Monthly Labor Review • February 2013 3

Recent College Graduates

Recent college graduates in the 

U.S. labor force: data from the 

Current Population Survey

Data collected each October in the School Enrollment Supplement to 

the Current Population Survey provide an annual snapshot of the 

demographic characteristics, labor force activity, and school enrollment 

status of each year’s cohort of recent college graduates

Thomas Luke Spreen

Thomas Luke Spreen is a 

doctoral student at the School 

of Public and Environmental 

Affairs, Indiana University, 

Bloomington, IN, and formerly 

an economist in the Office of 

Employment and Unemployment Statistics, Division of 

Labor Force Statistics, Bureau of 

Labor Statistics. Email: cpsinfo@

bls.gov.

Every year, thousands of recent 

graduates of colleges and universities across the United States enter 

the labor force with newly minted degrees 

and high hopes about their employment 

prospects.1

 In October 2011, 74.5 percent 

of the 1.3 million 2011 recent college 

graduates were employed, according to 

data from the Current Population Survey (CPS). The unemployment rate for 

the 2011 cohort of recent college graduates was 12.6 percent. CPS data also show 

variation in the labor force status of bachelor’s and advanced degree recipients.

This article is the first from the Bureau 

of Labor Statistics (BLS) to publish labor 

force data specifically for recent college 

graduates. The estimates presented in this 

article were generated from data collected 

in the October School Enrollment Supplement to the CPS. The analysis that follows 

describes the demographic characteristics, 

labor force activity, and school enrollment 

status of the 2011 cohort of recent college 

graduates. Additional labor force data are 

also presented for the 2007 to 2010 cohorts of recent college graduates.

About the data

The CPS is a nationally representative 

sample survey of 60,000 households providing information about employment and 

unemployment in the United States. The U.S. 

Census Bureau conducts the CPS each month 

for the BLS. The CPS provides labor force data 

by a variety of demographic characteristics, including educational attainment. Since January 

1992, educational attainment has been measured in the CPS by highest degree attained.

To collect additional data on the school 

enrollment of children 3 to 14 years old and 

adults 15 years and older, the BLS, U.S. Census Bureau, and National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) jointly sponsor the CPS

School Enrollment Supplement, which is 

administered annually in October. A question 

was added beginning with the October 1993 

supplement to determine the calendar year that 

respondents received their most recent postsecondary degree. This question was restricted 

to respondents ages 15 to 29 who stated in the 

monthly survey that they had an associate’s, 

bachelor’s, master’s, professional, or doctoral 

degree.2

 The question has two response options: in the current year or a prior year. For 

the purpose of this article, respondents who 

report they received their degree in the current 

calendar year are considered recent college 

graduates. (For more information about how 

recent college graduate status is determined, 

see the section entitled “Supplement question 

identifying recent college graduates” in the appendix, p. 12.) This question can be used with 
Recent College Graduates

4 Monthly Labor Review • February 2013

the monthly CPS demographic and labor force questions 

to identify labor force outcomes and school enrollment 

status of college graduates within a year of completion of 

their degree.

The approximate measure of recent college graduates 

currently available from the CPS is 16-to-24-year-olds 

with at least a bachelor’s degree who are not enrolled in 

school. These data have the advantage of timely publication each month concurrent with “The Employment Situation” news release.3

 However, with no question to identify the precise date of completion, these estimates include 

persons who completed their degree more than a year 

prior to the survey. Furthermore, since these estimates 

are restricted to 16-to-24-year-olds, they systematically 

exclude older graduates. Data from the NCES-sponsored 

Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study show that 

nearly one-fifth of bachelor’s degree recipients finish their 

degrees between the ages of 24 and 29 years.4

As previously noted, the question used to identify 

recent college graduates in the CPS School Enrollment 

Supplement is restricted to persons ages 15 to 29. All 

data reported in this article are restricted to recent college 

graduates ages 20 to 29. Persons ages 15 to 19 were excluded from estimates in this article because of their small 

representation within the October 2011 sample.5

 This article provides demographic and labor force data for three 

groups: (1) all recent college graduates, (2) recipients of 

bachelor’s degree only, and (3) recipients of an advanced 

degree, which includes those who received a master’s, professional, or doctoral degree.6

Limitations

The October School Enrollment Supplement may not 

capture a sizeable number of recent degree recipients. Data 

from the NCES’s Integrated Postsecondary Education 

Data System (IPEDS), a survey of postsecondary institutions in the United States, show that approximately 1.65 

million bachelor’s degrees and about 850,000 advanced 

degrees were conferred in the 2009 to 2010 academic 

year.7

 Data for 2010 from the October 2010 School Enrollment Supplement show that about 1.0 million persons 

received a bachelor’s degree between January and October 

2010, with an additional 300,000 receiving some type of 

advanced degree over that same period.

