• Nationwide, on average, only 79% of U.S. adults are literate in 2022.
• 21% of adults in the US are illiterate in 2022.
• 54% of adults have a literacy level below 6th grade.
• Low levels of literacy cost the US up to 2.2 trillion per year.
• On average, nationwide, 66% of 4th-grade children in the U.S. could not read proficiently in 2013.
• 85% of juvenile offenders have problems reading.
• 60% of people in American prisons can’t read.
• 75% of people on welfare can’t read.
References
1. U.S. Department of Education Data Points Adult Literacy in the United States
2. NCES Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies
3. Digest of Education Statistics 2018
4. Literacy Project – 30 Key Child Literacy Stats Parents Need to Be Aware of