CB14-FF.20

           July 24, 2014    

Back to School: 2014-2015

By August, summertime will be winding down and vacations will be coming to an end, signaling that back-to-school time is near. It’s a time that many children eagerly anticipate — catching up with old friends and making new ones, and settling into a new daily routine. Parents and children alike scan newspapers and websites looking for sales on a multitude of school supplies and the latest clothing fads and essentials. This edition of Facts for Features highlights the many statistics associated with the return to classrooms by our nation’s students and teachers.

Back-to-School Shopping

$8.6 billion  

The estimated amount of money spent at family clothing stores in August 2013. Sales at bookstores in August 2013 were estimated at $1.6 billion. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Monthly Retail Trade and Food Services <http://www.census.gov/retail/mrts/www/data/excel/mrtssales92-present.xls>

For back-to-school shopping, choices of retail establishments abound: In 2012, there were 25,421 family clothing stores, 6,945 children and infants clothing stores, 25,455 shoe stores 7,443 office supply and stationery stores, 20,893 sporting goods stores, 7,244 book stores and 8,196 department stores. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 County Business Patterns, NAICS: 448210, 44814, 448130, 453210, 451211 and 4521 <http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/BP/2012/00A1//naics~44813|44814|448210|451211|4521|453210>

Students

78 million  

The number of children and adults enrolled in school throughout the country in October 2012 — from nursery school to college. They comprised 26.4 percent of the entire population age 3 and older. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, School Enrollment – Social and Economic Characteristics of Students: October 2012, Table 1 <http://www.census.gov/hhes/school/data/cps/2012/tables.html>

Pre-K through 12 Enrollment

76%  

Percentage of children ages 3 to 6 enrolled in kindergarten who attended all day, as of October 2012. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, School Enrollment – Social and Economic Characteristics of Students: October 2012, Table 3 <http://www.census.gov/hhes/school/data/cps/2012/tables.html>

74%   

Percentage of children 3 to 6 years old who were enrolled in school as of October 2012. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, School Enrollment – Social and Economic Characteristics of Students: October 2012, Table 3 <http://www.census.gov/hhes/school/data/cps/2012/tables.html>

25%   

Percentage of elementary through high school students who had at least one foreign-born parent in October 2012. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, School Enrollment – Social and Economic Characteristics of Students: October 2012, Table 1 <http://www.census.gov/hhes/school/data/cps/2012/tables.html>

                                           Languages       

12 million

Number of school-age children (5 to 17) who spoke a language other than English at home in 2012; 8.6 million of these children spoke Spanish at home. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 American Community Survey <http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/12_1YR/B16004>

Colleges

14%

Percentage of college students 35 and older in October 2012. They made up 32 percent of those attending school part time. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, School Enrollment – Social and Economic Characteristics of Students: October 2012, Table 5 <http://www.census.gov/hhes/school/data/cps/2012/tables.html>

41%

Percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college in 2012. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, School Enrollment – Social and Economic Characteristics of Students: October 2012, Table 1 <http://www.census.gov/hhes/school/data/cps/2012/tables.html>

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. Source: School Enrollment and Work Status: 2011, Appendix Table 1-A <http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/acsbr11-14.pdf>

3.1 million

Number of enrolled high school students who worked less than full time, year-round in 2011; 146,000 students in high school worked full time, year-round. Source: School Enrollment and Work Status: 2011, Appendix Table 1-A <http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/acsbr11-14.pdf>

Field of Degree

12.5 million

Number of people age 25 and over who held a bachelor’s degree in business in 2012. Business degrees were reported by 20.5 percent of the population with a bachelor’s degree, followed by education (13.5 percent); science—and engineering—related fields (9.1 percent); engineering (7.8 percent); social sciences (7.7 percent); biological, agricultural and environmental sciences (6.2 percent); other (5.3 percent); liberal arts and history (5.0 percent); psychology (4.7 percent); literature and languages (4.4 percent); computers, mathematics and statistics (4.2 percent); visual and performing arts (4.1 percent); communications (3.7 percent); and physical and related sciences (3.3 percent). Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 American Community Survey <http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/12_1YR/B15010>

74%

Percentage of those in 2012 who have a bachelor’s degree in science, technology, engineering or math — commonly referred to as STEM — and are not employed in STEM occupations. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 American Community Survey <http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/employment_occupations/cb14-130.html>

Rewards of Staying in School

$82,720 

Average earnings of full-time, year-round workers 18 and older with an advanced degree (bachelor’s degree or higher) in 2012. Workers whose highest degree was a bachelor’s had mean earnings of $70,432. Mean earnings for full-time, year-round workers with a high school diploma (includes GED certificate) was $41,248, while workers with less than a ninth grade education had $26,679 average earnings. Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2012, Series P60-245 <http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/cpstables/032013/perinc/pinc04_000.htm>

Following is a list of observances typically covered by the Census Bureau’s Facts for Features series: 

Black History Month (February)                                                                      Labor Day

Super Bowl                                                                                                           Grandparents Day

Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14)                                                                                  Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct.15)

Women’s History Month (March)                                                                  Unmarried Single Americans Week

Irish-American Heritage Month (March)/                                                      Halloween (Oct. 31)

 St. Patrick’s Day (March 17)                                                                           American Indian/Alaska Native Heritage     

Earth Day (April 22)                                                                                              Month (November)           

Older Americans Month (May)                                                                        Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month                                       

Cinco de Mayo (May 5)                                                                                     (May)

Mother’s Day                                                                                        Veterans Day (Nov. 11)           

Hurricane Season Begins (June 1)                                                                    Thanksgiving Day              

Father’s Day                                                                                                         The Holiday Season (December)

The Fourth of July (July 4)

Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act (July 26)

Back to School  (August)                                                                                                   

Editor’s note: The preceding data were collected from a variety of sources and may be subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. Facts for Features are customarily released about two months before an observance in order to accommodate magazine production timelines. Questions or comments should be directed to the Census Bureau’s Public Information Office: telephone: 301-763-3030; or e-mail: <pio@census.gov>.