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I think we should also consider the whole generational thing. In the past, what 15-20 years?, going to College has been seen as more of a necessity. As was mentioned upthread, there are a lot of jobs that require a degree that shouldn't. It's often used as a means of filtering out applicants.
Neither of my parents have degrees and both are avid readers, as are most aunts and uncles and cousins and siblings. When trying to think of a family member who is not really avid(other than 2 sisters who are still in College and sick of reading) readers, I can only come up with my grandfather (left school in second or third grade to help his dad pick cotton, joined the army at 16, and then ran various donut shops through the rest of his life). He can make out letters and puzzle words out if he has to, but he's not a reader.
Considering this brings up another point, how is literacy defined for this purpose or even for the list of cities posted earlier? How good a reader do you have to be to be considered a reader or literate? I mean, my grandfather can probably read enough to state that he can read, but since he never does I can't really call him a reader.
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