educational attainment of veterans: 2000 to 2009€“ in this analysis, “advanced degree”...

Educational Attainment of Veterans: 2000 to 2009

Prepared by the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics

January 2011

NCVAS National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics

Data Source and Methods

• Data for this analysis come from 10 years of the Current Population Survey (CPS) .

• The CPS is the official source of employment statistics for the nation.

• The CPS is a monthly survey of about 50,000 households conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• The universe for this analysis is the civilian population 18 years and older.

• Educational attainment refers to the highest level of education an individual has completed.

– In this analysis, “advanced degree” refers to Master’s, PhD, JD, MD, or other professional degree.

• All comparative statements have undergone statistical testing and are significant at the 90-percent confidence level.

2

• Prior to 2003, the CPS used the 1990 Census question on race that does not allow for more than one race reporting.

• Starting in 2003, the CPS began using the Census 2000 question on race that allows for more than one race reporting, but does not include the Census 2000 "Some Other Race" category.

• Data from 2003 and later in this analysis are shown for single-race reportings (i.e., “White Non-Hispanic” means “White alone Non-Hispanic”). Therefore, data may not be directly comparable to earlier years.

• Hispanics may be of any race. To avoid overlap, races are shown as “Race Non-Hispanic.”

• “Other Non-Hispanic” in this analysis includes American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and two or more races. Sample sizes for the Veteran population are too small to show these races individually.

3

Notes about Race and Hispanic Origin

4

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Percent with a Bachelor’s Degree

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Percent with an Advanced Degree

Throughout the decade, a higher percentage of Veterans than non-Veterans had completed some college, but not a degree.

While Veterans lagged behind non-Veterans for completion of a Bachelor’s degree, there was a significant increase in the

percentage of Veterans with a Bachelor’s degree between 2000 and 2009. The percentage of Veterans with an advanced

degree was higher than that of non-Veterans each year and increased significantly over the decade.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Surveys, annual averages 2000 to 2009.


Percent with Some College

Veteran Non-Veteran

Higher percentages of both male and female Veterans had completed some college education (i.e., an Associate’s degree or

less) compared with non-Veterans. Female Veterans were also more likely than male Veterans to have completed

some college education.

5Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Surveys, annual averages 2000 to 2009.


Men Women

31.9%

25.4%

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Veteran Non-Veteran

43.4%

29.2%

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Percent of the Population 18 Years and Older with Some College by Sex and Veteran Status

Male Veterans lagged behind male non-Veterans with a Bachelor’s degree throughout the decade. In contrast, female Veterans

were more likely to have a Bachelor’s degree than their non-Veteran counterparts. Since 2002, a higher percentage of female

Veterans than male Veterans had completed a Bachelor’s degree.



Men Women

16.3%

18.1%

0

5

10

15

20

25

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

21.0%

18.2%

0

5

10

15

20

25

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Percent of the Population 18 Years and Older with a Bachelor’s Degree by Sex and Veteran Status

Veteran Non-Veteran

The percentage of male and female Veterans with an advanced degree has increased over the past decade. Overall, a higher

percentage of male Veterans had an advanced degree compared with male non-Veterans. Since 2004, the percentage of female

Veterans with an advanced degree has been significantly higher than female non-Veterans

but not statistically different than male Veterans.



Men Women

10.4%

9.5%

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

11.0%

8.8%

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Percent of the Population 18 Years and Older with an Advanced Degree by Sex and Veteran Status

Veteran Non-Veteran

Some differences in educational attainment may be attributable to age. Male Veterans overall are significantly older than male

non-Veterans, female Veterans, and female non-Veterans. A large portion of the older male Veteran population may have

completed all the secondary education they ever will while the relatively young population of female Veterans may still be

pursuing college degrees.

61

47

41

46

Male Veterans

Male Non-Veterans

Female Veterans

Female Non-Veterans

8



58

45

37

43

62

47

42

43

64

50

48

47

Male Veterans

Male Non-Veterans

Female Veterans

Female Non-Veterans

Some College

Bachelor's Degree

Advanced Degree

Median Age by Sex and Veteran Status: 2009 Median Age by Sex, Veteran Status, and

Educational Attainment: 2009

9

A higher percentage of Veterans in all race groups had completed some college education, compared with non-Veterans. For the

Veteran population, only White Non-Hispanic Veterans had a significant increase in the percentage completing some college

between 2000 and 2009. There was no significant change for Veterans in the other race groups.

