Abstract
We simulate changes in education attainment among men and women of different races and ethnic origins when race, ethnic, and gender inequities in education opportunities are eliminated in the US. Also, we simulate changes in the number of food-insecure people expected to accompany these simulated changes in education attainment. Education attainment simulations use American Community Survey 2017, 5-year average state-level data on adults by race, ethnicity, and gender. Food security simulations use Current Population Survey state-level 3-year average data covering 2013-2017. Results show 35.3% of non-Latine white adults attained high school degrees or less, and 34.5% Bachelor’s degrees or higher. Among non-Latine Black and Latine adults, 46.4% and 60.2% respectively attained high school degrees or less, but only 20.5% and 15.9% attained bachelor’s degrees or higher. Equalizing education opportunity in simulation models by race, ethnicity, and gender led to large decreases in numbers of non-Latine Black and Latine men and women attaining high school degrees or less, and large increases in numbers attaining bachelor’s degrees or higher. Education attainment gains are accompanied by large reductions in numbers of people living in food-insecure households (11.8-17.1 million people). However, race, ethnic, and gender inequities in wages and incomes at all levels of education attainment persist, pointing to the need for investments in education as well as policies to equalize economic conditions holding wages down.