Innovation
Educational Attainment by Age
Description: The difference in educational attainment between Arizona and the nation in 2000 is expressed in this indicator. Attainment is defined in this case as the share of the population having earned an associate’s degree or more education. The data are presented for selected age groups, with an emphasis on those of working age.
Rationale: A central theme of the economic literature on regional economic growth is the importance of high-quality human capital in the workforce. Educational attainment of the working-age population is a measure of the quality of the labor force available to innovative companies. The younger population is of particular importance.
Data Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, 2000 census http://www.census.gov/main/www/cen2000.html. The data were calculated from the Public Use Microdata Sample.
Comments on the Quality of the Data: Coming from the long-form questionnaire of the decennial census, the data are subject to sampling error.