41.9%

23.7%

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Other Non-Hispanic

Veterans: no significant change 2000 to 2009

36.6%

21.0%

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Hispanic


31.5%

29.1%

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

38.4%

29.8%

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009


Percent of the Population 18 Years and Older with Some College Education by Race and Hispanic Origin and Veteran Status



White Non-Hispanic

Veteran Non-Veteran

Veterans: significant increase 2000 to 2009

Black Non-Hispanic

10

The percentage of White Non-Hispanic and Other Non-Hispanic Veterans with a Bachelor’s degree was significantly lower than

the percentage of similar non-Veterans throughout the decade. There was not a significant difference in the percentage of Black

Non-Hispanic Veterans and non-Veterans with a Bachelor’s degree. A higher percentage of Hispanic Veterans than Hispanic

non-Veterans had a Bachelor’s degree.

16.0%

26.1%

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Other Non-Hispanic


13.8%

8.5%

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Hispanic


17.4%

20.5%

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

White Non-Hispanic


12.3%

12.1%

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Black Non-Hispanic




Percent of the Population 18 Years and Older with a Bachelor’s Degree by Race and Hispanic Origin and Veteran Status

Veteran Non-Veteran

11

In each year from 2000 to 2009, a higher percentage of White Non-Hispanic and Hispanic Veterans had an advanced degree,

compared with similar non-Veterans. A higher percentage of Black Non-Hispanic Veterans in all years except 2002, 2005, 2006,

and 2007 had an advanced degree compared with non-Veterans. A lower percentage of Other Non-Hispanic Veterans had an

advanced degree in all years.

7.4%

5.6%

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Black Non-Hispanic

8.1%

15.1%

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Other Non-Hispanic

5.6%

3.2%

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Hispanic

11.2%

10.4%

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009



Percent of the Population 18 Years and Older with an Advanced Degree by Race and Hispanic Origin and Veteran Status

Veteran Non-Veteran

White Non-Hispanic

Veterans: significant increase 2000 to 2009 Veterans: no significant change 2000 to 2009

Veterans: no significant change 2000 to 2009 Veterans: no significant change 2000 to 2009

SummaryBetween 2000 and 2009, there has been a significant increase in the percentage of Veterans 18 years and older with

a Bachelor’s degree and the percentage of Veterans with an advanced degree as their highest level of education

completed.

Overall, the percentage of Veterans with a Bachelor’s degree was lower than that of non-Veterans throughout the

decade. However, after taking sex into consideration, a higher percentage of female Veterans were found to have

completed a Bachelor’s degree compared with non-Veteran women.

Since 2002, a higher percentage of female Veterans than male Veterans had a Bachelor’s degree. Since 2004, there

has been no statistical difference in the percentage of male and female Veterans with an advanced degree.

Age may be a factor in the differences between the educational attainment of male and female Veterans and

non-Veterans. Male Veterans, as a group, are significantly older and may have completed all the education they ever

will while the younger female Veteran cohort may still be pursuing their secondary education.

When taking race and Hispanic origin into consideration, only Hispanic Veterans had a higher percentage with a

Bachelor’s degree when compared with their non-Veteran counterparts. A lower percentage of White Non-Hispanic

and Other Non-Hispanic Veterans than non-Veterans had a Bachelor’s degree. There was no significant difference

between Black Non-Hispanic Veterans and non-Veterans with a Bachelor’s degree.

There was a significant increase in the percentage of White Non-Hispanic and Hispanic Veterans with a Bachelor’s

degree between 2000 and 2009. There was no significant change over the decade for Black Non-Hispanic or Other

Non-Hispanic Veterans.12

Contact Information

Kelly Ann HolderDepartment of Veterans Affairs

Office of Policy and Planning

National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics

[email protected]

(202)266-4643

13

mailto:[email protected]

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