Several reasons exist for the discrepancy between estimates generated from the School Enrollment Supplement and IPEDS data. First, the timing of the October 

supplement presents a potential problem. Unlike high 

school graduation, which occurs for nearly all high school 

graduates between April and June, collegiate graduation 

can occur at any time of the year, depending on the institution’s academic calendar. Therefore, individuals who 

graduate following the fall semester (typically in December) may be systematically missed by the School Enrollment Supplement, which occurs in October of each year. 

Second, the CPS sample includes only members of the 

civilian noninstitutional population of the United States. 

Individuals who have entered active duty in the armed 

forces and international students who have returned to 

their country of origin following completion of their 

college degree are not eligible to participate in the CPS. 

Finally, in this article, estimates of recent college graduates are restricted to persons ages 20 to 29. Data from the 

Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study show that 

about 13 percent of bachelor’s degree recipients receive 

their degree at the age of 30 or older.8

Despite these limitations, data from the CPS School 

Enrollment Supplement provide an annual portrait of 

demographic makeup and labor force outcomes for each 

year’s cohort of recent college graduates. Furthermore, 

several years of historical data are already available.

Demographic characteristics

The demographic profile of the 2011 cohort of recent college graduates differs from that of the civilian noninstitutional population of all 20- to 29-year-old young adults 

(see table 1). In October 2011, recent graduates were more 

likely to be female (53 percent) than were young adults 

overall (49 percent). About 10 percent of recent graduates 

were Black, compared with about 14 percent of all young 

adults in their twenties. Recent graduates were also considerably less likely to be Hispanic; about 1 in 10 recent 

graduates were Hispanic, compared with about 2 in 10 of 

all young adults. Whites and Asians were somewhat overrepresented among the 2011 cohort of recent graduates 

relative to their shares of the total civilian noninstitutional 

population of young adults in their twenties. The demographic characteristics of 2011 recent college graduates 

largely resemble those of other young college graduates.

About 82 percent of the 1.3 million 2011 recent college 

graduates ages 20 to 29 were recipients of a bachelor’s degree. (See chart 1.) The remaining 18 percent were recipients of an advanced degree. Of those, 13 percent received 

a master’s degree, 4 percent received a professional degree, 

and 2 percent received a doctoral degree.

Nearly 60 percent of the 2011 cohort of recent recipients of bachelor’s degrees were ages 22 to 23 in October 

2011, with an additional 18 percent ages 24 to 25. (See 
Monthly Labor Review • February 2013 5

chart 2.) This pattern reflects the fact that a sizeable majority of high school graduates enter college in the same 

year they receive their high school diploma.9

 According 

to the Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study, the 

median time to completion of a bachelor’s degree was 52 

months in 2009, with about two-thirds of bachelor’s degrees completed in 60 months or less.10 Recent recipients 

of an advanced degree tended to be older in October 2011, 

reflecting the requirement of at least a bachelor’s degree to 

enroll in most graduate programs.

Labor force

The labor force participation rate measures the proportion 

of the civilian noninstitutional population that is either 

working or looking for work. About 1.1 million, or 85.2 

percent, of the 2011 cohort of recent college graduates 

were participating in the labor force in October 2011. The 

labor force participation rate for recent college graduates 

was only somewhat lower a year earlier, at 83.3 percent in 

October 2010. (See table 2.)

Recent recipients of advanced degrees were more likely 

to participate in the labor force than did recipients of 

bachelor’s degrees. The labor force participation rate of 

recipients of advanced degrees was 91.0 percent in OctoTable 1. Demographic characteristics of the civilian 

noninstitutional population and 2011 recent college 

graduates, 20 to 29 years of age, October 2011

[Levels in thousands]

Characteristic

20-to-29-year-olds

Total College 

graduates

2011 recent 

college 

graduates

Total 42,612 9,608 1,336

Percent distribution 100.0 100.0 100.0

Gender

Men 50.6 44.5 46.6

Women 49.4 55.5 53.4

Race

White 77.5 80.0 80.3

Black or African American 14.3 8.5 10.1

Asian 4.9 9.3 5.8

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Hispanic or Latino 19.5 7.2 10.3

Non-Hispanic or Latino 80.5 92.8 89.7

NOTE: Recent college graduates refer to people ages 20 to 29 who 

completed a bachelor’s, master’s, professional, or doctoral degree in 

the calendar year of the survey (January through October). Data for the 

race groups shown do not sum to 100 percent because not all races are 

presented. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may 

be of any race.

