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

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.