This release examines the school enrollment and employment experiences of these individuals when they were ages 22 and 23, with a focus on their characteristics during October. Respondents were age 22 in October during the years 2002 to 2007 and age 23 in October from 2003 to 2008.
Highlights from the longitudinal survey include:
- During the October when they were 23 years old, 23 percent of women had earned a bachelor’s degree, compared with 14 percent of men.
- Among those who were enrolled in college when they were 22 years old, almost a third had earned a bachelor’s degree by age 23, while 23 percent were no longer enrolled in college. Non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics or Latinos were less likely than non-Hispanic whites to have earned a bachelor’s degree between ages 22 and 23.
- Eight percent of male high school graduates who had never enrolled in college were in the Armed Forces during the October when they were age 23, as were 6 percent of the 23-year-old men who had attended college but had not earned a bachelor’s degree and were no longer enrolled. Two percent of 23-year-old men with a bachelor’s degree were serving in the Armed Forces.
- Individuals born from 1980 to 1984 held an average of 4.9 jobs from age 18 to age 23. Those with more education held more jobs than those with less education.
- High school graduates who had never enrolled in college were employed an average of 74 percent of the weeks from age 18 to age 23. By comparison, those who had dropped out of high school were employed 54 percent of those weeks.
- Six percent of individuals who had not earned a high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) credential before their 24th birthday had never held a job since the time they left high school.
Educational Attainment at Age 23
Nineteen percent of individuals had earned a bachelor’s degree by the October when they were age 23, up from 10 percent at age 22. The percent of individuals enrolled in college fell from 27 percent at age 22 to 16 percent at age 23. Forty-seven percent of 23-year-olds had graduated from high school and were not enrolled in college, and 8 percent had earned a GED credential and were not enrolled in college. Eleven percent of individuals were high school dropouts during the October when they were age 23.
Women were 1.6 times as likely as men to have earned a bachelor’s degree by the October when they were age 23 and were equally likely to be enrolled in college. Twenty-three percent of women had earned a bachelor’s degree, compared with 14 percent of men. Women were less likely than men at age 23 to be high school dropouts or high school graduates not enrolled in college.
There remains a large gap in educational attainment among racial and ethnic groups. At age 23, non-Hispanic whites were more than twice as likely as non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics or Latinos to have earned a bachelor’s degree. Twenty-two percent of non-Hispanic whites had earned a bachelor’s degree, compared with 9 percent of non-Hispanic blacks and 8 percent of Hispanics or Latinos. Non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics or Latinos were twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites to be high school dropouts in the October when they were age 23.
Schooling and Training between Ages 22 and 23
Some people delay their college enrollment for a year or more after high school, and others enroll in college and then leave before earning a degree. Seven percent of high school graduates who were not enrolled in college during the October when they were age 22 were enrolled in college the following October. Twenty-three percent of those enrolled in college during the October when age 22 were not enrolled the following October and had not earned a bachelor’s degree. Forty-five percent of individuals attending college during the October when they were age 22 were still attending college the following October, and 32 percent had earned a bachelor’s degree. Among those enrolled in college during the October when they were age 22, women were more likely than men to have earned a bachelor’s degree by the October when they were 23 years of age (36 percent of women compared with 29 percent of men). Six percent of both women and men enrolled in college during the October when they were age 22 were enrolled in a graduate or professional degree program the following October.
Non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics or Latinos who were enrolled in college at age 22 were more likely than non-Hispanic whites to have left college by the following October without having earned a bachelor’s degree. Among those enrolled in college during the October when they were age 22, non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics or Latinos were less likely than non-Hispanic whites to have earned a bachelor’s degree by the following October, but non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics or Latinos were more likely than non-Hispanic whites to have remained enrolled in college.
Instead of attending school, some young adults enroll in training to further their skills. Five percent of high school graduates who were not enrolled in college at age 22 were in a training program during the October when age 23, while 1 percent of those previously enrolled in college at age 22 were enrolled in a training program at age 23.
