An Assessment of the Labor Market, Income, Health, Social, and Fiscal Consequences of Dropping Out of High School: Findings for Illinois Adults in the 21st Century

Andrew Sum, Northeastern University
Ishwar Khatiwada, Northeastern University
Joseph McLaughlin, Northeastern University
Paulo Tobar, Northeastern University

Article comments

This report was published in October 2007 and prepared for the Chicago Alternative Schools Newtwork, Chicago, Illinois by the Center for Labor Market Studies, Northeastern University, Boston, MA.

Abstract

This report is an employment analysis that will be complemented by an examination of the annual earnings of Illinois adults (18-64) by educational attainment in 2005 with separate breakouts of the data for men and women, and comparisons of the findings for Illinois with those for the entire U.S. The findings are based on a wide array of data sources on Illinois adults for varying time periods. It begins with an overview of the sources of the data underlying all of the estimates appearing in this paper. This discussion will be followed by an examination of the employment experiences of young high school dropouts and graduates (16-19 years old) in Illinois in recent years, with some substate breakouts of the data for Cook County and the city of Chicago. The employment outcomes for teens will be supplemented with a more comprehensive examination of the employment rates of Illinois adults (25 and older) by educational attainment during 2005 together with comparisons with the U.S.