Education Report Roundup

College Payoff

By Vaishali Honawar — April 05, 2005 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

People with a bachelor’s degree earned almost twice as much as those with just a high school diploma, according to data for 2003 released last week by the U.S. Census Bureau.

“Educational Attainment in the United States,” can be found online from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Employees with a four-year college degree earned an average of $51,206 that year, while those with a high school diploma earned only $27,915. Workers with an advanced degree made an average of $74,602, and those without a high school diploma averaged $18,734.

White men with bachelor’s degrees had the highest salaries—an average of $66,000 in 2003.

Black and Asian-American women with college degrees made more money than their white female counterparts. While a college-educated woman of Asian descent made $43,700 in 2003 and a college-educated African-American woman made $41,000, a white woman with a bachelor’s degree typically earned $37,800.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
There But Not Present: Rethinking Student Engagement
Learn how to recognize the early signs of disengagement and what the behavioral science reveals about which interventions actually work.
Content provided by Frontline Education
Teacher Preparation Webinar What Teacher Education Should Look Like in the Age of AI
Explore the current trends around the use of AI in teacher preparation and continuing education with data from the EdWeek Research Center.
English Learners Webinar How Can School Districts Better Support English Learners With Disabilities?
Join this webinar to hear recent findings from the EdWeek Research Center and discover practical strategies for improvement.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Opinion The Education Wisdom Our Readers Keep Revisiting: Top 10
These opinion blog posts and essays have made a lasting impression on readers.
1 min read
Trendy halftone collage cutout elements. Laptop, rising arrow chart, gears, handshake, watch, magnifier. Idea, teamwork, brainstorming and success concept Modern retro vector illustration
Cristina Gaidau/iStock
Education Opinion The Opinions EdWeek Readers Care About: The Year’s 10 Most-Read
The opinion content readers visited most in 2025.
2 min read
Collage of the illustrations form the top 4 most read opinion essays of 2025.
Education Week + Getty Images
Education Quiz Did You Follow This Week’s Education News? Take This Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz How Did the SNAP Lapse Affect Schools? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read