Employment Status of Young Adults Not Enrolled in School at Age 23
At age 23, labor force status differed substantially by educational attainment. Those with more education were more likely to be employed in civilian jobs and less likely to be unemployed or out of the labor force. Sixty percent of high school dropouts were employed in civilian jobs in the October when they were age 23. At the same age, 75 percent of high school graduates who had never enrolled in college were employed in civilian jobs, and another 5 percent were serving in the Armed Forces. Among 23-year-old high school graduates who had some college experience but had not earned a bachelor’s degree and were no longer enrolled in college, 81 percent were employed in civilian jobs, and 4 percent were serving in the Armed Forces. Eighty-nine percent of 23-year-olds who had earned a bachelor’s degree and were no longer enrolled were employed in civilian jobs, while 2 percent were serving in the Armed Forces.
Men and women who were college graduates at age 23 were equally likely to be employed. At lower levels of educational attainment, men were more likely than women to be employed. Sixty-eight percent of male high school dropouts were employed during the October when they were age 23, compared with 50 percent of female dropouts. Among high school graduates who had never enrolled in college, 77 percent of men and 73 percent of women were employed in civilian jobs, and 8 percent of men and 1 percent of women were serving in the military. Eighty-three percent of men and 79 percent of women who had attended some college but had not earned a bachelor’s degree and were no longer enrolled were employed in civilian jobs in the October when they were age 23; 6 percent of men in this educational-attainment group were serving in the military, compared with 2 percent of women. Among those who had earned a bachelor’s degree and were no longer enrolled, 90 percent of both men and women were employed in civilian jobs or serving in the military during the October when they were age 23.
Employment Attachment of Young Adults
Individuals held an average of 4.9 jobs from the ages of 18 to 23 in 1998-2008. On aver-age, men held 4.7 jobs and women held 5.1 jobs. In this release, a job is defined as an uninterrupted period of work with a particular employer.
On average, young adults represented by the survey sample were employed during 72 percent of all the weeks occurring from age 18 to age 23. They were unemployed - that is, without jobs but seeking work - 6 percent of the weeks. They were not in the labor force - that is, neither working nor seeking work - 22 percent of the weeks.
The amount of time employed differs substantially between educational-attainment groups, especially among non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics or Latinos. Non-Hispanic blacks with less than a high school diploma spent 40 percent of weeks employed and 44 percent of weeks out of the labor force from age 18 to age 23. By comparison, non-Hispanic black high school graduates who had never enrolled in college spent 61 percent of weeks employed and 26 percent of weeks out of the labor force. Non-Hispanic blacks with a bachelor’s degree or more education were employed 66 percent of weeks from age 18 to age 23. Hispanic or Latino high school dropouts spent 60 percent of weeks employed, compared with 73 percent of weeks for Hispanic or Latino high school graduates or those with a bachelor’s degree.
The amount of time spent in the labor force also differs by sex. Men with less than a high school diploma spent 61 percent of weeks employed from age 18 to age 23. These men also spent 13 percent of weeks unemployed. By comparison, women with less than a high school diploma spent 45 percent of weeks employed and 9 percent of weeks unemployed from age 18 to age 23. Women without a high school diploma spent as much time out of the labor force as they spent employed. Women with a bachelor’s degree or more education spent a larger proportion of weeks employed than did men (74 versus 65 percent).
Duration of Employment Relationships
By their 24th birthday, nearly all young adults had held at least one job since leaving high school, although high school dropouts, especially female and non-Hispanic black dropouts, were less likely ever to have held a job than were young adults with more education. Most jobs held through age 23 were of relatively short duration. Of the jobs held by 18- to 23-year-old workers, 56 percent ended in 1 year or less, and another 13 percent ended in less than 2 years; nine percent of jobs lasted 2 years or more. Another 22 percent of jobs were ongoing at the time of the 2008-09 survey, and their ultimate duration is therefore not yet known. Jobs held by high school dropouts were more likely to end in 1 year or less than were jobs held by workers with more education.
