California :: U.S. Skills Map: State and County Indicators of Adult Literacy and Numeracy :: NCES

U.S. Skills Map: State and County Indicators of Adult Literacy and Numeracy

NCES: April 2020

U.S. Skills Map

The National Center for Education Statistics surveyed 12,330 U.S. adults ages 16 to 74 living in households during 2012 to 2017 for the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), an international study involving over 35 countries. Using small area estimation models, indirect estimates of literacy and numeracy proficiency have been produced for all U.S. states and counties. By using PIAAC survey data in conjunction with data from the American Community Survey, the Skills Map provides reliable estimates of adult literacy and numeracy skills in all 50 states, all 3,141 counties, and the District of Columbia.

At or below Level 1:   22% National est.

read short digital or print texts to locate a single piece of information

At Level 2:   32% National est.

make matches between the text, either digital or printed, and information, and may require paraphrasing or low-level inferences

At or above Level 3:   46% National est.

often dense or lengthy. Understanding text and rhetorical structures is often required, as is navigating complex digital texts

National Average Scale Score:   264 (between 1-500)

Top 10 States – At or below Level 1: 22%

11: NH

13: AK ME MN MT ND VT

14: WY

15: IA WI

Bottom 10 States – At or below Level 1

29: NM

28: CA MS TX

27: LA

25: NV

24: AL FL GA NY

States above National Average Scale Score: 264

279: MN NH

277: AK DC VT

276: ND

275: WA

274: UT

States below National Average Scale Score

252: LA MS NM

254: TX

255: NV

256: AR

257: CA

259: AL FL

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Literacy Reports & Statistics

Adult

2020: US Skills Map: State & County Indicators of Adult Literacy & Numeracy, NCES

2019: Adult Literacy in the United States, NCES 2019-179

2019: Literacy Gap Map, Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy

2013: OECD Skills Outlook 2013: First Results from the Survey of Adult Skills, OECD

2009: Literacy of America's Least Literate Adults, NAAL 2003

2006: Literacy of America's College Students, AIR

2007: Literacy in Everyday Life, NAAL 2003

2003: National Assessment of Adult Literacy, NAAL

2000: Programs for Adults in Public Library Outlets, USDE, NCES

1992: National Adult Literacy Survey, NALS