• Just 35 percent of individuals with below basic skills are employed full time, while 64 percent in the proficient category have full-time jobs.
  • The salaries of adults with below-basic literacy skills are, on average, $28,000 less than salaries of adults with proficient skills.
  • Single mothers who lack a high school degree are much more likely to be on welfare than women who have a high school degree.
  • Women with low literacy are twice as likely as men to be in the lowest earnings category of $300 a week or less.
  • Minimum wage workers increased wages by 18 to 25 percent within 18 months of exiting an adult education program. (Source: ProLiteracy®)
  • High school dropouts earn an average of $19,000 annually, or $7,000 less than high school graduates
  • Adults with no high school diploma earn about half of what adults with an associate degree earn, and only 39 percent of what adults with a bachelor’s degree earn.
  • Unemployment is four times higher (8 percent) among high school dropouts than high school graduates (2 percent).
  • Six of the 10 fastest growing occupations, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, require an associate or bachelor’s degree. (Source: Florida Literacy Coalition).

Thank you for your support of the Literacy Council Gulf Coast! You are making a difference in our community and improving literacy across the board!