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.

In 2024, Bachelor’s degree graduates in the United States with Computer Science degrees are projected to have an average starting salary of 74,778 U.S. dollars. Bachelor's degree graduates with degrees in Engineering are projected to have a starting salary of 76,736 U.S. dollars.

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, hours, education, 16 years +, wages, rate, and USA.

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.

Estimated gross annual earnings quartiles for postsecondary graduates working full time at the time of the interview are presented by the province of study, the level of study and gender. Estimates are available at five-year intervals.

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.

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 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 ****** U.S. dollars, compared to ****** U.S. dollars for White Americans with a Bachelor's degree.

The data in this library comes from the National Survey of Recent College Graduates. Included is information about employment numbers, major information, and the earnings of different majors. Many majors were not available before 2010, so their values have been recorded as 0 (note that this may affect the averages shown in the bar charts).

Data Dictionary

Key	List of...	Comment	Example Value
Year	Integer	The year that this report was made for.	1993
Demographics.Total	Integer	The estimated number of people awarded degrees in this major during this year.	1295598
Education.Major	String	The name of the major for these graduated students.	"Biological Sciences"
Salaries.Highest	Float	The highest recorded salary reported for employed people with this degree during this year.	999999.0
Salaries.Lowest	Float	The lowest recorded salary reported for employed people with this degree during this year.	0.0
Salaries.Mean	Float	The average (mean) recorded salary reported for employed people with this degree during this year.	160585.73
Salaries.Median	Float	The median recorded salary reported for employed people with this degree during this year.	51000.0
Salaries.Quantity	Integer	The number of salaries reported for employed people with this degree during this year.	13432
Salaries.Standard Deviation	Float	The standard deviation (which gives the amount of variance) of salaries reported for employed people with this degree during this year.	297818.25
Demographics.Ethnicity.Asians	Integer	The estimated number of people identifying as Asian that were awarded degrees in this major during this year.	84495
Demographics.Ethnicity.Minorities	Integer	The estimated number of people identifying as a minority (e.g., Black, African American, Native American) that were awarded degrees in this major during this year.	115016
Demographics.Ethnicity.Whites	Integer	The estimated number of people identifying as White that were awarded degrees in this major during this year.	1094775
Demographics.Gender.Females	Integer	The estimated number of women awarded degrees in this major during this year.	551695
Demographics.Gender.Males	Integer	The estimated number of women awarded degrees in this major during this year.	743903
Education.Degrees.Bachelors	Integer	The estimated number of bachelor degrees awarded in this for major during this year.	671374
Education.Degrees.Doctorates	Integer	The estimated number of doctoral degrees awarded in this for major during this year.	90543
Education.Degrees.Masters	Integer	The estimated number of Masters awarded in this for major during this year.	248813
Education.Degrees.Professionals	Integer	The estimated number of professional degrees awarded in this for major during this year.	284869
Employment.Employer Type.Business/Industry	Integer	The number of people with a degree in this major during this year who described their Employer Type as "Business/Industry".	669270
Employment.Employer Type.Educational Institution	Integer	The number of people with a degree in this major during this year who described their Employer Type as an "Educational Institution".	300468
Employment.Employer Type.Government	Integer	The number of people with a degree in this major during this year wh...

Graph and download economic data for Employment Level - Bachelor's Degree and Higher, 25 Yrs. & over (LNS12027662) from Jan 1992 to Sep 2025 about 25 years +, tertiary schooling, education, household survey, employment, and USA.

Context

A striking graph from the Social Security Administration (https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/factsheets/at-a-glance/earnings-men-1988-2018.html) shows that median annual earnings for all men above the age of 20 have decreased since 1988: https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/factsheets/at-a-glance/earnings-men-1988-2018.svg" alt="">

I wanted to better understand how educational attainment has played a role in the above trend, and to come up with a model to forecast the future trend for earnings by educational attainment.

As I began looking at the data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics website, there was a striking trend: the median weekly earnings for all groups of people who did not have a bachelors degree or higher had decreased from 1979 levels, in constant 2020 dollars.

