Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Education Adds Years to Life

The higher your educational attainment the greater your life expectancy, according to the new edition of Health, United States, which includes a special feature on socioeconomic status and health.

Among men aged 25, those without a high school diploma can expect to live 47 more years. Those with a bachelor's degree have a life expectancy of 56 additional years--a 9.3 year gap. Educational attainment boosts women's life expectancy too. Among women aged 25 without a high school diploma, life expectancy is 52 more years. Among their peers with a bachelor's degree, life expectancy is another 60 years--an 8.6 year gap.

Over the past decade, the gap in the life expectancy of high school dropouts and college graduates has grown by 1.9 years among men and 2.8 years among women.

Source: Health, United States, 2011

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