Demographic characteristics of telecommunications workers: Share of workers by age, education, gender, race/ethnicity, and nativity, select periods, 1973 to 2019
| 1973–1979 | 1983–1986 | 2003–2006 | 2016–2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | ||||
| 16–24 | 18.6% | 10.0% | 8.7% | 6.9% |
| 25–54 | 73.4% | 81.0% | 80.8% | 73.1% |
| 55–64 | 7.2% | 8.3% | 9.1% | 16.7% |
| 65+ | 0.8% | 0.8% | 1.4% | 3.2% |
| Average age | 36 | 38 | 40 | 43 |
| Educational attainment | ||||
| Less than high school | 7.1% | 4.6% | 2.1% | 1.5% |
| High school | 56.3% | 46.2% | 24.7% | 20.4% |
| Some college | 28.3% | 32.1% | 37.8% | 33.4% |
| College degree | 7.3% | 13.7% | 25.8% | 31.1% |
| Advanced degree | 1.0% | 3.5% | 9.5% | 13.6% |
| Gender | ||||
| Women | 48.4% | 45.4% | 41.6% | 30.8% |
| Men | 51.6% | 54.6% | 58.5% | 69.3% |
| Race/ethnicity | ||||
| White | 86.2% | 80.1% | 68.1% | 62.0% |
| Black | 10.0% | 12.6% | 15.9% | 14.3% |
| Latino | 2.8% | 5.1% | 9.3% | 13.3% |
| Other | 1.1% | 2.1% | 0.8% | 0.9% |
| Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) | n.a. | n.a. | 6.0% | 9.6% |
| Nativity | ||||
| Foreign born | n.a. | n.a. | 10.4% | 15.5% |
| U.S. born | n.a. | n.a. | 89.6% | 84.5% |
Notes: Race/ethnicity categories are mutually exclusive. Prior to 1989, AAPI was not reported separately and included in “Other.” Data on nativity are not available for 1973–1986.
Source: EPI analysis of Current Population Survey data (EPI 2020).