Content

I collated data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (https://www.bls.gov/webapps/legacy/cpsatab4.htm) and (https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpswktabs.htm) and the US Census Bureau (https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/historical-income-people.html) to create this dataset.

I have omitted details of gender and race, to solely look at the correlation between educational attainment and median weekly earnings over the years. All of the data is for ages 25 and higher unless otherwise stated in the column header.

An important note is that all the earnings data are in constant base 2020 dollars. This removes the effects of inflation and makes it possible to compare the numbers over the years.

The data starts at the year 1960, but unfortunately only overall labor force data, and population percentages of persons with a high school graduation (HSG) and persons with a Bachelors or Higher Degree are available. Median weekly earnings data categorized by educational attainment is available from 1979 onwards, while labor force data i.e., labor force level, labor force participation rate and the employment level by educational attainment is available only from 1992 onwards.

The only columns that have data from 1960 onwards are: (i) overall labor force level, (ii) civilian non-institutional population level, (iii) overall labor force participation rate, (iv) overall employment level, (v) overall percentage of high school graduates, and (vi) overall percentage of persons with a bachelors degree or higher.

Some of the columns can be calculated from other columns, for instance the civilian non-institutional population level can be calculated from the labor force participation rate.

Acknowledgements

All of this data is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Census Bureau: https://www.bls.gov/webapps/legacy/cpsatab4.htm , https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpswktabs.htm and https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/historical-income-people.html .

A big thank you to all those who worked so hard to collect and organize this data.

Inspiration

The main question is: what is the best way to generate forecasts for median weekly earnings for each educational attainment level?

In the academic year of 2021/22, about 835,320 male and almost 1.18 million female students earned a bachelor's degree in the United States. By the academic year of 2031/32, the number of male bachelor's degree recipients is expected to reach 975,020. Bachelor’s degrees in the United States American students typically earn a Bachelor’s degree for an undergraduate course of study and it is normally completed in four years. Depending on the major, students receive a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Fine Arts, or another type of certificate. In 2021, about 1.17 million white students earned a Bachelor's degree, followed by 324,848 Hispanic students. Bachelor's degrees and earnings When looking at the mean income of Bachelor’s degree holders in 2021, there are marked differences between the female and male Bachelor’s degree holders. Men with a Bachelor’s degree earned about 107,315 U.S. dollars per year, compared to women, who earned 77,099 U.S. dollars per year. In addition, salaries tended to increase the more educated a person was.

Employment income (in 2019 and 2020) by detailed major field of study and highest certificate, diploma or degree, including work activity (full time full year, part time full year, or part year).

This statistic shows the median income of bachelor's degree holders according to gender and major in the United States in 2009. In the United States in 2009 men with a business major earned on average 50,000 U.S. dollars, 16,000 more than their female counterparts.

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

In an impressive increase from years past, 40.1 percent of women in the United States had completed four years or more of college in 2024. This figure is up from 3.8 percent of women in 1940. A significant increase can also be seen in males, with 37.1 percent of the U.S. male population having completed four years or more of college in 2024, up from 5.5 percent in 1940. 4- and 2-year colleges In the United States, college students are able to choose between attending a 2-year postsecondary program and a 4-year postsecondary program. Generally, attending a 2-year program results in an Associate’s Degree, and 4-year programs result in a Bachelor’s Degree. Many 2-year programs are designed so that attendees can transfer to a college or university offering a 4-year program upon completing their Associate’s. Completion of a 4-year program is the generally accepted standard for entry-level positions when looking for a job. Earnings after college Factors such as gender, degree achieved, and the level of postsecondary education can have an impact on employment and earnings later in life. Some Bachelor’s degrees continue to attract more male students than female, particularly in STEM fields, while liberal arts degrees such as education, languages and literatures, and communication tend to see higher female attendance. All of these factors have an impact on earnings after college, and despite nearly the same rate of attendance within the American population between males and females, men with a Bachelor’s Degree continue to have higher weekly earnings on average than their female counterparts.

