Is education a good investment?  Let’s take a look at some of the numbers and see if we can draw our own conclusions on whether education can help increase your chances of earning more in your career.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 90% of young adults graduate high school.  Of these 60% continue on to college. The chart below helps illustrate the economic value of education.  It appears to show that an increase in education results in an increase in annual earnings. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Surveys, March 1998, 1999 and 2000

  By finishing your bachelor’s degree on average you would make about $21,800 more than a high school graduate annually.  If you extend this over a projected work period of 40 years as the U.S. Census Bureau does, you would earn about $872,000 more than someone with a high school degree.

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