Chart of the Day - Why Education Matters - The Unemployment Rate by Educational Attainment

Chart and Analysis Courtesy of ChartOfTheDay.com

Today, the Labor Department reported that the unemployment rate held steady at 9.7% during the month of February.

For some perspective on the current state of the labor market, today's chart illustrates the unemployment rate by educational attainment.

As today's chart illustrates, a higher educational attainment has correlated with a lower unemployment rate.

For example, the unemployment rate for those that have not completed high school (red line) has increased from 5.8% to 15.6% over the past 40 months -- nearly a 10 percentage point increase. Compare that to the unemployment rate for those that have obtained a bachelor's degree or greater (blue line).

The unemployment rate for those with a minimum of a bachelor's degree is currently 3 percentage points above where it was 40 months ago.

In any event, the upward trend in the unemployment rate (for all education levels) has slowed in recent months.