In 2022, the average annual income of a high school graduate in the United States was around 34,320 U.S. dollars. This is an increase from the previous year, when the median income for high school grads was about 32,398 U.S. dollars, but an overall decline from 1990 when the median earnings of a high school graduate was around 38,073 U.S. dollars.

In 2023 the mean earnings of Bachelor's degree holders in the United States amounted to 86,970 U.S. dollars. People with higher education degrees tended to earn more than those without. For example, high school graduates, including those with a GED, had mean earnings of 46,720 U.S. dollars.

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: Women (LEU0252925300A) from 1979 to 2024 about no college, second quartile, secondary schooling, secondary, females, full-time, 25 years +, salaries, workers, earnings, education, wages, median, employment, and USA.

See notice below about this dataset

This dataset provides the average annual earnings by industry 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 Industries

• 00 - All Students
• 11 - Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting
• 21 - Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction
• 22 - Utilities
• 23 - Construction
• 31 - Manufacturing
• 42 - Wholesale Trade
• 44 - Retail Trade
• 48 - Transportation and Warehousing
• 51 - Information
• 52 - Finance and Insurance
• 53 - Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
• 54 - Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
• 55 - Management of Companies and Enterprises
• 56 - Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
• 61 - Educational Services
• 62 - Health Care and Social Assistance
• 71 - Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
• 72 - Accommodation and Food Services
• 81 - Other Services (except Public Administration)
• 92 - Public Administration
• 0 - No Industry Reported

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 Employed full time: Median usual weekly nominal earnings (second quartile): Wage and salary workers: High School graduates, no college: 25 years and over: Black or African American: Men (LEU0252938700A) from 2000 to 2024 about no college, second quartile, secondary schooling, secondary, full-time, males, 25 years +, African-American, salaries, workers, earnings, education, wages, median, employment, and USA.

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.

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: Foreign born (LEU0257370200A) from 2005 to 2024 about no college, second quartile, foreign, secondary schooling, secondary, full-time, 25 years +, salaries, workers, earnings, education, wages, median, employment, and USA.

In 2023, the mean income of women with a doctorate degree in the United States stood at 139,100 U.S. dollars. For men with the same degree, mean earnings stood at 175,500 U.S. dollars. On average in 2023, American men earned 91,590 U.S. dollars, while American women earned 65,987 U.S. dollars.

In 2023, the mean income of Black Bachelor's degree holders was 71,390 U.S. dollars, compared to 91,430 U.S. dollars for White Americans with a Bachelor's degree.

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 Employed full time: Median usual weekly nominal earnings (second quartile): Wage and salary workers: High School graduates, no college: 25 years and over: White: Men (LEU0252930300A) from 2000 to 2024 about no college, second quartile, secondary schooling, secondary, full-time, males, 25 years +, salaries, workers, earnings, white, education, wages, median, employment, and USA.

This statistic shows the distribution of full-time worker median income in the United States from 2013 to 2017, by education level and occupation. Between 2013 and 2017, general and operations managers with a high school education had median earnings of 60,100 U.S. dollars in the United States.

What are the median earnings of high school graduates in the years following high school graduation in each industry group (6 Digit NAICS)?

Analysis of ‘High School Graduate Outcomes - Earnings’ provided by Analyst-2 (analyst-2.ai), based on source dataset retrieved from https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/b025fad1-4bac-4b92-bd11-d6da0d5b125c on 28 January 2022.

--- Dataset description provided by original source is as follows ---

What are the median earnings of high school graduates in the years following high school graduation?

--- Original source retains full ownership of the source dataset ---

Explore the progression of average salaries for graduates in High School Diploma Academic 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 High School Diploma Academic relative to other fields. This data is essential for students assessing the return on investment of their education in High School Diploma Academic, providing a clear picture of financial prospects post-graduation.

In the United States, women holding a bachelor's degree earned, on average, 1,352 U.S. dollars per week in the second quarter of 2024. This can be compared with male bachelor's degree holders who on average earn 1,757 U.S dollars.

Explore the progression of average salaries for graduates in High School Diploma/Ged 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 High School Diploma/Ged relative to other fields. This data is essential for students assessing the return on investment of their education in High School Diploma/Ged, providing a clear picture of financial prospects post-graduation.

In France, in 2020 people who did not possess any kind of diploma had an annual wage income after social contributions of 14,800 euros. In comparison, the same year, whose who graduated with the baccalauréat, the high school final exam, received around 20,360 euros. French people who studied for a minimum of three years for a higher education degree, earned the most with 37,080 euros.

United States - Employed full time: Median usual weekly nominal earnings (second quartile): Wage and salary workers: High School graduates, no college: 25 years and over: Foreign born was 821.00000 $ in January of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Employed full time: Median usual weekly nominal earnings (second quartile): Wage and salary workers: High School graduates, no college: 25 years and over: Foreign born reached a record high of 821.00000 in January of 2024 and a record low of 496.00000 in January of 2005. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Employed full time: Median usual weekly nominal earnings (second quartile): Wage and salary workers: High School graduates, no college: 25 years and over: Foreign born - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

United States - Employed full time: Median usual weekly nominal earnings (second quartile): Wage and salary workers: High School graduates, no college: 25 years and over: Black or African American was 808.00000 $ in January of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Employed full time: Median usual weekly nominal earnings (second quartile): Wage and salary workers: High School graduates, no college: 25 years and over: Black or African American reached a record high of 808.00000 in January of 2024 and a record low of 427.00000 in January of 2000. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Employed full time: Median usual weekly nominal earnings (second quartile): Wage and salary workers: High School graduates, no college: 25 years and over: Black or African American - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on May of 2025.