SOURCE: October 2011 School Enrollment Supplement to the Current 

Population Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

81.8

12.5

3.8 1.9

 Chart 1. 2011 recent college graduates ages 20 to 29, by degree, October 2011

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Professional Doctoral

Bachelor’s

Master’s

[In percent]

NOTE: Recent college graduates refer to persons ages 20 to 29 who completed a bachelor’s, master’s, professional, or doctoral degree in the calendar 

year of the survey (January through October). In October 2011, recent college graduates totaled 1.3 million.

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Recent College Graduates

6 Monthly Labor Review • February 2013

Table 2. Labor force participation rates of recent college graduates by degree and gender, each October 2007–2011

[Levels in thousands]

Degree and gender

Year

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Total recent college graduates

Civilian noninstitutional population, ages 20 to 29 1,192 1,281 1,217 1,332 1,336

Participation rate, total 87.0 88.4 85.2 83.3 85.2

 Men 88.8 86.0 84.9 83.2 84.9

 Women 85.7 90.1 85.3 83.3 85.4

Bachelor’s degree

Civilian noninstitutional population 938 946 893 1,023 1,093

Participation rate, total 85.3 88.2 83.4 81.6 83.9

 Men 88.3 85.5 82.5 81.7 83.1

 Women 83.1 90.5 84.2 81.5 84.6

Advanced degree

Civilian noninstitutional population 254 334 324 299 243

Participation rate, total 93.2 89.0 89.9 89.1 91.0

 Men 91.0 88.2 91.0 87.1 94.6

 Women 94.4 89.4 88.9 90.8 88.5

NOTE: Recent college graduates refer to people ages 20 to 29 who completed a bachelor’s, master’s, professional, or doctoral degree in the calendar year 

of the survey (January through October). 

SOURCE: October 2007–2011 School Enrollment Supplement to the Current Population Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

r Chart 2. 2011 recent college graduates by age and degree, October 2011

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0 20–21 22–23 24–25 26–27 28–29

Percent 

distribution

Percent 

distribution

Ages

NOTE: Recent college graduates refer to persons ages 20 to 29 who completed a bachelor’s, master’s, professional, or doctoral degree in the calendar 

year of the survey (January through October). In October 2011, recent college graduates totaled 1.3 million.

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Bachelor’s degree Advanced degree
Monthly Labor Review • February 2013 7

Table 3. Employment−population ratios of recent college graduates by degree and gender, each October 2007–2011

[Levels in thousands]

Degree and gender

Year

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Total recent college graduates

Civilian noninstitutional population, ages 20 to 29 1,192 1,281 1,217 1,332 1,336

Employment−population ratio, total 80.3 78.1 71.9 72.3 74.5

 Men 79.8 72.8 67.5 70.1 71.8

 Women 80.6 82.0 75.5 73.6 76.7

Bachelor’s degree

Civilian noninstitutional population 938 946 893 1,023 1,093

Employment−population ratio, total 77.6 77.7 68.8 70.1 72.5

 Men 78.3 72.1 60.5 68.7 69.8

 Women 77.0 82.4 75.0 71.0 75.1

Advanced degree

Civilian noninstitutional population 254 334 324 299 243

Employment−population ratio, total 90.3 79.4 80.8 79.5 83.2

 Men 86.4 75.7 85.0 74.2 83.3

 Women 92.3 81.0 76.9 83.9 83.1

NOTE: Recent college graduates refer to people ages 20 to 29 who completed a bachelor’s, master’s, professional, or doctoral degree in the calendar year 

of the survey (January through October).

SOURCE: October 2007–2011 School Enrollment Supplement to the Current Population Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

ber 2011, compared with 83.9 percent of recent bachelor’s 

degree recipients. The labor force participation rate of the 

2011 cohort of recent college graduates was similar for 

men and women, regardless of the degree received.

The employed

In October 2011, 74.5 percent of the 1.3 million 2011 

recent college graduates were employed (see table 3). The 

employment–population ratio of recent college graduates was somewhat higher in October 2011 than it was in 

October 2010 (72.3 percent). Between October 2007 and 

October 2009, the employment–population ratio of recent college graduates declined by 8.4 percentage points. 

A considerable share of the decline can be attributed to 

male recipients of bachelor’s degrees, whose ratio fell by 

17.8 percentage points over that period.

