Fewer than half of U.S. citizens ages 18 to 24 voted in the last presidential election while nearly three-quarters of those ages 55 and older did, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The good news about the youth vote is that the 47 percent rate of voting among the 18-to-24 age group in 2004 represented an increase of 11 percentage points over the previous presidential election, in 2000.

Among the other voting statistics listed in a “special edition” fact sheet released this week, the Census Bureau reported that a college degree makes a big difference in whether a citizen is likely to go to the polls.

In 2004, four out of five citizens who hold a bachelor’s degree or higher voted. That compared with fewer than three out of five citizens whose highest level of educational attainment was a high-school diploma.