Literacy in the United States was determined by the National Center for Education Statistics to be at a mid to high level in 2019, at 98% with 1.5% of American adults categorized as having "low level English literacy," including 0.1% classified as "functionally illiterate" and an additional .01% that could not participate. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 54% of adults in the United States have prose literacy below the 6th-grade level. Modern jobs often demand a high literacy level, and its lack in adults and adolescents has been studied extensively.