TAKE NOTE
Smarter Than You Might Think
First in a series on 'average' Americans..
It wasn’t too long ago when everyone knew the average American family consisted of a mother, a father, 2.3 kids and a pet—or something like that—and they lived together in their own, mortgaged, single-family home. Is that still the case, today? Assuming they represent the bulk of your customers, wouldn’t that be good to know?
In a series of analytical briefs issued by the U.S. Census Bureau, Dept. of Commerce, and based on the 2000 census, a more updated profile of average Americans emerges. Over the next few months, Draperies & Windows Coverings will mine these statistics to find some interesting facts we might not have known. We begin with education.
The education levels of the U.S. population reached an all-time high, according to a census brief issued August 2003. Of the 182.2 million people aged 25 and over, 80 percent had a high school diploma or more—and 24 percent had completed at least a bachelor’s degree.
The high levels of education seen in 2000 reflect a steady increase in educational attainment that has taken place over much of the preceding century, the brief states. During a span of 60 years, “high school has gone from being the mark of the educated minority of the population to the minimum education level for four out of five adults,” it adds.
As you might expect, the middle-aged population (probably your best target market) had the highest levels of education: 45- to 49-year olds were highest in high school graduation and some college or more; and 50- to 54-year-olds here highest in bachelor’s and advanced degree attainment.
The brief, “Educational Attainment: 2000” was written by Kurt J. Bauman and Niki L. Graf.
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