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Population characteristics
SCHOOL DROPOUTS
As of October 2002, the latest year for which
data are available, there were approximately 3,721,000 high school
dropouts* in the United States. This translates into a total dropout
rate of 10.5 percent among people in this age group, a rate that
has been in decline over the past several decades.
Since 1970, Hispanic students have had the highest
dropout rates, representing 25.7 percent of Hispanic young adults
in 2003. The high Hispanic dropout rate is partly due to the high
dropout rate among Hispanics born outside of the United States (41.4
percent). First generation Hispanics, those who were born in the
U.S. but have at least one parent born elsewhere, have a much lower
dropout rate (14.4 percent), and the rate among second generation
or higher Hispanics, those who were born in the U.S. to American-born
parents, is comparable to that of other racial/ethnic groups (11.3
percent). The dropout rates among non-Hispanic Whites and non-Hispanic
Blacks in 2002 were 6.5 and 11.3 percent, respectively.
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce,
high school dropouts are more likely to be unemployed and, when
they are employed, earn less than those who completed high school.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, those who
did not complete high school report worse health than their peers
who did complete high school, regardless of income.
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Line Chart: Status School Dropout Rates for Ages
16-24, by Race/Ethnicity: 1990-2002
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