The percentage of the population ages 25 and over with less than a high school diploma declined from 44 percent in 1970 to 17 percent in 1998. Over the same period, the percentage of adults who completed at least some college has more than doubled, from 22 percent to 58 percent. Although the trend has slowed somewhat in recent years, the overall increase in educational attainment has been dramatic.

Educational attainment has increased among all of the major racial and ethnic groups. However, Hispanics have not advanced as quickly as other minority populations. The percentage of Hispanics with at least a high school diploma has increased over the past 25 years, but has not kept pace with the rapid growth of the Hispanic population as a whole. As a result, the number of Hispanics without a high school diploma has more than doubled over the past two decades, from 3 million in 1975 to more than 7 million in 1998.