The diversity among Latino population groups also extends to educational attainment. In the United States, 46.2 percent of Americans, 59.8 percent of Puerto Ricans, 62.1 percent of Cuban-Americans, and 62.9 percent of Central Americans and South Americans have graduated from high school. In 1992, 29.3 percent of Latino households lived below the poverty level, compared with 13.1 percent of non-Latino households. The percent of Latino families living in poverty varies according to country of origin. In 1993, unemployment rates were 11.9 percent for Latinos, 7.1 percent for non-Latinos, and 7.4 percent for the total population.
Latino men are most likely to be employed as operators, fabricators, or laborers.
According to the 1990 census, about 78 percent of Latinos over the age of 5 speak a language other than English in the home. This language is almost always Spanish. A contributing factor is that programs such as Medicaid offer limited coverage to the unemployed but not to the working poor. Consequently, Latinos have less access to preventive and primary health care. Conditions that can be prevented or controlled in a doctor's office often are not addressed and can lead to costly hospitalizations.