13% of adult Latinos have a college degree or higher, compared with 41% for white adults

Latino adults in San Diego County continue to lag far behind their white peers in obtaining a college education. According to U.S. census data to be released today, 13% of adult Latinos – the lowest rate among all minority groups – have a college degree or higher, compared with 41% for white adults. The statistics reflect a three-year average of census surveys taken between 2005 and 2007 and represent the most geographically detailed portrait of the county's adult population since the 2000 census. Especially telling is the disparity in educational attainment within areas of the county. In Poway, an upper-income city known for its highly regarded schools, 43% of adults 25 years or older have a bachelor's degree or higher. That compares with 26% in Oceanside and 21% in Escondido, cities that have much larger shares of Latino households. As the county's more educated white population continues to shrink over the next few decades, lower-educated Latinos will make up a much larger share of the region's workers. In 2008, 27% of adults 18 and older are Latino; in 2030, the percentage will jump to 36%, according to the San Diego Association of Governments. At the same time, the county's share of white adults will drop from 54% in 2008 to 40% in 2030.