Back to School: the Statistics

Read Time:7 Minute, 13 Second

By U.S. Census Bureau, Special for  USDR

 

Summertime is winding down and vacations are coming to an end, signaling that back-to-school time is here. 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

$8.8  billion 
The estimated sales at family clothing stores in August 2015. The sales at bookstores in August 2015 were estimated at $1.6 billion.
Source: Monthly Retail Trade and Food  Services
www.census.gov/retail/mrts/www/mrtssales92-present.xls

28,138
The number of family clothing stores in 2014. For back-to-school shopping, choices of retail establishments were plenty: In 2014, there were 7,351 children and infants clothing stores; 25,214 shoe stores; 6,823 office supply and stationery stores; 6,888 bookstores; and 7,898 department stores.
Source: 2014 County Business Patterns, NAICS: 448140, 448130, 448210, 453210, 451211, 45211
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/BP/2014/00A1//naics~44813|44814|448210|451211|4521|453210

$83.5  billion
The estimated dollar value of private and public educational construction in 2015.
Source: Value of Construction Put in Place Survey
www.census.gov/construction/c30/xls/total.xls

$2.9  billion
The third quarter 2015 after tax profit estimates for apparel and leather product manufacturing corporations, up $1.2 billionfrom after tax profits in the second quarter of 2015.
Source: Quarterly Financial Report
www.census.gov/econ/qfr/

$17.7  million
In 2015, the dollar value of U.S. imports of rubber erasers. The majority of this amount ($10.3 million) was for rubber erasers imported from China.
Source: International Trade Statistics, Harmonized Code: 4016920000  https://usatrade.census.gov/

$2.6  million
The dollar value of rubber erasers exported in 2015. Mexico was the leading customer, purchasing $1.5 million worth.
Source: International Trade Statistics, Harmonized Code: 4016920000  https://usatrade.census.gov/

$256.9  million
The dollar value of binders and folders imported in 2015. China was the principal importer, importing a value of $128.9 million.
Source: International Trade Statistics, Harmonized Code: 482030
https://usatrade.census.gov/

$41.5  million
The dollar value of binders and folders exported in 2015. Canada was the majority exporter, purchasing more than any other country, $28.5 million.
Source: International Trade Statistics, Harmonized Code: 482030
https://usatrade.census.gov/

Students

77.2  million
The number of children and adults enrolled in school throughout the country in October 2014 — from nursery school to college. They comprised 25.6 percent of the entire population age 3 and older.
Source: School Enrollment – Social and Economic Characteristics of Students: October 2014, Table 1
www.census.gov/hhes/school/data/cps/2014/tables.html

Pre-K through 12  Enrollment

48.3  million
Fall enrollment for elementary and secondary public school systems in 2013.
Source: Public Elementary-Secondary School System Finances by Enrollment-Size Groups: Fiscal Year 2014, 2014 Annual Survey of School System Finances  
http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=SSF_2014_00A13&prodType=table

$11,009
The amount of current spending per pupil for elementary and secondary public school systems in the United States in 2014.
Source: Per Pupil Amounts for Current Spending of Public Elementary-Secondary School Systems by State: Fiscal Year 2014,United States, States, 2014 Annual Survey of School System Finances
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/SSF/2014/00A08

79.3%
The percentage of children 3 to 6 years old who were enrolled in school as of October 2014.
Source: School Enrollment – Social and Economic Characteristics of Students: October 2014, Table 3
www.census.gov/hhes/school/data/cps/2014/tables.html

80.5% 
The percentage of children ages 3 to 6 enrolled in kindergarten who attended all day, as of October 2014.
Source: School Enrollment – Social and Economic Characteristics of Students: October 2014, Table 3
www.census.gov/hhes/school/data/cps/2014/tables.html

25.6%  
The percentage of elementary through high school students who had at least one foreign-born parent in October 2014.
Source: School Enrollment – Social and Economic Characteristics of Students: October 2014, Table 1
www.census.gov/hhes/school/data/cps/2014/tables.html

Languages

11.8  million
Number of school-age children (5 to 17) who spoke a language other than English at home; 8.5 million of these children spoke Spanish at home.
Source: 2014 American Community  Survey 
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/14_1YR/B16004

Colleges

4,688
The number of colleges, universities and professional schools in the United States in 2014. There were 1,083 junior colleges.
Source: 2014 County Business  Patterns
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/BP/2014/00A1//naics~ALL-6112|ALL-6113

14.7%
The percentage of college and graduate school students age 35 and older in October 2014. They made up 34.5 percent of those attending school part time.
Source: School Enrollment – Social and Economic Characteristics of Students: October 2014, Table  5
www.census.gov/hhes/school/data/cps/2014/tables.html

40.0%
The percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college or graduate school in 2014.
Source: School Enrollment – Social and Economic Characteristics of Students: October 2014, Table 1
www.census.gov/hhes/school/data/cps/2014/tables.html

Work  Status

52.1%
The 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  www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/acsbr11-14.pdf

3.1  million
The 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  www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/acsbr11-14.pdf

Field of Degree

13.1  million
The number of people age 25 and over who held a bachelor’s degree in business in 2014. Business degrees were reported by 20.4 percent of the population with a bachelor’s degree, followed by education (13.0 percent); science and engineering related fields (9.2 percent); engineering (7.8 percent); social sciences (7.7 percent); biological, agricultural and environmental sciences (6.1 percent); and liberal arts and history (5.0 percent).
Source: 2014 American Community  Survey
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/14_1YR/B15010

74.3%
The percentage of those in 2012 who had a bachelor’s degree in science, technology, engineering or math — commonly referred to as STEM — and were not employed in STEM occupations.
Source: 2012 American Community  Survey
www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2014/cb14-130.html

Rewards of Staying in  School

$83,417
Average earnings of full-time, year-round workers age 18 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2014. Workers whose highest degree was a bachelor’s had mean earnings of $72,896. Mean earnings for full-time, year-round workers with a high school diploma (includes GED certificate) was $42,094, while workers with less than a ninth grade education had $31,288average earnings.
Source: Income and Poverty in the United States: 2014, Table  PINC-04
www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/cps-pinc.html

 

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

 

African-American History Month (February)     

Labor Day (1st Monday in September)

Super Bowl (1st  Sunday in February)             

Grandparents Day (1st Sunday after Labor Day)

Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14)                    

Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15)

Women’s History Month (March)           

Unmarried and Single Americans Week (3rd week of September)

Irish-American Heritage Month (March)/    

Halloween (Oct. 31)

     St. Patrick’s Day (March 17)              

American Indian/Alaska Native Heritage Month

Earth Day (April 22)                           

       (November) 

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (May)     

Veterans Day (Nov. 11)        

Older Americans Month (May)                  

Thanksgiving Day (4th Thursday in November)

Mother’s Day (2nd Sunday in May)          

The Holiday Season (December)      

Hurricane Season Begins (June 1)     

Father’s Day (3rd Sunday in June)     

The Fourth of July (July 4)

Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act (July 26)

Back to School (August)                  

 

 

SOURCE U.S. Census  Bureau

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