This statistic shows the distribution of parental income of freshman college students at baccalaureate granting institutions in the United States in 2019. In 2019, 5.8 percent of incoming freshman college students estimated that their parent's income was less than 15,000 U.S. dollars.

In 2024, the average annual income of a college graduate with a Bachelor's degree in the United States was ****** U.S. dollars. This is a decrease from the previous year, when the median income for college grads was around ****** U.S. dollars.

Explore the progression of average salaries for graduates in College Student Development from 2020 to 2023 through this detailed chart. It compares these figures against the national average for all graduates, offering a comprehensive look at the earning potential of College Student Development relative to other fields. This data is essential for students assessing the return on investment of their education in College Student Development, providing a clear picture of financial prospects post-graduation.

See notice below about this dataset

This dataset provides the average earnings by student group per district.  Wage records are obtained from the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) using a secure, anonymized matching process with limitations. For details on the process and suppression rules, please visit the Employment and Earnings of High School Graduates dashboard.

This dataset is one of three containing the same data that is also published in the Employment and Earnings of High School Graduates dashboard: Average Earnings by Student Group Average Earnings by Industry College and Career Outcomes

2025 Update on DESE Data on Employment and Earnings 

The data link between high school graduates and future earnings makes it possible to follow students beyond high school and college into the workforce, enabling long-term evaluation of educational programs using workforce outcomes.

While DESE has published these data in the past, as of June 2025 we are temporarily pausing updates due to an issue conducting the link that was brought to our attention in 2023 by a team of researchers. The issue impacts the earnings information for students who never attended a postsecondary institution or who only attended private or out-of-state colleges or universities, beginning with the 2017 high school graduation cohort, with growing impact in each successive high school graduation cohort.

The issue does not impact the earnings information for students who attended a Massachusetts public institution of higher education, and earnings data for those students will continue to be updated.

Once a solution is found, the past cohorts of data with low match rates will be updated. DESE and partner agencies are exploring linking strategies to maximize the utility of the information.

More detailed information can be found in the attached memo provided by the research team from the Annenberg Institute. We thank them for calling this issue to our attention.

Graph and download economic data for Wage and Salary Workers Paid Hourly Rates: 16 Years and Over: College Graduates: Bachelor's Degree and Higher (BDAHC5) from 2002 to 2024 about paid, tertiary schooling, salaries, workers, education, hours, 16 years +, wages, rate, and USA.

Explore the progression of average salaries for graduates in College Education from 2020 to 2023 through this detailed chart. It compares these figures against the national average for all graduates, offering a comprehensive look at the earning potential of College Education relative to other fields. This data is essential for students assessing the return on investment of their education in College Education, providing a clear picture of financial prospects post-graduation.

Characteristics and median employment income of postsecondary graduates five years after graduation, by educational qualification (Classification of programs and credentials - professional degree variant), field of study (Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Canada 2016 - STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics and computer sciences) and BHASE (business, humanities, health, arts, social science and education) groupings), gender, age group and status of student in Canada (cross-sectional analysis).

In the time between 2023 and 2024, low-income families paid ****** U.S. dollars on average for college, whereas high-income families paid ****** U.S. dollars during this time. On average, families in the United States paid ****** U.S. dollars for college.

Graph and download economic data for Employed full time: Median usual weekly nominal earnings (second quartile): Wage and salary workers: High School graduates, no college: 25 years and over: White (LEU0254935500A) from 2000 to 2024 about no college, second quartile, secondary schooling, secondary, white, 25 years +, full-time, salaries, workers, education, earnings, wages, median, employment, and USA.

Explore the progression of average salaries for graduates in College Student Personnel Admiinstration from 2020 to 2023 through this detailed chart. It compares these figures against the national average for all graduates, offering a comprehensive look at the earning potential of College Student Personnel Admiinstration relative to other fields. This data is essential for students assessing the return on investment of their education in College Student Personnel Admiinstration, providing a clear picture of financial prospects post-graduation.

Explore the progression of average salaries for graduates in College Student Personnel Administration from 2020 to 2023 through this detailed chart. It compares these figures against the national average for all graduates, offering a comprehensive look at the earning potential of College Student Personnel Administration relative to other fields. This data is essential for students assessing the return on investment of their education in College Student Personnel Administration, providing a clear picture of financial prospects post-graduation.

The National Survey of College Graduates is a repeated cross-sectional biennial survey that provides data on the nation's college graduates, with a focus on those in the science and engineering workforce. This survey is a unique source for examining the relationship of degree field and occupation in addition to other characteristics of college-educated individuals, including work activities, salary, and demographic information.

According to a survey conducted in 2023, recent college graduates in the United States expected their average starting salary to be ****** U.S. dollars, a decrease from ****** U.S. dollars expected by recent college students in the previous year.

