Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for April 7, 2017
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
April 7, 2017: In just over a month, a new wave of college graduates will leave school behind, begin a new phase of their life’s journey, and enter the nation’s workforce. Among many other things, they will learn that holding a college degree is no longer as rare a credential as it used to be.
In 2016, for the first time ever, more than one out of three (33.4 percent) American adults hold a college degree. Those numbers reflect a tremendous growth in college attendance during the post-World War II generation. In 1940, just before the United States entered that war, only 4.6 percent of the nation’s adults had a college degree.
| Percentage of adults 25+ with college degree | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 1970 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2016 |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau | |||||
Not surprisingly, younger adults are more likely to have a college degree than those from earlier generations. Among those age 25-34, a total of 37 percent have a college degree. Among those 55 and up, the number with a degree is just under 30 percent.
More than a third of all adults with a college degree went on to earn a post-graduate degree as well.
The Census Bureau data shows that those with a college degree earn more than those without. Some believe that the higher income results from the education received, while others believe it has more to do with the self-selection process of who goes to college. In other words, the skills and backgrounds of those who choose college may have led them to earn more than others even without the degree.
- Yesterday's number looked at the 11 percent share of healthcare spending that is controlled by patients.
- Wednesday's number highlighted the 37 failed presidential nominations to the Supreme Court.
- Tuesday's number noted the 44th anniversary of the opening of the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center.
- Monday’s number looked at the 283,996 federal regulatory employees and how the number of such positions has increased over the past several decades.
- Last Friday’s number looked at the 31 Pivot Counties in Iowa. These are the counties that voted twice for President Obama and then voted for Donald Trump. There are more Pivot Counties in Iowa than anywhere else in the nation.
- To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.
Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. Click here to check out the latest update.
The Number of the Day is broadcast on local stations across the country. An archive of these broadcasts can be found here.
Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
Ballotpedia is the nonprofit, nonpartisan Encyclopedia of American Politics.
See also
- Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day
- Higher education in the United States
- Higher education graduation rates
- Student debt in higher education in the United States
Footnotes
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
