The following lists statistics regarding literacy and aliteracy from a variety of authoritative sources:

U.S. Students Who Read for Fun on Their Own Time, by Race and Ethnicity
Chart from the Pew Research Center article "Amidst many U.S. children, reading for fun has become less mutual, federal information shows" past Katherine Schaeffer. November 12, 2021.

"The shares of American 9- and 13-year-olds who say they read for fun on an almost daily basis take dropped from almost a decade ago and are at the lowest levels since at to the lowest degree the mid-1980s, co-ordinate to a survey conducted in tardily 2019 and early 2020 by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Among both age groups, the percentages who said in the 2019-20 schoolhouse year that they 'read for fun on [their] own time nigh every day' were at their lowest points since the question was first asked in 1984, co-ordinate to the survey, which was fielded amongst U.S. public and individual schoolhouse students earlier the COVID-nineteen outbreak. Information technology is unclear whether the pandemic may have changed these patterns." – Pew Research Center, "Among many U.South. children, reading for fun has go less common, federal data shows," Nov 2021.

The 2013 National Cess of Instruction Progress (NAEP) reading exam results demonstrate that far also many young people proceed to read beneath grade level. Sixty five percentage of all U.S. fourth graders scored "below skillful," which ways that they are not reading at course level. Just 35 percent of fourth graders are reading at or above grade level. In add-on, 64 percent of eighth graders are reading below grade level, whereas 36 pct are reading at or higher up grade level. Still, these statistics do evidence an improvement at both form levels. In 1992, 72 percent of fourth graders and 71 percentage of eighth graders were reading below course level.  – U.S. Department of Teaching, "The Nation'southward Report Card," 2013.

In the United states, 14 per centum of the developed population—a staggering 32 1000000 adults—cannot read.  "What's more shocking is that we haven't moved that needle in 10 years.  Nosotros know that literacy helps people escape the bonds of poverty and live longer.  Nosotros know that people who are literate are more inclined to vote, accept function in their community, and seek medical help for themselves and their families. They're besides amend equipped to take advantage of knowledge jobs, which are growing at explosive rates."  – Marcie Craig Post, Executive Director of International Literacy Association, in a panel word at the Institute of International Pedagogy in New York Urban center, Apr 2015.

"Over the past four decades, the share of jobs requiring some form of postsecondary education connected to rise, while the literacy functioning of American thirteen- and seventeen-year-olds remained flat, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).  More than threescore pct of 12th-grade students scored beneath the good level in reading achievement, and 27 percent scored below the basic level in reading. This means these everyman-performing high school seniors practise not even have fractional mastery of the appropriate course-level knowledge and skills.

Low reading achievement does non as impact all students. More a third of Hispanic and African American twelfth graders read below basic level. Many students who struggle to read and write well make up a substantial portion of the one.ii million students who leave high school each year without a diploma. The consequences for the individual and the costs to the nation are staggering in terms of lost wages and earnings over a lifetime. Estimates for dropouts, who typically take low literacy skills, are on the order of most $335 billion per year. For those who gain entry into the workplace, individual industry spends an estimated $iii.one billion annually to eternalize the literacy skills of entry-level workers." – Mariana Hayes, Alliance for Excellent Pedagogy, "Birth-Through-Grade-Twelve Comprehensive Literacy Program" published on All4ed.org website, April 2015.

"The to a higher place-average performance of U.S. students on international comparisons does non necessarily mean that their literacy skills are adequate or satisfactory for the demands of the modern economy and modern democracy. …most two-thirds of all students do non achieve proficiency in knowledge-based literacy and comprehension skills past the end of middle school. To the extent that loftier school success, as well as later educational and economic success, depends on the acquisition of these college-club skills in heart school, many U.Due south. students enter high schoolhouse in need of substantial comeback in literacy." – Sean Reardon, Rachel Valentino, and Kenneth Shores in "Patterns of Literacy among U.S. Students" in "Literacy Challenges for the Twenty-Starting time Century," The Future of Children, Book 22, Number 2, Fall 2012.

"…about two-thirds of fourth graders, three-fourths of eighth graders, and three-fourths of twelfth graders were reading at a "basic" level in 2011. Almost i-third of students at each grade level were reading at a "skillful" level. Over the by twoscore years literacy skills scores on assessment tests have non improved much—in sharp contrast to sizable increases in math scores over this same menses. The gaps in literacy skills past socioeconomic status and race are striking. Throughout simple and eye school, girls consistently score well-nigh 0.2 standard deviation in a higher place boys; the blackness-white and Hispanic-white gaps are each about 0.6 standard departure; and the income gap (tenth vs. 90th percentile of family income) is larger still. – Richard Murnane, Isabel Sawhill, and Catherine Snow in "Literacy Challenges for the Twenty-Get-go Century: Introducing the Issue," The Futurity of Children, Volume 22, Number 2, Fall 2012.

Readers play a more active and involved role in their communities. The decline in reading, therefore, parallels a larger retreat from participation in civic and cultural life. The long-term implication of this written report non only affects literature just all the arts – as well as social activities such as volunteerism, philanthropy, and even political engagement. – Dana Gioia, Chairman, NEA, "Reading at Gamble: A Survey of Literary Reading in America," June 2004.

The literacy proficiency of a substantial proportion of the U.S. labor force is express, and only a small proportion of workers perform at a high literacy level. Workers with higher literacy scores are unemployed less and earn more than than workers with lower literacy scores. Growth in education has historically been an important source of growth in worker productivity. – "Written report on Education and the Economy," National Middle for Education Statistics, 1996.

Less than half of the adult American population at present reads literature. (Literature is defined as novels, short stories, plays and/or poetry.)  –NEA, "Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America," June 2004.

The pct of the U.Due south. adult population reading whatever books has declined by 7 percent over the past decade. – NEA, "Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America," June 2004.

Of adults xviii to 24 years of age, the literary reading rate decreased from most 60 percent in 1982 to 43 percentage in 2002 – a drop of 17 percentage points. Young adults are reading much less than they used to. Making literary reading appeal to teenagers besides appears to be a significant problem. Long-term reading assessments, summarized by the National Establish for Literacy, show that:

  • A smaller percent of 13- and 17-year-olds read for fun daily in 1999 than in 1984.
  • A smaller per centum of 17-year-olds saw adults reading in their homes in 1999 than in 1984.

– NEA, "Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America," June 2004.

Reading proficiency scores for nine, thirteen, and 17 year olds have not significantly risen since 1971. – U.S. Department of Education, "Assimilate of Didactics Statistics," 1998.

According to the recent findings of three statewide studies in Colorado, Alaska, and Pennsylvania, stiff library media centers and programs help students learn more than and score substantially higher on standardized achievement tests than their peers in library impoverished schools.

Literature at present competes with an enormous array of electronic media. While no unmarried activity is responsible for the decline of reading, the cumulative presence and availability of these alternatives have increasingly drawn Americans abroad from reading. – NEA, "Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America," June 2004.

The average child spends near 38 hours a week exposed to media outside of school. – Children'southward Defense Fund, "State of America's Children," 2000.