12. Numeracy

One very prominent thing I've learned as I have gotten older is that I do use math every day. When presented with the word numeracy, most people would automatically assume it isn't something you need in everyday life. This isn't necessarily true. Numeracy is "the ability to understand and work with numbers." If you have ever had to figure out what time you had to leave to be somewhere, you understand numbers. When cooking if you've ever had to double a recipe you are numerate. When it comes down to it numeracy is the ability to understand math in everyday life, such as home, work, or school. 

According to NCES, the average numeracy score among U.S. adults was 257 on a scale of 0 to 500. Men's average score was 265 and women's average score was 250. The statistics on NCES also showed that the older the men age groups were the higher the numeracy scores were. For example, in the age category 18-24 the average numeracy scores for men were 258 and the average score for the age category 55-65 was 261. For women, it was the opposite. In the age group 18-24, the numeracy scores were 249 and in the age group 55-65, the score for women went down to 243. 

According to another study by the Institute of Education Sciences, over 70% (2 in 3) of U.S. adults have sufficient numeracy skills to calculate whole numbers and percentages, estimate numbers or quantity, and interpret simple statistics in text or tables. With 39%, white adults make up the largest percentage of U.S. adults with low levels of numeracy. Followed by Hispanic, 28%, and Black adults, 26%. White adults make up two-fifths of the low-skilled population. 

The Institute of Education Sciences, also, found that 85% of the total studied adults that had low numeracy skills were born in the United States. The other 15% were born outside of the United States.