Beyond the obvious correlation between lack of literacy skills and poor income and employment outcomes, low literacy can have a serious impact in many areas(quick facts). For example low literacy can negatively impact health, with many individuals unable to read the label on a prescription bottle or comprehend hospital forms. A recent study from Northwestern University indicated that “low health literacy was the top predictor of mortality after smoking, also surpassing income and years of education. Low literacy levels are also transmitted intergenerationally, and research indicates that a mother's literacy level is one of the most significant indicators of a child's future literacy ability.

The impact of low literacy on society as a whole is just as serious. On a national scale, low literacy costs the U.S. $225 billion or more each year in non-productivity in the workforce, crime, and loss of tax revenue due to unemployment. Low literacy is also strongly linked to the issue of crime:

• 85% of all juveniles who come into contact with the juvenile justice system are functionally illiterate
• 70% of inmates in state and federal prisons cannot read above a fourth grade level.
• Research indicates that the recidivism rate for inmates who receive literacy education is 16%, compared with 70% for those inmates who do not.