University graduates in England had an average annual salary of 42,000 British pounds a year in 2024, 11,500 pounds higher than the average salary for non-graduates. People with postgraduate degrees earned an even higher average salary at 47,000 pounds, a difference of 5,000 pounds when compared with undergraduate degrees.

In 2022, about 37.7 percent of the U.S. population who were aged 25 and above had graduated from college or another higher education institution, a slight decline from 37.9 the previous year. However, this is a significant increase from 1960, when only 7.7 percent of the U.S. population had graduated from college. Demographics Educational attainment varies by gender, location, race, and age throughout the United States. Asian-American and Pacific Islanders had the highest level of education, on average, while Massachusetts and the District of Colombia are areas home to the highest rates of residents with a bachelor’s degree or higher. However, education levels are correlated with wealth. While public education is free up until the 12th grade, the cost of university is out of reach for many Americans, making social mobility increasingly difficult. Earnings White Americans with a professional degree earned the most money on average, compared to other educational levels and races. However, regardless of educational attainment, males typically earned far more on average compared to females. Despite the decreasing wage gap over the years in the country, it remains an issue to this day. Not only is there a large wage gap between males and females, but there is also a large income gap linked to race as well.

🧑‍🎓 Indian International Students in the US — Education, Jobs, and Visas 📚💼

Dataset Overview

This dataset provides a detailed and realistic simulation of Indian international students studying in the United States, their educational paths, job outcomes after graduation, university information, and visa approval statistics.

It can be used for:

• Education data analysis 📊
• Employment trends for international graduates 👩‍💻
• Machine learning projects (classification, regression) 🤖
• Visa trend analysis 📈
• Career planning studies for international students 🎯

📂 Files Included | File Name| Description | | --- | --- | | indian_international_students_us.csv | Profiles of 10,000 Indian international students, including university, major, degree level, and study status. | |job_outcomes_indian_students_us.csv | Job outcomes for students who graduated, including job title, company, salary, visa status, and time to first job. | |universities_info_us.csv | Information about major US universities, including acceptance rates, GRE/TOEFL averages, and international student percentages. | | visa_approval_stats.csv | Yearly visa approval and denial rates for F1, OPT, and H1B visa types from 2015 to 2023. |

✨ Potential Project Ideas 1. Predict job offer chances based on major, degree, and university. 2. Analyze salary distributions by major, company, and visa status. 3. Visualize visa approval trends over time. 4. Build a career advisory tool for international students.

✨ SQL Potential Project 1. List all students studying in "Computer Science" major. 2. Count how many students are currently enrolled vs graduated. 3. Find top 5 universities with the highest number of students. 4. Get the list of all students whose degree level is "Masters". 5. Find average salary of students who received a job offer. 6. List all companies that hired at least one student.

1. Find universities with an acceptance rate below 20%.
2. Calculate the percentage of students in each degree level (Bachelors, Masters, PhD).
3. Find top 10 job titles offered to Indian students.
4. List universities where average GRE score is above 320.
5. Rank students based on salary who got a job.

6. Find visa approval rate for each visa type (F1, OPT, H1B) over the years.

7. Build a report showing: University Name Number of students Number of students who got jobs Average salary Job offer rate (%)

8. Identify majors with the highest average salaries after graduation.

9. Compare visa approval trends: How have F1, OPT, and H1B approval rates changed from 2015 to 2023?

10. Create a view showing: Students with highest probability of getting a job based on major, university, and degree level.

11. Predict (with SQL logic): If a new student graduates from [University X] with [Major Y] and [Degree Level Z], what is their expected salary range?

12. Cohort Analysis: Analyze students who graduated in a particular year, how many got jobs within 6 months.

⚡ Important Note This dataset is synthetic but designed to be realistic based on trends among Indian students studying abroad. No real personal information is included. Great for educational, research, and portfolio purposes.

🔖 Acknowledgment Generated by Pushkar Joshi using simulated data sources. Inspired by real-world patterns and publicly available educational statistics.

🏷️ Suggested Tags

education, #students, #international-students, #jobs, #visas, #synthetic-data, #data-science, #kaggle-datasets