Recipients of an advanced degree were more likely to 

be employed in October 2011 (83.2 percent) than were 

recipients of a bachelor’s degree (72.5 percent), a pattern 

that generally holds for prior cohorts of recent college 

graduates. Despite modest improvement, employment–

population ratios of both bachelor’s and advanced degree 

recipients remain below their prerecession levels.11

The employment–population ratio of male recent college graduates was 71.8 percent in October 2011, little 

changed from a year earlier. The employment–population 

ratio of their female counterparts was 76.7 percent in October 2011, somewhat higher than it was a year earlier, at 

73.6 percent in October 2010. The employment–population ratio of 2011 male recent college graduates remains 

8.0 percentage points below the prerecession level.

For recent college graduates, initial job placement is 

critical for developing on-the-job skills and determining 

the trajectory of their lifetime earnings.12 Almost onehalf of the 2011 cohort of recent college graduates were 

working in professional and related occupations in October 2011.13 (See table 4.) About 43 percent of recent bachelor’s degree recipients were employed in these occupations in October 2011, compared with about 68 percent of 

advanced degree recipients. The high proportion of recent 

college graduates working in these occupations reflects 

the entry requirement of at least a bachelor’s degree in the 

majority of professional and related occupations.14

Large shares of the 2011 cohort also found work in 

sales and office occupations (19 percent); management, 

business, and financial operations occupations (14 percent); and service occupations (13 percent).15 Nearly all 
Recent College Graduates

8 Monthly Labor Review • February 2013

2011 recent college graduates employed in sales and office occupations and service occupations were recipients 

of a bachelor’s degree. Conversely, recipients of advanced 

degrees made up a large share of those employed in management, business, and financial operations occupations.

By industry, about 2 in 5 recent graduates in the 2011 

cohort found work in educational and health services.16 

(See table 4.) Within that industry, about 22 percent of 

recent graduates were employed in educational services 

and about 20 percent in health care and social assistance. 

More than one-half of recipients of advanced degrees in 

2011 were employed in one of these industries. The 2011 

cohort of recent graduates also found work in professional 

and business services (16 percent), wholesale and retail 

trade (10 percent), and leisure and hospitality (9 percent). 

Almost one-quarter of recipients of advanced degrees 

were employed in professional and business services. Recent bachelor’s degree recipients made up almost all of 

those recent graduates employed in leisure and hospitality.

Most recent graduates were employed in the private 

sector. (See table 4.) About one-fifth of recent graduates 

found work in the public sector, primarily in state and local government. Three-fourths of those recent graduates 

employed in state and local government were working in 

education.

Unemployment rate

A key measure of the health of the labor market is the 

unemployment rate, which is the proportion of the labor 

force that is not working but is actively seeking work and 

available to take a job, if offered. The unemployment rate 

of recent college graduates was 12.6 percent in October 

2011, little changed from a year earlier. (See table 5.) Despite modest improvement since a recent peak in October 

2009, the unemployment rate of recent college graduates 

remains elevated above prerecession levels.

The 2011 cohort of male graduates had an unemployment rate of 15.4 percent in October 2011, compared 

with 10.1 percent for their female counterparts. Over the 

period of October 2007 to October 2009, the unemployment rate of both male and female recent college graduates doubled. The increase in unemployment was relatively 

more severe for men, who experienced a peak unemployment rate of 20.5 percent in October 2009, 8.9 percentage 

points higher than the rate of their female counterparts.

The unemployment rate for the 2011 recipients of advanced degrees was 8.6 percent, compared with 13.5 percent for recipients of bachelor’s degrees in October 2011. 

This discrepancy may reflect the fact that recipients of an 

advanced degree are older on average than recipients of 

a bachelor’s degree, and older persons tend to have lower 

Table 4. Employed recent college graduates by degree, occupation, industry, and class of worker, October 2011

[Levels in thousands]

Characteristic

Total, recent 

college 

graduates

Bachelor’s 

degree

Advanced 

degree

Total employed, ages 20 to 29 995 793 202

Percent distribution 100.0 100.0 100.0

Occupation1

Management, business, and

financial operations 14.0 11.6 23.2

Professional and related 47.9 42.7 68.3

Service 12.7 15.3 2.3

Sales and office 19.1 23.1 3.7

All other 6.3 7.3 2.4

Industry2

Goods-producing 6.4 7.8 1.1

Wholesale and retail trade 10.3 10.0 11.7

Financial activities 6.1 6.7 3.7

Professional and business

services 16.0 14.1 23.7

Educational and health

services 41.8 38.5 54.9

 Educational services 22.2 20.2 30.4

 Health care and social 

assistance 19.6 18.3 24.6

Leisure and hospitality 9.0 11.2 .3

Public administration 3.4 3.2 4.0

All other industries 6.9 8.5 .6

Class of worker3

Government wage and salary

workers 17.5 15.4 25.7

 Federal 2.5 2.1 4.3

 State 8.6 8.3 9.7

 Local 6.4 5.0 11.8

Private wage and salary 

workers 81.7 84.0 72.9

All other .8 .6 1.4

1

 All other occupations include natural resources, construction, and 

maintenance occupations and production, transportation, and material 

moving occupations.

