Asians are US’ Largest Higher Degree Holders

A majority of bachelor’s or higher degree holders in the US are Asians, followed by non-Hispanic whites, African Americans and then Hispanics, reports UPI.
According to a survey by the US Census Bureau on “Education Attainment in the US: 2004”, people with college degrees on an average were seen to earn almost three times more than people without a high school diploma and nearly twice what high school graduates make.
Among the 25-and-older population, Asians had the highest percentage of bachelor’s or higher degrees (49.4 per cent), followed by non-Hispanic whites (30.6 per cent), African Americans (17.6 per cent) and Hispanics (12.1 per cent).
Non-Hispanic whites surveyed had the highest proportion of high school diplomas or higher (90.0 per cent), followed by Asians (86.8 per cent), African Americans (80.6 per cent) and Hispanics (58.4 per cent).
“As far as races go, (the result) pretty much looks the same as it has for the past couple of years,” said Census Bureau analyst Nicole Stoops. According to her, the survey covered more than 99,000 households.
Around eighty-five per cent of the people 25 years and older reported they had completed at least high school and 28 per cent said they had attained bachelor’s degrees - figures the bureau calls a “record high”.
The survey said that US workers 18 years and over with post-graduation degrees earn an average of $74,602 a year - about 45 per cent more than workers with bachelor’s degrees, who average $51,206.
Workers with high school diplomas earn $27,915, while people who haven’t completed high school fare far worse with their average earnings - at $18,734 - even less than the Department of Health and Human Services’ figure of $19,350 for the federal poverty rate for a family of four.
One trend that bureau officials are watching closely is women’s high school graduation rates - 85.8 per cent of women reporting had diplomas compared to 84.8 per cent of men. (Courtesy Indo-Asian News Service)

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