Among Americans who have not obtained a regular high school diploma, Hispanics are less likely than members of other major U.S. race and ethnic groups to acquire a General Educational Development (GED) credential, according to a Pew Hispanic Center analysis that is based on newly available educational attainment data from the Census Bureau’s 2008 American Community Survey.

The relatively low level of GED attainment among Hispanics, the nation’s largest minority group, is notable because Hispanics have a much higher high school dropout rate than do blacks or whites, the analysis points out.