36.2 109

Black or African American ........................ 65 29 2 ( ) 12 2 ( ) 17 2 ( ) 36

Asian ......................................................... 12 9 2 ( ) 9 2 () – – 3

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ....................... 93 54 58.0 32 33.9 22 2 ( ) 39

1 Data refer to persons who graduated from high school in

January through October 2010. 2 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000. 3 Data refer to persons who dropped out of school between

October 2009 and October 2010.

 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. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as

Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Because of rounding, sums

of individual items may not equal totals.Updated population controls

are introduced annually with the release of January data. Dash

represents or rounds to zero. 
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 2010

(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 ................................... 37,949 21,144 55.7 17,347 45.7 3,797 18.0 16,805

Enrolled in school ..................................... 22,021 8,491 38.6 7,065 32.1 1,426 16.8 13,530

Enrolled in high school 1 ......................... 9,598 2,120 22.1 1,509 15.7 611 28.8 7,478

Men ....................................................... 4,976 1,003 20.1 687 13.8 315 31.4 3,973

Women ................................................. 4,622 1,117 24.2 822 17.8 296 26.5 3,505

White .................................................... 7,311 1,759 24.1 1,322 18.1 436 24.8 5,552

Black or African American .................... 1,553 250 16.1 127 8.2 123 49.3 1,304

Asian ..................................................... 289 22 7.7 17 5.9 5 2 ( ) 267

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ................... 1,909 266 13.9 179 9.4 87 32.7 1,643

Enrolled in college .................................. 12,423 6,372 51.3 5,556 44.7 815 12.8 6,052

Enrolled in 2-year college ..................... 3,938 2,303 58.5 1,933 49.1 370 16.1 1,635

Enrolled in 4-year college ..................... 8,485 4,068 47.9 3,623 42.7 445 10.9 4,417

Full-time students ................................. 10,590 4,855 45.8 4,210 39.8 645 13.3 5,735

Part-time students ................................ 1,834 1,517 82.7 1,346 73.4 171 11.3 317

Men ....................................................... 5,788 2,823 48.8 2,436 42.1 388 13.7 2,965

Women ................................................. 6,635 3,548 53.5 3,121 47.0 428 12.1 3,087

White .................................................... 9,466 5,055 53.4 4,453 47.0 602 11.9 4,410

Black or African American .................... 1,721 830 48.2 667 38.7 164 19.7 891

Asian ..................................................... 843 305 36.2 281 33.3 24 7.9 538

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ................... 1,850 953 51.5 817 44.2 136 14.3 897

Not enrolled in school ............................... 15,928 12,653 79.4 10,281 64.5 2,371 18.7 3,275

16 to 19 years ......................................... 2,952 2,039 69.1 1,411 47.8 628 30.8 913

20 to 24 years ......................................... 12,975 10,614 81.8 8,870 68.4 1,744 16.4 2,362

Men ......................................................... 8,362 6,996 83.7 5,612 67.1 1,384 19.8 1,367

Less than a high school diploma .......... 1,625 1,164 71.6 842 51.8 322 27.7 461

High school graduates, no college 3 ..... 3,963 3,293 83.1 2,579 65.1 714 21.7 670

Some college or associate degree ....... 1,926 1,745 90.6 1,475 76.6 269 15.4 181

Bachelor’s degree and higher 4 ............ 849 794 93.6 715 84.3 79 9.9 55

Women ................................................... 7,565 5,657 74.8 4,670 61.7 987 17.5 1,908

Less than a high school diploma .......... 1,192 653 54.8 448 37.6 205 31.4 538

High school graduates, no college3 ...... 3,036 2,114 69.6 1,622 53.4 492 23.3 922

Some college or associate degree ....... 2,005 1,633 81.4 1,461 72.8 172 10.6 372

Bachelor’s degree and higher 4 ............ 1,333 1,256 94.3 1,139 85.5 117 9.3 76

White ...................................................... 12,375 10,043 81.2 8,416 68.0 1,627 16.2 2,332

Black or African American ...................... 2,486 1,834 73.7 1,283 51.6 551 30.0 653

Asian ....................................................... 460 340 74.0 269 58.6 71 20.8 120

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ..................... 3,433 2,599 75.7 2,057 59.9 542 20.8 834

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 persons with a high school diploma or equivalent. 4 Includes persons with bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and

doctoral degrees.

 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. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as

Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Because of rounding, sums

of individual items may not equal totals. Updated population controls

are introduced annually with the release of January data.