A county level analysis of high school dropout rates nationwide

Abstract

Not long ago, the educational system in the United States was seen as an exemplary model throughout the world. In recent years, the United States is losing the competition in terms of educational attainment compared to other industrialized countries, and the situation calls for concerns. In the face of an increased integration of world economies and the associated fierce global workforce competition, it is important for the United States to remain as competitive as it was. To address the issue, this paper analyzes the socioeconomic factors that explain the dropout rates in the United States using county-level data for 1990 and 2000 from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. Our findings point to regional as well as racial disparities.