High School Completion (%)
Women without a high school degree have lower earnings, more difficulty securing health care, and are more likely to engage in substance abuse, experience unintended pregnancy, or suffer adverse health consequences.1 In addition, women who complete high school have higher average “health literacy” (i.e., the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions) than those who have not completed high school.2
What percentage of women graduate from high school?
The Report Card uses the Healthy People 2010 goal of 90 percent high school completion (when applied to women) [Healthy People 2010 Objective 7-1].
| State | State Overall Data | State Grade | State Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 84.5 | F | 46 |
| Alaska | 91.3 | S | 12 |
| Arizona | 85.9 | U | 41 |
| Arkansas | 84.6 | F | 45 |
| California | 82.8 | F | 50 |
| Colorado | 90.6 | S | 22 |
| Connecticut | 91.2 | S | 14 |
| Delaware | 90.2 | S | 23 |
| District of Columbia | 88.8 | S- | 33 |
| Florida | 89.1 | S- | 31 |
| Georgia | 87.4 | U | 36 |
| Hawaii | 89.6 | S- | 26 |
| Idaho | 90.9 | S | 19 |
| Illinois | 89.1 | S- | 31 |
| Indiana | 89.6 | S- | 26 |
| Iowa | 91.7 | S | 10 |
| Kansas | 91.9 | S | 8 |
| Kentucky | 83.4 | F | 48 |
| Louisiana | 87.0 | U | 37 |
| Maine | 91.1 | S | 16 |
| Maryland | 91.1 | S | 16 |
| Massachusetts | 91.3 | S | 12 |
| Michigan | 91.7 | S | 10 |
| Minnesota | 92.5 | S | 4 |
| Mississippi | 83.3 | F | 49 |
| Missouri | 89.3 | S- | 29 |
| Montana | 93.7 | S | 2 |
| Nebraska | 91.1 | S | 16 |
| Nevada | 86.9 | U | 39 |
| New Hampshire | 93.9 | S | 1 |
| New Jersey | 89.3 | S- | 29 |
| New Mexico | 84.2 | F | 47 |
| New York | 87.0 | U | 37 |
| North Carolina | 87.8 | S- | 35 |
| North Dakota | 92.3 | S | 6 |
| Ohio | 89.5 | S- | 28 |
| Oklahoma | 90.1 | S | 24 |
| Oregon | 89.9 | S- | 25 |
| Pennsylvania | 88.6 | S- | 34 |
| Rhode Island | 84.8 | F | 44 |
| South Carolina | 86.6 | U | 40 |
| South Dakota | 91.2 | S | 14 |
| Tennessee | 85.4 | F | 42 |
| Texas | 80.5 | F | 51 |
| Utah | 91.9 | S | 8 |
| Vermont | 92.5 | S | 4 |
| Virginia | 90.8 | S | 20 |
| Washington | 93.2 | S | 3 |
| West Virginia | 85.0 | F | 43 |
| Wisconsin | 90.7 | S | 21 |
| Wyoming | 92.2 | S | 7 |
Data Source: High School Completion (%), 2008-2009.
EXPLANATION: This indicator measures the percent of civilian, non-institutionalized women age 22 and older who are high school graduates. This includes those who have earned a high school diploma or equivalent (such as a GED) or any higher degree. To increase the sample size, the Report Card uses data for women age 22 and older. Information about the percentage of civilian, non-institutionalized women age 25 and older who have some college or an Associate degree, and those with a Bachelor’s degree is also provided in the demographic profile for each state.
SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), “Annual Social and Economic Supplement” (ASEC) 2009, 2010 (databases). Available at http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/cpstc/cps_table_creator.html
Footnotes
1U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Healthy People 2010, 2nd ed. (Washington: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000), 7-13, available at: http://www.healthypeople.gov/Publications/.
2Institute of Education Sciences (2006) The Health Literacy of America’s Adults Results from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy, (U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences,2006Available at: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2006/2006483.pdf
