Adult Educational Attainment

The Adult Educational Attainment indicator measures the population 25 years and older that have received their high school diploma (or its equivalent). Educational attainment can be tied to influences on health such as employment outcomes, income, and health behaviors, which have been linked to increased physical and mental health. The statistics comparing the health of Americans based on education are striking. Data demonstrates that the death rate declines for men and women with higher educational attainment, and the likelihood of very good or excellent personal health are greater with each higher degree of educational attainment. At age 25, U.S. adults without a high school diploma can expect to die nine (9) years sooner than college graduates. According to one study, college graduates with only a Bachelor's degree were 26% more likely to die during a 5-year study follow-up period than those with a professional degree. Americans with less than a high school education were almost twice as likely to die in the next 5 years compared to those with a professional degree. Among whites with less than 12 years of education, life expectancy at age 25 fell by more than 3 years for men and by more than 5 years for women between 1990 and 2008. By 2011, the prevalence of diabetes had reached 15% for adults without a high school education, compared with 7% for college graduates. Educational attainment has also been shown to have a multi-generational impact: children of mothers with higher levels of education tend to have better health compared to the offspring of mothers with lower educational attainment.

Neighborhoodsort ascending Indicator Value Rank
Zion City 66.9% 93
Wylam 83.2% 27
Woodlawn 71.5% 77
Woodland Park 83.1% 30
West Goldwire 83.7% 24
West End Manor 86.0% 14
West Brownville 74.0% 67
Wahouma 71.5% 77
Tuxedo 75.5% 62
Thomas 77.3% 55
Tarpley City 82.0% 34
Sun Valley 83.9% 22
Spring Lake 85.7% 15
Southside 80.3% 39
South Woodlawn 65.6% 96
South Titusville 78.8% 45
South Pratt 83.1% 30
South East Lake 74.1% 66
Smithfield Estates 83.6% 25
Smithfield 69.2% 87
Sherman Heights 75.2% 64
Sandusky 87.4% 12
Roosevelt 77.7% 50
Roebuck Springs 84.2% 20
Roebuck 79.0% 44
Rising - West Princeton 72.6% 72
Riley 72.9% 70
Redmont Park 95.4% 1
Powderly 75.6% 61
Pine Knoll Vista 87.8% 9
Penfield Park 77.9% 48
Oxmoor 95.2% 2
Overton 85.0% 18
Oakwood Place 79.3% 42
Oak Ridge Park 83.8% 23
Oak Ridge 76.3% 58
Norwood 63.4% 97
North Titusville 73.0% 69
North Pratt 77.4% 53
North East Lake 73.2% 68
North Birmingham 60.0% 98
North Avondale 72.8% 71
Mason City 71.8% 74
Maple Grove 77.9% 48
Liberty Highlands 78.6% 47
Kingston 68.0% 89
Killough Springs 83.2% 27
Jones Valley 81.0% 36
Inglenook 76.0% 60
Industrial Center 82.3% 32
Huffman 79.8% 40
Hooper City 70.8% 83
Hillman Park 71.4% 79
Hillman 77.6% 52
Highland Park 92.8% 3
Harriman Park 71.7% 75
Green Acres 82.0% 34
Graymont 65.7% 95
Grasselli Heights 69.4% 86
Glen Iris 89.8% 5
Germania Park 85.5% 17
Gate City 59.4% 99
Garden Highlands 84.0% 21
Fountain Heights 66.6% 94
Forest Park 85.6% 16
Five Points South 88.0% 8
Fairview 82.1% 33
Fairmont 68.0% 89
Evergreen 76.3% 58
Ensley Highlands 76.5% 57
Ensley 77.4% 53
Enon Ridge 75.3% 63
Echo Highlands 86.3% 13
Eastwood 81.0% 36
East Thomas 80.6% 38
East Lake 77.7% 50
East Brownville 71.3% 80
East Birmingham 74.4% 65
East Avondale 78.7% 46
Druid Hills 71.2% 81
Dolomite 76.7% 56
Crestwood South 87.5% 11
Crestwood North 91.1% 4
Crestline 89.3% 7
Collegeville 71.7% 75
College Hills 69.5% 85
Central Pratt 83.2% 27
Central Park 72.0% 73
Central City 79.1% 43
Bush Hills 70.0% 84
Brummitt Heights 87.8% 9
Brownsville Heights 67.4% 91
Brown Springs 79.6% 41
Bridlewood 89.4% 6
Belview Heights 84.7% 19
Arlington - West End 68.7% 88
Apple Valley 83.5% 26
Airport Highlands 67.3% 92
Acipco-Finley 71.0% 82

Key Citations:
1. Backlund E, Sorlie PD, Johnson NJ. A comparison of the relationships of education and income with mortality: the National Longitudinal Mortality Study. Soc Sci Med. 1999;49(10):1373-84.
2. Pappas G, Queen S, Hadden W, Fisher G. 1993. The increasing disparity in mortality between socioeconomic groups in the US, 1960 and 1986. New England Journal of Medicine; 329:103‐109.
3. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2011). Education Matters for Health. Accessed December 13, 2012. Available at: www.rwjf.org/en/research‐publications/find‐rwjf‐research/2011/06/what‐shapes‐health/education matters‐for‐health.html.
4. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011. Education pays: Unemployment and median weekly earnings by education level. US. Dept. of Labor. Available at: http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_chart_001.htm.
5. Health, United States, 2011: with special feature on socioeconomic status and health. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics; 2012.
6. Ross, C. E., Masters, R. K., & Hummer, R. A. (2012). Education and the gender gaps in health and mortality. Demography, 49(4), 1157-1183. Chicago.
7. Han, Hye-Sung. 2014. “The Impact of Abandoned Properties on Nearby Property Values.” Housing Policy Debate 24(2):311–34.