Farm operators historically graduated from high school at lower
rates than the general public, but that gap had largely closed by
the late 1980s. By 2007, the share of farm operators receiving a
high school diploma (90 percent) exceeded the graduation rate for
all U.S. households (87 percent). College degrees remain more
common for all U.S. householders than for farm operators, though
roughly 30 percent of the operators of million-dollar farms had
college degrees in 2007, the same share as for all U.S.
householders. The educational gap between operators of
million-dollar farms and smaller farms has declined since the early
1990s. The increase in college education in the lowest sales class
may reflect higher educational levels required for off-farm work.
This chart is based on information originally provided in The Changing Organization
of U.S. Farming, EIB-88, December 2011.