2

 Goods-producing industries include agricultural and related, mining, 

construction, and manufacturing industries. All other industries include 

transportation and warehousing, utilities, information, and other services.

3

 All other classes include both incorporated and unincorporated selfemployed workers and unpaid family workers.

NOTE: Recent college graduates refer to people ages 20 to 29 who completed a bachelor’s, master’s, professional, or doctoral degree in the calendar year of the survey (January through October).

SOURCE: October 2011 School Enrollment Supplement to the Current 

Population Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Monthly Labor Review • February 2013 9

unemployment rates. This result may also be because advanced degrees confer specialized skills that employers 

find desirable.

School enrollment

Many recent college graduates face a decision of either 

entering the labor market directly after graduation or enrolling in graduate school. In a weak labor market, graduate school would seem to appeal to recent bachelor’s degree graduates, although empirical evidence of a cyclical 

pattern to graduate school enrollment is mixed.17

About one-quarter of the 2011 cohort of recent college 

graduates were enrolled in school in October 2011.18 (See 

table 6.) The proportion of the recent college graduates 

enrolled in school in October 2011 changed little from 

Table 5. Unemployment rates of recent college graduates by degree and gender, each October 2007–2011

[Levels in thousands]

Degree and gender

Year

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Total recent college graduates

Civilian labor force, ages 20 to 29 1,036 1,132 1,036 1,101 1,138

Unemployment rate, total 7.7 11.6 15.5 13.2 12.6

 Men 10.2 15.4 20.5 15.7 15.4

 Women 6.0 9.1 11.6 11.7 10.1

Bachelor’s degree

Civilian labor force 800 834 745 834 917

Unemployment rate, total 9.0 11.9 17.6 14.0 13.5

 Men 11.4 15.7 26.6 16.0 16.1

 Women 7.3 8.9 10.9 12.8 11.2

Advanced degree

Civilian labor force 236 298 291 266 221

Unemployment rate, total 3.1 10.9 10.2 10.8 8.6

 Men 5.0 14.1 6.6 14.9 12.0

 Women 2.2 9.4 13.5 7.6 6.1

NOTE: Recent college graduates refer to people ages 20 to 29 who completed a bachelor’s, master’s, professional, or doctoral degree in the calendar year 

of the survey (January through October). 

SOURCE: October 2007–2011 School Enrollment Supplement to the Current Population Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Table 6. School enrollment rates of recent college graduates by degree, each October 2007–2011

[Levels in thousands]

Degree

Year

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Total recent college graduates

Civilian noninstitutional population, ages 20 to 29 1,192 1,281 1,217 1,332 1,336

Percent enrolled in school, total 26.1 19.2 24.9 23.8 24.7

Bachelor’s degree

Civilian noninstitutional population 938 946 893 1,023 1,093

Percent enrolled in school, total 29.3 19.7 27.0 25.9 27.6

Advanced degree

Civilian noninstitutional population 254 334 324 299 243

Percent enrolled in school, total 14.2 18.0 19.1 16.7 11.5

NOTE: Recent college graduates refer to people ages 20 to 29 who completed a bachelor’s, master’s, professional, or doctoral degree in the calendar year 

of the survey (January through October). Regular schooling is that which may advance a person toward a high school diploma or a college, university, or 

professional degree.

SOURCE: October 2007–2011 School Enrollment Supplement to the Current Population Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 
Recent College Graduates

10 Monthly Labor Review • February 2013

prior years. A higher percentage of recent recipients of 

bachelor’s degree (about 28 percent) were enrolled in 

school compared with that of recent recipients of advanced degrees (about 12 percent) in October 2011.

Recent graduates who were enrolled in school in 

October 2011 were less likely to be participating in the 

labor force (68.0 percent) than those not enrolled (90.8 

percent). (See table 7.) Those enrolled in school were less 

likely to be working and were somewhat less likely to be 

unemployed than those not enrolled.

WITH MORE PEOPLE EARNING COLLEGE DEGREES

than ever before, documenting labor force outcomes for 

each new cohort of college graduates is important. Administered annually each October, the CPS School Enrollment Supplement provides a snapshot of the demographic and labor force characteristics of each new cohort 

of recent graduates.

