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.

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

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.