Back to School: Facts for the 2013-14 School Year

The U.S. Census Bureau has compiled the following facts and figures related to back-to-school shopping and school enrollment in the United States, using data from 2011 and 2012.

Back-to-School Shopping

$8.5 billion: The amount of money spent at family clothing stores in August 2012. Sales at bookstores in August 2012 totaled $2 billion.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Monthly Retail Trade and Food Services

Students

79 million: The number of children and adults enrolled in school throughout the country in October 2011 — from nursery school to college. They comprised 26.9 percent of the entire population age 3 and older.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, School Enrollment - Social and Economic Characteristics of Students

Pre-K through 12 Enrollment

77%: Percentage of children age 3 to 6 enrolled in all-day kindergarten as of October 2011.

73%: Percentage of children age 3 to 6 enrolled in school.

25%: Percentage of elementary through high school students who had at least one foreign-born parent in October 2011.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, School Enrollment - Social and Economic Characteristics of Students

Languages

11.8 million: Number of school-age children (5 to 17) who spoke a language other than English at home in 2011; 8.5 million of these children spoke Spanish at home.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 American Community Survey

Colleges

15%: Percentage of all college students 35 and older in October 2011. They made up 32 percent of those attending school part time.

42%: Percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college in 2011.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, School Enrollment - Social and Economic Characteristics of Students

Work Status

52: Percentage of students enrolled in college, who worked less than full time, year-round in 2011; 20 percent worked full time, year-round.

3,068,911: Number of enrolled high school students who work less than full time, year-round; 145,740 students in high school worked full time, year-round.

Source: School Enrollment and Work Status: 2011 Appendix

Field of Degree

12.0 million: Number of people age 25 and older who held a bachelor's degree in business in 2011.

Business degrees were reported by 20 percent of the population with a bachelor's degree, followed by:

• Education: 14 percent

• Science and engineering related fields: 9 percent

• Social sciences and engineering: 8 percent

• Biological, agricultural and environmental sciences: 6 percent

• Other, liberal arts and history: 5 percent

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 American Community Survey

Rewards of Staying in School

$81,761: Average earnings of full-time, year-round workers 18 and older with an bachelor's degree or higher in 2011. Workers whose highest degree was a bachelor's had average earnings of $70,459.

The average earnings for full-time, year-round workers with a high school diploma or GED certificate was $40,634, while workers with less than a ninth grade education had $26,545 average earnings.

Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

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