Labor force status of 2011 recent college graduates by degree, gender, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, age, and 

school enrollment, October 2011

[Levels in thousands]

Characteristic

Civilian 

noninstitutional 

population

Civilian labor force

Not in the 

Total labor force Percent of 

population

Employed Unemployed

Total Percent of 

population Number Rate

Total, 2011 recent college graduates1

Total, ages 20 to 29 1,336 1,138 85.2 995 74.5 143 12.6 198

 Men 622 528 84.9 447 71.8 81 15.4 94

 Women 714 610 85.4 548 76.7 62 10.1 104

 White 1,073 935 87.1 836 77.9 99 10.6 138

 Black 135 114 84.4 91 67.4 23 20.2 21

 Asian 78 52 67.0 33 42.0 19 (

2

) 26

 Hispanic 137 122 89.0 107 78.3 15 12.1 15

 Ages 20 to 24 912 781 85.6 688 75.4 94 12.0 131

 Ages 25 to 29 424 357 84.1 308 72.5 49 13.8 67

 Enrolled in school 330 224 68.0 210 63.5 15 6.6 106

 Not enrolled in school 1,006 914 90.8 785 78.1 128 14.0 93

Bachelor’s degree

Total 1,093 917 83.9 793 72.5 124 13.5 176

 Men 526 438 83.1 367 69.8 70 16.1 89

 Women 567 479 84.6 426 75.1 54 11.2 88

 Ages 20 to 24 856 728 85.0 641 74.8 87 12.0 128

 Ages 25 to 29 237 189 79.6 152 64.2 37 19.4 48

 Enrolled in school 302 201 66.5 186 61.6 15 7.3 101

 Not enrolled in school 791 716 90.5 606 76.7 109 15.3 75

Master’s degree or higher

Total 243 221 91.0 202 83.2 19 8.6 22

 Men 96 91 94.6 80 83.3 11 12.0 5

 Women 147 130 88.5 122 83.1 8 6.1 17

 Ages 20 to 24 56 53 (

2

) 47 (

2

) 6 (

2

) 3

 Ages 25 to 29 187 168 89.9 155 83.1 13 7.5 19

1

 Data refer to people who graduated from college in January through October 2011.

2

 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000.

NOTE: Recent college graduates refer to people ages 20 to 29 who completed a bachelor’s, master’s, professional, or doctoral degree in the calendar year 

of the survey (January through October). Data for the race groups shown do not sum to totals because not all races are presented. People whose ethnicity 

is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. 

SOURCE: October 2011 School Enrollment Supplement to the Current Population Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Table 7.
Monthly Labor Review • February 2013 11

The data collected in the CPS School Enrollment 

Supplement show that 74.5 percent of the 2011 cohort of 

recent college graduates were employed in October 2011 

and that their unemployment rate was 12.6 percent. The 

employment–population ratio and unemployment rate of 

recent college graduates were similar in 2011 and 2010. 

Generally, recipients of advanced degrees were more likely 

to be employed than those who received bachelor’s degrees.

About one-half of the 2011 cohort of recent college 

graduates were working in professional and related occupations in October 2011. About 2 in 5 were employed in 

educational and health services. About one-fifth of recent 

college graduates were working in the public sector, primarily in education services.

About 25 percent of 2011 recent college graduates were 

enrolled in school in October 2011. Recipients of bachelor’s degrees were more likely to be enrolled in school than 

were recipients of an advanced degree. Those enrolled in 

school were less likely to participate in the labor force 

than those who were not enrolled.

Notes

1 College graduates are persons who completed a bachelor’s degree 

and higher, which includes bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and doctoral 

degrees.

2 For more information, see “Attachment 8: Current Population 

Survey, October 2011 School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement Questionnaire,” Current Population Survey, October 2011 School 

Enrollment File Technical Documentation (U.S. Census Bureau, October 

2011), http://www.census.gov/apsd/techdoc/cps/cpsoct11.pdf.

3 See table A-16, “Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 to 24 years of age by school enrollment, age, 

sex, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and educational attainment,” 

Labor force statistics from the Current Population Survey (U.S. Bureau 

of Labor Statistics, February 2013), http://www.bls.gov/web/empsit/

cpseea16.htm.

4 See table 1, “Demography and enrollment by sex and race/ethnicity: percentage distribution of 2007–2008 first-time bachelor’s recipients by sex, race/ethnicity, demographic and enrollment characteristics: 

2009,” 2008–09 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (National 

Center for Education Statistics, July 2011), p. 8, http://nces.ed.gov/

pubs2011/2011236.pdf.

5 Of the 547 respondents to the October 2011 School Enrollment 

Supplement to the CPS with an educational attainment of a bachelor’s 

degree or higher between the ages of 15 and 29, 7 respondents were 

between the ages of 15 and 19, or about 1.3 percent of the total sample.

