How do education and occupations affect lifetime earnings?

 Graph courtesy of Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce
 
 
A report titled “The College Payoff: Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings” was released Aug. 4 by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce.
 
As the title reflects, the study looks at how lifetime earnings change based on education level and also by occupation. Sometimes people with less education earn more than those with more education. The report looks at what percentage of the time that occurs, and what occupations are the highest and lowest paying based on levels of education.
 
The report introduction notes: “A college degree pays off — but by just how much? In this report, we examine just what a college degree is worth — and what else besides a degree might influence an individual’s potential earnings? This report examines lifetime earnings for all education levels and earnings by occupation, age, race/ethnicity and gender. The data are clear: a college degree is key to economic opportunity, conferring substantially higher earnings on those with credentials than those without.”
 
Click the following links to see an executive summary or the full report.
http://cew.georgetown.edu/collegepayoff
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