Population:

270,299,000

Age distribution:
Up to 17	25.8%
18 to 24	9.4%
25 to 44	30.8%
45 to 64	21.2%
65 and older	12.7%

Racial and ethnic distribution:
American Indian	0.9%
Asian	3.7%
Black	12.7%
White	82.7%
Hispanic (may be any race)	11.0%

Educational attainment of adults (highest level):
8th grade or less	10.4%
Some high school, no diploma	14.4%
High-school diploma	30.0%
Some college, no degree	18.7%
Associate degree	6.2%

Bachelor's degree

13.1%

(map available)

Graduate or professional degree

7.2%

Proportion who speak a language other than English at home:

13.8%

Per-capita personal income:

$26,412

Poverty rate:

13.5%

New high-school graduates in:

(map available)

1999-2000 (estimate)	2,840,170
2009-10 (estimate)	3,128,544

New GED diploma recipients:

481,213

High-school dropout rate:

10%

(map available)

President: Bill Clinton (D), term ends 2001

Vice-President: Al Gore (D), term ends 2001

Secretary of Education: Richard W. Riley

Higher education:
Public 4-year institutions	615
Public 2-year institutions	1,092
Private 4-year institutions, non-profit	1,536
Private 4-year institutions, for-profit	169
Private 2-year institutions, non-profit	184
Private 2-year institutions, for-profit	500

Total

4,096

(map available)

Average pay of full-time professors

Public universities:
Professor	$75,147
Associate professor	$53,584
Assistant professor	$44,748
All	$58,773
Other public 4-year institutions:
Professor	$64,558
Associate professor	$50,428
Assistant professor	$41,392
All	$51,017
Private universities:
Professor	$91,334
Associate professor	$59,843
Assistant professor	$50,027
All	$70,021
Other private 4-year institutions:
Professor	$61,253
Associate professor	$46,892
Assistant professor	$38,371
All	$47,492
2-year colleges:
Public	$45,919
Private	$33,592

Enrollment:
At public 4-year institutions	5,806,036
At public 2-year institutions	5,314,463
At private 4-year institutions	2,998,157
At private 2-year institutions	248,864
Undergraduate	12,326,948
Graduate	1,742,260
Professional	298,312
American Indian	137,557
Asian	828,166
Black	1,505,565
Hispanic	1,166,108
White	10,263,865
Foreign	466,259
Total	14,367,520

Enrollment highlights:
Women	55.8%

Full-time	57.8%	(map available)
Minority	26.2%	(map available)

Foreign

3.2%

Proportion of enrollment made up of minority students:
At public 4-year institutions	23.8%
At public 2-year institutions	30.9%
At private 4-year institutions	21.6%
At private 2-year institutions	31.8%

Degrees awarded:
Associate	555,216
Bachelor's	1,164,792
Master's	406,301
Doctorate	44,652
Professional	76,734

Residence of new students: 80% of all freshmen in fall 1996 who had graduated from high school in the previous year attended colleges in their home states.

Test scores: Students averaged 21.0 on the ACT and 1017 on the SAT.

Graduation rates at NCAA Division I institutions:

56%

Expenditures:
Public institutions	$119,524,500,000
Private institutions	$70,951,662,000

State funds for higher-education operating expenses:

$52,834,377,000

One-year change:

Up 7%

(map available)

State spending on student aid:

Need-based: $2,760,669,000

Non-need-based: $603,108,000

Total spending on research and development by doctorate-granting universities: $23,739,843,000

Sources:
Federal government	59.6%
State and local governments	7.7%
Industry	7.1%
The institution itself	18.6%
Other	7.0%

Total federal spending on college- and university-based research and development: $13,002,538,000

Selected programs:
Department of Health and Human Services	$7,341,816,000
National Science Foundation	$1,816,794,000
Department of Defense	$1,518,833,000
Department of Agriculture	$485,797,000
Department of Energy	$626,739,000