Question:
What is the average income for students graduating from postsecondary institutions compared with those graduating from high school?
Response:
For each year shown between 1980 and 2005,
earnings for young adults increased when education
level increased. For example, young adults with at
least a bachelor抯 degree consistently had higher
median earnings than those with less education.
This pattern generally held for male, female,
White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian subgroups.
Moreover, for the entire population and generally
for each subgroup, the difference between the
earnings of those with at least a bachelor抯 degree
and those with less education grew during this
period. For example, males with a bachelor抯 or
higher degree earned 19 percent more than male
high school completers1 in 1980 and 64 percent
more than male high school completers in 2005
During the period between 1980 and 2005, earnings fluctuated among those with at least a bachelor抯 degree and decreased among those with less education, thus contributing to the growth in the median income gap. For example, the earnings of those with a high school diploma1 decreased by $5,600 between 1980 and 2005, while the earnings of those with a bachelor抯 or higher degree increased by $2,300.
1Includes those who earned a high school diploma or equivalent (e.g., a General Educational Development [GED] certificate).SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2007). The Condition of Education 2007 (NCES 2007�4), Indicator 20.
| Median annual earnings of all full-time, full-year wage and salary workers ages 25�, by sex and educational attainment: Selected years, 1980�05
[In constant 2004 dollars] |
||||
| Year | All education levels | High school diploma or GED | Bachelor's degree or higher | |
| Male | ||||
| 1980 | $40,600 | $38,800 | $46,300 | |
| 1985 | 39,100 | 35,200 | 48,200 | |
| 1990 | 36,700 | 32,000 | 46,000 | |
| 1995 | 34,200 | 29,700 | 46,400 | |
| 2000 | 37,800 | 32,300 | 50,900 | |
| 2001 | 37,600 | 31,400 | 51,200 | |
| 2002 | 37,300 | 31,100 | 51,400 | |
| 2003 | 36,500 | 30,900 | 49,600 | |
| 2004 | 36,300 | 30,400 | 50,700 | |
| 2005 | 35,100 | 29,600 | 48,400 | |
| Female | ||||
| 1980 | $27,600 | $25,500 | $34,100 | |
| 1985 | 29,100 | 25,000 | 36,900 | |
| 1990 | 28,900 | 23,700 | 38,800 | |
| 1995 | 27,500 | 21,800 | 37,300 | |
| 2000 | 30,100 | 23,500 | 39,900 | |
| 2001 | 31,200 | 24,200 | 40,200 | |
| 2002 | 31,600 | 24,600 | 42,000 | 2003 | 31,500 | 24,400 | 41,300 | 2004 | 31,000 | 24,000 | 40,300 | 2005 | 30,300 | 23,500 | 39,500 |
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2007). The Condition of Education 2007 (NCES 2007�4), Table 20-1.
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