Explore the progression of average salaries for graduates in College Counseling Student Development from 2020 to 2023 through this detailed chart. It compares these figures against the national average for all graduates, offering a comprehensive look at the earning potential of College Counseling Student Development relative to other fields. This data is essential for students assessing the return on investment of their education in College Counseling Student Development, providing a clear picture of financial prospects post-graduation.

As of the 2023/24 academic year, graduates from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) had a starting salary of 110,200 U.S. dollars, and a mid-career salary of 196,900 U.S. dollars. Top universities in the United States One of the top universities in the United States, Harvey Mudd College, is located in Claremont, California. Not only do graduates earn a high salaries after graduation, they also pay the most. In the academic year of 2020-2021, Harvey Mudd College was one of the most expensive school by total annual cost. The best university in the United States in 2021 belonged to the University of California, Berkeley. The Ivy League The Ivy League is a group of eight private universities in the Northeastern United States. It is not only a collegiate athletic conference, but also a group of highly respected academic institutions. They are usually regarded as the best eight universities in the United States and the world. They are extremely selective with their admissions process. However, these universities are extremely expensive to attend. Despite the high price tag, students who graduate from Princeton University have the highest early career salary out of all Ivy League attendees in 2021. This is compared to the overall expected starting salaries of recent college graduates across the United States, which was less than 35,000 U.S. dollars.

Average earnings, by age group and highest level of education, from the 2016 Census of Population.

See notice below about this dataset

This dataset provides the number of graduates who enrolled in each type of postsecondary education per district.

Wage records are obtained from the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) using a secure, anonymized matching process with limitations. For details on the process and suppression rules, please visit the Employment and Earnings of High School Graduates dashboard.

This dataset is one of three containing the same data that is also published in the Employment and Earnings of High School Graduates dashboard: Average Earnings by Student Group Average Earnings by Industry College and Career Outcomes

List of Outcomes

• Total Postsecondary Enrollment
• In-State Public 2-Year
• In-State Public 4-Year
• In-State Private
• Out-of-State
• Total Employed
• Total Missing

The data link between high school graduates and future earnings makes it possible to follow students beyond high school and college into the workforce, enabling long-term evaluation of educational programs using workforce outcomes.

While DESE has published these data in the past, as of June 2025 we are temporarily pausing updates due to an issue conducting the link that was brought to our attention in 2023 by a team of researchers. The issue impacts the earnings information for students who never attended a postsecondary institution or who only attended private or out-of-state colleges or universities, beginning with the 2017 high school graduation cohort, with growing impact in each successive high school graduation cohort.

The issue does not impact the earnings information for students who attended a Massachusetts public institution of higher education, and earnings data for those students will continue to be updated.

Once a solution is found, the past cohorts of data with low match rates will be updated. DESE and partner agencies are exploring linking strategies to maximize the utility of the information.

More detailed information can be found in the attached memo provided by the research team from the Annenberg Institute. We thank them for calling this issue to our attention.

Income-driven repayment plans lower required payments for student loan borrowers when their income decreases. This helps to reduce student loan defaults. Despite universal availability, only a minority of student loan borrowers in the U.S. are in an income-driven repayment plan. In this study, I test whether a student’s choice of repayment plan is related to their expectations of earning a low income. Using an information experiment in a web survey, I create two groups of college seniors with an exogenous difference in low-income expectations. I find that respondents who see the major specific income information believe they, on average, have a higher probability of earning a low income. However, those respondents are not any more likely to choose the income-driven repayment plan. I conclude that students’ repayment plan preferences are not strongly related to their expectations of earning a low income. This may be due to students caring about things other than minimizing monthly payments when choosing a repayment plan.

Explore the progression of average salaries for graduates in University from 2020 to 2023 through this detailed chart. It compares these figures against the national average for all graduates, offering a comprehensive look at the earning potential of University relative to other fields. This data is essential for students assessing the return on investment of their education in University, providing a clear picture of financial prospects post-graduation.

U.S. citizens with a professional degree had the highest median household income in 2023, at 172,100 U.S. dollars. In comparison, those with less than a 9th grade education made significantly less money, at 35,690 U.S. dollars. Household income The median household income in the United States has fluctuated since 1990, but rose to around 70,000 U.S. dollars in 2021. Maryland had the highest median household income in the United States in 2021. Maryland’s high levels of wealth is due to several reasons, and includes the state's proximity to the nation's capital. Household income and ethnicity The median income of white non-Hispanic households in the United States had been on the rise since 1990, but declining since 2019. While income has also been on the rise, the median income of Hispanic households was much lower than those of white, non-Hispanic private households. However, the median income of Black households is even lower than Hispanic households. Income inequality is a problem without an easy solution in the United States, especially since ethnicity is a contributing factor. Systemic racism contributes to the non-White population suffering from income inequality, which causes the opportunity for growth to stagnate.