Literacy Facts
One out of three working-age Michigan adults - 1.7 million people - lack the basic skills or credentials to attain family-sustaining jobs and contribute to the state's economy. U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey. 2006 Public Use Microdata Samples[Data File]. Retrieved from www.census.gov/acs.
- Of these adults, 692,000 do not have a GED or high-school diploma. U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey. 2006 Michigan Age by Educational Attainment for the Population 18 and Over [Data File]. Retrieved from www.census.gov/acs
- 44 percent of Michigan's adults have very minimal literacy skills, no greater than those necessary to perform simple and everyday activities. Michigan League for Human Services (MLHS). 2007. Fixing the Leaky Pipeline: Why Adult Education and Skills Training Matters for Michigan's Future.
- Nearly 1.15 million working adults in Michigan who have earned a GED or high-school diploma, but have not entered post-secondary education, are earning at or below the State's median wage of $15.45 per hour. U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey.
- According to community colleges around the state, at least 60 percent of students entering these institutions require remediation prior to engaging in post-secondary education. Basic skills development is a major barrier for many who are seeking post-secondary credentials. Michigan Community College Association
- Michigan is ranked 44th in terms of enrollment in state administered adult basic education programs per 1,000 adults with less than a high-school diploma. The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) and the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) (2008) Adult Learning in Focus: National and State-by-State Data.
- In part because of limited basic skills, 28 percent of working poor families (24,229 families) had a parent without a high-school diploma; 11 percent of working poor families (9,518 families) had a parent who speaks English lless than "very well". Michigan League for Human Services. Labor Day Report. 2008. Referencing Population Reference Bureau analysis of American Community Survey data, as requested by the Working Poor Families Project.
