Replication Package for Crises and Educational Attainment

This is the replication package for Crises and Educational Attainment by Pawel Janas (JEH, 2026). It include the replication data and replication code for the figures and tables in the manuscript.<br><br>Between 1910 and 1940, U.S. high school graduation rates rose five-fold, driving twentieth century economic growth. I explore how the Great Depression’s surge in youth unemployment influenced this trend, emphasizing gender and socioeconomic disparities. Using linked census data and newly digitized city-level unemployment rates, I find youth unemployment significantly increased high school and post-secondary completion among higher-income boys, while effects on girls and lower-income youths were negligible. These results underscore the role of household resources in leveraging educational opportunities, as financial constraints limited disadvantaged groups from benefiting from reduced opportunity costs.