6 A professional degree includes medical doctor (M.D.), doctor of 

dental surgery (D.D.S.), juris doctor (J.D.), and other comparable degrees. 

A doctoral degree includes doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.), doctor of education (Ed.D.), and other comparable degrees at the doctoral level. See 

appendix in this article for additional information.

7 See table 292, “Degrees conferred by degree-granting institutions, 

by control of institution, level of degree, and field of study: 2009–10,” Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, Digest of Education Statistics (National Center for Education Statistics, May 2011), http://nces.

ed.gov/programs/digest/d11/tables/dt11_292.asp.

8 Table 1, 2008–09 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study, 

http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2011/2011236.pdf.

9 For more information, see the news release “College enrollment 

and work activity of 2011 high school graduates” (U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, April 19, 2012), http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/

hsgec.pdf.

10 See table 3, “Time to degree: median and percentage distribution of 2007–08 first-time bachelor’s degree recipients by number of 

months from enrollment to degree attainment and enrollment characteristics: 2009,” 2008–09 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal 

Study (National Center for Education Statistics, July 2011), pp. 10–11, 

http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2011/2011236.pdf.

11 According the National Bureau of Economic Research, which is 

generally recognized as the official arbiter of recessions in the United 

States, the most recent recession began in December 2007 and ended 

in June 2009.

12 See Lisa B. Kahn, “The long-term consequences of graduating 

from college in a bad economy,” Labour Economics, April 2010, pp. 

303–316.

13 Professional and related occupations include computer and 

mathematical; architecture and engineering; life, physical, and social 

science; community and social service; legal; education, training, and 

library; arts, entertainment, sports, and media, and healthcare practitioner and technical occupations. Professional and related occupations 

made up 22.1 percent of total employment in 2011.

14 Dixie Sommers and Teresa L. Morisi, “Employment projections 

through the lens of education and training,” Monthly Labor Review, 

April 2012, pp. 13–28, http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2012/04/art 

2full.pdf.

15 Sales and office occupations include retail sales workers, sales 

representatives, as well as office and administrative support occupations, such as clerks and secretaries. Sales and office occupations made 

up about 23.6 percent of total employment in 2011.

16 The estimates for different industries, including those for educational and health services, include both government and private wage 

and salary workers.

17 Kelly Bedard and Douglas A. Herman, “Who goes to graduate/

professional school? The importance of economic fluctuations, undergraduate field, and ability,” Economics of Education Review, April 2008, 

pp. 197–210.

18 A person is considered enrolled in school if they were enrolled in 

regular school in the October of the calendar year of the survey. Regular schooling is that which may advance a person toward a high school 

diploma or a college, university, or professional degree.
Recent College Graduates

12 Monthly Labor Review • February 2013

The estimates for recent college graduates in this article 

were obtained from a supplement to the October 2011 

Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly 

survey of about 60,000 eligible households that provides 

information on employment and unemployment in the 

United States. The CPS is conducted each month by the 

U.S. Census Bureau. A CPS supplement consists of questions on a particular topic following the completion of the 

basic monthly questionnaire. The monthly CPS began in 

1940, and the School Enrollment Supplement has been 

conducted annually each October since 1961.1

 The BLS, 

Census Bureau, and National Center for Education Statistics jointly sponsor the School Enrollment Supplement.

Educational attainment measurement in the CPS

Prior to 1992, educational attainment was enumerated in 

the CPS by the number of years of schooling completed. 

Beginning in January 1992, the CPS began to measure 

educational attainment by the highest diploma or degree 

received, matching the measure used in the 1990 Census.2

The updated educational attainment measure more accurately captures the economic benefit conferred on workers 

who successfully complete their degree.3

 A research summary published in the September 1993 Monthly Labor 

Review documents the motivation for the change as well 

as specific changes to the wording of the questionnaire.4

The School Enrollment Supplement questionnaire was 

updated in October 1992 to reflect the new educational 

attainment measure.

Data for college graduates presented in this article 

include persons with a bachelor’s degree or higher. Additional data are also presented specifically for recipients 

of a bachelor’s degree, as well as for recipients of an advanced degree, such as a master’s, professional, or doctoral degree. All estimates for college graduates in this 

article exclude recipients of associate’s degrees. Currently, 

the BLS considers persons with an associate’s degree to 

possess an educational attainment of some college or associate’s degree. The box that follows shows the educational attainment categories and applicable abbreviations 

used in the CPS.

Supplement question identifying recent 

college graduates

All respondents to the October CPS between the ages of 

15 and 29 who possess at least an associate’s degree are 

asked when they received their most recent college degree. 

