There are six levels of literacy in the PIAAC scoring system, ranging from below level one to level five. So why doesn’t this map show those levels?
Since this map shows state averages, we used different shading to show more granularity. There are no states that have an average score above level 3 (276–325 points). The national average literacy score is 264, or level 2.
* Below level 1 (0–175 points): Respondents are considered functionally illiterate, or unable to determine the meaning of sentences.
* Level 1 (176–225 points): Respondents are considered to have low literacy levels. They can identify basic vocabulary words and can determine meaning within sentences and paragraphs.
* Level 2 (226–275 points): Respondents can paraphrase or make low-level inferences.
* Level 3 (276–325 points): Respondents can evaluate information at varying levels of inference, determine meaning from larger selections of text, and disregard information that’s irrelevant to the prompt.
* Level 4 (326–375 points): Respondents are more likely to use background knowledge to complete tasks, apply non-central or conditional information to evaluations, and discern correct information from competing information.
* Level 5 (376–500 points): Respondents can evaluate arguments, process dense texts, apply logical reasoning to draw conclusions, and determine whether certain sources are valid sources of information.
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Source: [National Center for Education Statistics](https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/skillsmap/)
Tools: Datawrapper, Illustrator
County-level data [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/166gpho/adult_literacy_in_the_us_by_county_oc/) (Reddit) and a deeper dive in the data [here](https://usafacts.org/articles/which-states-have-the-highest-and-lowest-adult-literacy-rates/) (website).
There are six levels of literacy in the PIAAC scoring system, ranging from below level one to level five. So why doesn’t this map show those levels?
Since this map shows state averages, we used different shading to show more granularity. There are no states that have an average score above level 3 (276–325 points). The national average literacy score is 264, or level 2.
If you’re curious, here are the proficiency level definitions (simplified) from [PIAAC](https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/measure.asp):
* Below level 1 (0–175 points): Respondents are considered functionally illiterate, or unable to determine the meaning of sentences.
* Level 1 (176–225 points): Respondents are considered to have low literacy levels. They can identify basic vocabulary words and can determine meaning within sentences and paragraphs.
* Level 2 (226–275 points): Respondents can paraphrase or make low-level inferences.
* Level 3 (276–325 points): Respondents can evaluate information at varying levels of inference, determine meaning from larger selections of text, and disregard information that’s irrelevant to the prompt.
* Level 4 (326–375 points): Respondents are more likely to use background knowledge to complete tasks, apply non-central or conditional information to evaluations, and discern correct information from competing information.
* Level 5 (376–500 points): Respondents can evaluate arguments, process dense texts, apply logical reasoning to draw conclusions, and determine whether certain sources are valid sources of information.