An estimated 30 million adults, or 14%, have "below basic" literacy skills. This means they cannot perform basic literacy functions like read a map, fill out a job application, or calculate the total cost from a purchase order. Of this 30 million, 11 million are considered "not literate in English" (National Assessment of Adult Literacy, 2002)
A rise in of 1% in literacy scores leads to a 2.5% rise in labor productivity and a 1.5% rise in G D P per person. (The Economist, August 28, 2004)
U.S. Business and industry leaders estimate spending an average of $600 million per year on remedial reading, writing, and math skills training for employees. (National Institute for Literacy, 2000)
American business currently spends more than $60 billion each year on employee training, much of that for remedial reading, writing, and mathematics. (ProLiteracy Worldwide)
Workers 18 and over with a bachelor's degree earn an average of $51,206 a year, while those with a high school diploma earn $27,915; those without a high school diploma average $18,734. (U.S. Census Bureau)
Six of the ten fastest growing occupations listed by the US Department of labor in its employment projections through 2012 require an associate's or bachelor's degree. (U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, 2004)
About a million students drop out of high school annually. (National Assessment of Adult Literacy, 2002)
One-third of all teens who enter high school do not graduate with a diploma four years later. (Dropouts in America: Confronting the Graduation Rate Crisis, Gary Orfield, 2005)
Annual health care costs in the U.S. are four times higher for individuals with low literacy skills than they are for individuals with high level literacy skills. (ProLiteracy Worldwide)
The health care industry estimates $73 billion per year of unnecessary health care expenses attributable to poor literacy. (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Statistics, 2004)
Medication errors -- many as the result of misread or misunderstood prescription labels -- are the most common medical mistakes causing up to 7,000 deaths each year. (American Medical Association, 2005)
When family members or untrained interpreters are used to assist with communication, an average of 31 translation errors are made per health care visit. (American Medical Association, 2005)
Women in the U.S. who have little formal education are more likely than educated women to be in abusive relationships. (ProLiteracy Worldwide)
One-half of all adults in U.S. federal and state correctional institutions cannot read or write at all; 85 percent of juvenile offenders have reading problems. (ProLiteracy Worldwide)
The United States prison population has tripled since 1980. Seventy percent of those inmates are either functionally illiterate or read just below the 8th grade level. (Literacy Behind Prison Walls, Profiles of the Prison Population from the NALS, 1994)
A one percent increase in high school graduation rates would save approximately $1.4 billion in costs associated with incarceration. (ProLiteracy Worldwide)
The U.S. Census FactFinder and FairData sites offer a wide range of socioeconomic data, including information on educational attainment. The Census map below shows the percent of adults without a high school diploma or equivalent in every U.S. county.
The National Institute for Literacy offers a large selection of useful literacy statistics.
The National Center for Educational Statistics, the National Center for Learning Disabilities and No Child Left Behind have statistics available as well.
Many of the sites on our links page also feature literacy statistics.
