In the United States, 59 million adults read at or below Level 1, the lowest level on a five-level scale.
This equates to roughly 28% of the adult population—or nearly one in three people—who can read only short sentences with foundational words and basic information. Literacy rates directly impact our economy, society, and nation’s sustainability. Raising adult reading levels would improve personal potential, family health, community involvement, and economic mobility.
The benefits of improved literacy skills are undeniable. So why is it, in a country where free public education is available for every child, that so many adults cannot read and write above a basic level?
The causes of low adult literacy in the US:
Poverty: Nearly 80% of those who live in poverty read at Level 2 or below, and the interconnected cycles of poverty and low literacy perpetuate each other.
- Disparities in educational opportunities and resources exist along geographic, racial, and socioeconomic lines, and people without a high school diploma earn three times less than those with the highest education levels. Educational attainment is directly related to a person’s economic status.
- Parents’ education and literacy levels directly impact the literacy skills of their children and can lead to intergenerational low literacy.
- Schools in impoverished areas face many hurdles to higher performance. The annual National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores continued to show in 2024 that students who were considered economically disadvantaged read at levels far below those of peers in wealthier areas. Students with low literacy levels are four times less likely to graduate high school.
- Economic hardship can force individuals to leave school early for work or for family responsibilities, interrupting their formal education and literacy development.
Learning differences and disabilities and lack of diagnosis: Individuals with undiagnosed learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, often struggle with reading comprehension, decoding words, spelling, and writing.
- Often a failure to implement research-based reading intervention programs for learning differences can leave struggling students without the help they need, and reading difficulties persist into adulthood.
- The lack of resources for diagnosing and remediating learning differences or disabilities poses significant challenges for both children and adults struggling with literacy.
- Adults with undiagnosed learning disabilities are more likely to drop out of school before attaining a high school diploma, directly correlating with lower literacy rates and limited access to further education or job training.
- Without proper diagnosis and intervention, challenges persist, making it difficult for affected individuals to advance their literacy skills.
Limited access to adult education programs: The 59 million adults with low literacy skills could benefit greatly from adult education. Yet less than 10% are enrolled at a program.
- Many regions, especially rural or economically disadvantaged areas where there’s a higher percentage of adults with low literacy skills, face funding constraints that make it difficult for adult education programs to survive, creating “literacy deserts.”
- 80% of adults with low skills said they don’t feel knowledgeable about adult education programs, making it less likely they will seek help, even if there is a local program.
- Barriers like work schedules, transportation, and childcare can make it difficult for adults to attend class or tutoring sessions.
- Feelings of shame and embarrassment can deter adults from seeking help, often fearing that others might find out they can’t read or read well.
- Even when there are adults lining up for services, insufficient funding and volunteers limit programs’ capacity. Students end up on waiting lists and we risk losing them. Last year, we estimated that 63% of programs had waiting lists.
This list is not exhaustive, but it does offer insight into some of the more common causes of low adult literacy.
But none of this is permanent. We can raise awareness and advocate for change to level the playing field for our schools at the K-12 level across the economic divide, and we can build support for our existing adult programs and educators. Comprehensive public policy measures are needed to increase funding for: our adult education system, reading intervention programs in K-12 schools, and for higher levels of professional development and training.
Fifty-nine million adults with literacy skills at the lowest level is 59 million too many. Help us change that figure.