Specifically, the School Enrollment Supplement question 

is, “In what calendar year did you receive your most recent 

degree?” This question has two response options: in the 

current year or in a prior year. This question first appeared 

in the October 1993 School Enrollment Supplement and 

has been asked in each subsequent supplement.

Respondents who report that they received their degree in the calendar year of the survey (January through 

October) are considered recent college graduates. All 

labor force estimates for recent college graduates in this 

article refer to persons ages 20 to 29 with a bachelor’s degree or higher. Persons ages 15 to 19 were excluded from 

estimates in this article because of their small representation within the October 2011 sample.5

Limitations of the CPS data

The sample size of the CPS limits the precision of detailed 

data pertaining to relatively small groups. For instance, 

in October 2011, approximately 700 respondents had received a degree in the calendar year of the survey (January 

through October) and were members of a household parAPPENDIX: Technical information about measures of educational attainment and recent college 

 graduates in the Current Population Survey

Educational attainment Example

Less than a high school diploma

High school diploma

Some college or associate’s degree

   Associate’s degree

College graduate

   Bachelor’s degree B.A., B.S.

   Advanced degree

      Master’s degree M.A., M.S., M.P.A., M.B.A.

      Professional degree J.D., M.D., D.D.S.

      Doctoral degree Ph.D., Ed.D.
Monthly Labor Review • February 2013 13

ticipating in the CPS. Of those, about 160 had received an 

associate’s degree, about 440 had received a bachelor’s degree, and about 100 received an advanced degree. Further 

division of the data by different characteristics can result 

in weighted estimates that are based on very few interviews. As a result, the standard errors for some weighted 

estimates are large.6

 All estimates presented in this article 

meet the minimum threshold for publication of monthly 

CPS data.7

Weighting procedures

The publication Design and Methodology: Current Population Survey, also known as Technical Paper 66, describes 

general weighting procedures for calculating various 

kinds of data from the CPS.

8

 The technical documentation 

for the October 2011 School Enrollment Supplement 

contains a more detailed description of estimation and 

weighting procedures specifically for the supplement.9

Notes to appendix

1 For more information, see “School Enrollment Reports and Tables from Previous Years” (U.S. Census Bureau, August 2, 2011), http://

www.census.gov/hhes/school/data/cps/previous/index.html.

2 The question used to measure educational attainment in the CPS 

asks the respondent, “What is the highest level of school completed or the 

highest degree received?” A recent college graduate of a joint degree program, such as a joint medical doctor (M.D.) and master’s of public health 

(M.P.H.), would therefore be counted as a professional degree recipient. 

For more information, about the questions on educational attainment 

in the CPS, see “Current Population Survey Interviewing Manual” (U.S. 

Census Bureau, January 2012), pp. C3–16 through C3–18, http://www.

census.gov/apsd/techdoc/cps/CPS_Manual_Jan2012_Entire.pdf.

3 David A. Jaeger and Marianne E. Page, “Degrees matter: new 

evidence on sheepskin effects in the returns to education,” The Review 

of Economics and Statistics, November 1996, pp. 733–740.

4 Robert Kominski and Paul M. Siegel, “Measuring education 

in the Current Population Survey,” Monthly Labor Review, September 1993, pp. 34–38. http://www.bls.gov/cps/measuring_educa 

tion_1993.pdf.

5 Of the 547 respondents to the October 2011 School Enrollment 

Supplement to the CPS with an educational attainment of a bachelor’s 

degree or higher and between the ages of 15 and 29, 7 respondents 

were between the ages of 15 and 19, or about 1.3 percent of the total 

sample.

6 For a full discussion on the reliability of data from the CPS and 

information on estimating standard errors, see http://www.bls.gov/

cps/documentation.htm#reliability.

7 Generally, rates and percentages are not published for CPS data 

unless the monthly base is greater than 75,000. For more information, see “Employment and earnings: household data, reliability of 

estimates” (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, February 2006), p. 197, 

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

8 “Chapter 10: Weighting and Seasonal Adjustment for Labor 

Force Data,” Design and Methodology: Current Population Survey, 

Technical Paper 66 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Census Bureau, October 2006), pp. 75–88, http://www.census.gov/

prod/2006pubs/tp-66.pdf.

9 For more information, see “Attachment 16: Source of the Data 

and Accuracy of the Estimates for the October 2011 CPS Microdata 

File on School Enrollment Source and Accuracy of the October 2011 

School Enrollment Data,” Current Population Survey, October 2011 

School Enrollment File Technical Documentation (U.S. Census Bureau, 

October 2011), p. 200, http://www.census.gov/apsd/techdoc/cps/

cpsoct11.pdf.