For instance, from 1980 through 1984, a period that included two recessions, each percentage-point increase in gross domestic product growth translated into a 0.61 percent gain in jobs.

But since 1995, every percentage-point increase in economic growth has resulted in just 0.10 percent more jobs.

Senator Abraham suggests that it might lead to a full percentage-point increase.

The new level was the highest percentage-point increase since the survey was first conducted in 1994.

Last year, 72.2 percent of its students read above grade level, while only 57 percent did the year before, a 15.2 percentage-point increase.

Analysts say that for every percentage-point increase in interest rates, 250,000 to 300,000 families are priced out of the market.

At U.C.L.A. they account for 33 percent, a 0.8 percentage-point increase from last year.

In fact, the yield on the December futures indicates they expect as much as half-a- percentage-point increase by then.

As a rule of thumb, economists estimate that every percentage-point increase in rates prices 250,000 to 300,000 families out of the housing market.

Each percentage-point increase in interest rates on consumer savings cost the bank $145 million.