Women now outnumber men in the U.S. college-educated labor force
Women have overtaken men and now account for more than half (50.7%) of the college-educated labor force in the United States.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Women have overtaken men and now account for more than half (50.7%) of the college-educated labor force in the United States.
Among adults 25 and older who have no education beyond high school, more women have left the labor force than men.
Americans have mixed views on the importance of having a degree. 47% say the cost is worth it only if someone doesn’t have to take out loans.
Roughly one-in-five Americans ages 65 and older were employed in 2023 – nearly double the share of those who were working 35 years ago.
Women now make up 35% of workers in the United States’ 10 highest-paying occupations – up from 13% in 1980.
The higher education pipeline suggests a long path is ahead for increasing diversity, especially in fields like computing and engineering.
College graduates without a college-educated parent have lower incomes and less wealth, on average, than those with a parent who has a bachelor’s or higher degree.
The charts below allow for comparisons between racial or ethnic groups over time on a range of measures including educational attainment, household income, life expectancy and others. You may select any two groups at a time for comparison.
On key economic outcomes, single adults at prime working age increasingly lag behind those who are married or cohabiting
Black and Hispanic workers remain underrepresented in STEM jobs compared with their share of the U.S. workforce.
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