Educational Attainment

What is educational attainment?

Educational attainment is the highest level of education a person has completed. People with more education usually earn more than people with less education. In California, 19 percent of adults over 25 do not have a high school degree, compared to 14 percent for the United States.

Why is this indicator included in CalEnviroScreen?

People with more education are more likely to have better health and live longer.
Studies have found that communities of more educated people are less polluted.
Adults with less education have more pollution-related health problems. They are more likely to die from the effects of air pollution.

What measure is used in CalEnviroScreen 4.0 to evaluate educational attainment?

The US Census Bureau's American Community Survey maintains information on the rates of educational attainment across different areas in California.
The indicator is the percent of the population over age 25 with less than a high school education.
The data are from the years 2015-2019.
A complete description of the Educational Attainment indicator can be found in the CalEnviroScreen 4.0 report.