Percent of High School Dropouts among persons 16 to 24 years old, by race/ethnicity, 1970-2003

All Races

White, non Hispanic

Black, non-Hispanic

Hispanic

1970

15.0%

13.2%

27.9%

NA

1980

14.1

11.4

19.1

35.2%

1990

12.1

9.0

13.2

32.4

1995

12.0

8.6

12.1

30.0

2000

10.9

6.9

13.1

27.8

2001

10.7

7.3

10.9

27.0

2002

10.5

6.5

11.3

25.7

2003

9.9

6.3

10.9

23.5

Source: Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics Tables and Figures, 2004.  Table 107.

Note: Dropouts are 16 to 24 year olds who are not enrolled in school and who have not completed a high school program regardless of when they left school.

 Dropout Rates in the U.S. Labor Force, 1940-2000

(Percent of workers aged 18 to 64)

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

Male workers

Native-born

67.3%

61.3%

52.0%

38.4%

23.8%

12.9%

8.7%

Mexican immigrants

94.6

91.2

88.3

82.6

77.2

70.4

63.0

Non-Mexican immigrants

84.4

76.4

64.5

45.5

30.2

21.0

17.0

Female workers

Native-born

50.6

46.3

42.4

31.2

19.2

9.8

6.5

Mexican immigrants

84.5

82.4

83.9

77.3

72.9

64.7

57.0

Non-Mexican immigrants

79.2

68.5

59.3

43.9

30.1

20.0

15.5

Source: George Borjas and Lawrence Katz, "The Evolution of the Mexican-born Workforce in the United States," Harvard University and NBER, April 2005. Table 2.