Document Type

Capstone Project

Publication Date

5-21-2026

Publication Title

UNLV Undergraduate Economics Working Paper Series

Publisher

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Publisher Location

Las Vegas (Nev.)

Volume

3

Issue

1

First page number:

1

Last page number:

13

Abstract

This paper examines how socioeconomic and demographic factors influence low educational attainment across U.S. cities. The analysis estimates both a linear regression model and a semi-log model to evaluate how poverty, unemployment, family structure, age composition, overcrowding, racial and ethnic minority share, broadband access, and housing cost burden affect the percentage of adults without a high school diploma. The results show that poverty, overcrowding, and minority share are the strongest predictors of low educational attainment, each exhibiting positive and highly significant effects. Overall, the findings highlight the role of social factors in shaping educational outcomes in high school.

Keywords

Educational attainment; Poverty; Socioeconomic factors; Demographic; Social determinants; Inequality; Structural inequalities

Disciplines

Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Education Economics | Income Distribution | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods

File Format

PDF

File Size

430 KB

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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