Affordable Illinois

Student-Listening-Lecture

The Value of a Degree

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, figures from 2017 show that individuals with a bachelor’s degree earn on average $463 more in median weekly wages than high school graduates with no college education. Multiplied by fifty-two weeks, that’s an average $24,336 more each year. Individuals with a bachelor’s degree are also 46% less likely to be unemployed than high school graduates with no college education. A college education pays off considerably in the long term for many individuals in many careers.

$463
More in median weekly wages
$24,336
More in yearly wages
46%
Less likely to be unemployed

– Elka Torpey, “Education pays,” Career Outlook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, February 2019.