Anthony P. Carnevale, Stephen J. Rose and Ban Cheah

THE GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY CENTER ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE

Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings

 Th e

College Payoff

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0 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION

 3 PART I: Lifetime Earnings by Educational Attainment

 4 PART II: Lifetime Earnings by Educational Attainment and Age

 6 PART III: Variations in Earnings by Education and Occupation: Earnings Overlap

 10 PART IV: Lifetime Earnings by Educational Attainment, Gender, and Race/Ethnicity

 13 PART V: Top Ten Occupations by Educational Attainment

 20 CONCLUSION

 21 TECHNICAL APPENDIX

 23 APPENDIX: Lifetime Earnings by Educational Attainment and Occupation

 All data in this report are the authors’ analysis of the 2007-2009 American Community Survey.

We would like to express our gratitude to the individuals and 

organizations that have made this report possible. First, we thank 

the Lumina Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for their support of our research over the past few years, and in 

particular, we are grateful for the support of Jamie Merisotis, Hilary 

Pennington, Holly Zanville, and Parminder Jassal. We are honored 

to be partners in their mission of promoting postsecondary access 

and completion for all Americans. 

We also want to thank our editor, Vic Caleca, and our designers 

Michael Lizama, Lisa Milan and Heather Negaard, as well as Jeff 

Strohl, Nicole Smith, Tamara Jayasundera, Laura Meyer, Michelle 

Melton, Peter Daniels, and numerous other colleagues, too many to 

list here, who provided support and insight throughout the process.

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Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings 1

A college degree pays off — but by just how much? In this report 

from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, 

we examine just what a college degree is worth — and what else besides 

a degree might infl uence an individual’s potential earnings. Th is report 

examines lifetime earnings for all education levels and earnings by occupation, age, race/ethnicity, and gender. Th e data are clear: a college degree is 

key to economic opportunity, conferring substantially higher earnings on 

those with credentials than those without. A 2002 Census Bureau study 

estimated that in 1999, the average lifetime earnings of a Bachelor’s degree 

holder was $2.7 million (2009 dollars), 75 percent more than that earned 

by high school graduates in 1999. Today, we fi nd similar numbers — but 

since 1999, the premium on college education has grown to 84 percent. 

In other words, over a lifetime, a Bachelor’s degree is worth $2.8 million 

on average.1

 We present our fi ndings in dollar totals over a career, which is 

defi ned as being a full-time, full-year worker from 25 to 64 years old.2

1 See the technical appendix for a discussion about the different ways to measure returns, including a discussion on why we do not use 

net present value in estimating lifetime earnings.

2 Using full-time, full-year workers helps reduce the earnings differentials produced from temporary labor market exit for reasons like maternity, caretaking, and disability. See technical appendix for why we chose simple dollar value over net present value. The earnings data 

are based on median values, compared to the Census report, which was based on averages because this metric, in our opinion, gives a 

clearer picture of the earnings distribution. We use median and not mean because it gives a better overall picture of what is happening, 

whereas mean can be skewed by outliers. For example, if Bill Gates walks into a room of 50 people, the average income of people in 

the room shoots towards a billion dollars, but the median income in the room would not signifi cantly change.

Over a lifetime, 

individuals with 

a Bachelor’s 

degree make 84% 

more than those 

with only a high 

school diploma.

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2 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

 Despite a general earnings boost conferred by a degree, earnings vary greatly depending on the 

degree type, age, gender, race/ethnicity, and occupation of an individual. Th e fi ndings are stark: 

Women earn less at all degree levels, even when they work as much as men. On average, women 

who work full-time, full-year earn 25 percent less than men, even at similar education levels. At 

all levels of educational attainment, African Americans and Latinos earn less than Whites. For 

example, African Americans and Latinos with Master’s degrees have lifetime earnings lower than 

Whites with Bachelor’s degrees. 

 But variations are not just among people of diff erent degree levels or by gender or race/

ethnicity. In spite of the obvious returns to more education, the job someone is doing — their 

occupation — also matters when it comes to earnings. In fact, there is a wide variation in earnings 

by occupation even among people with the same degree. For example, fi nancial managers with 

a Bachelor’s degree earn $3.1 million over a lifetime, while accountants and auditors with a 

Bachelor’s make $2.5 million.3

 Clearly, these diff erences are driven by the occupations, not 

only by educational attainment. 

 But that’s not all — earnings also vary within the same occupation by education level. For 

instance, truck drivers with less than a high school diploma make $1.3 million over a lifetime, 

compared to $1.5 million for truck drivers with a high school diploma. Elementary and middle 

school teachers with a Bachelor’s degree make $1.8 million over a lifetime, compared with $2.2 

million for those with a Master’s degree. 

 Finally, some people with lower educational attainment earn more than their more highly 

educated counterparts as a result of occupational diff erence. We call this concept ‘overlap.’ For 

example, customer service representatives with an Associate’s degree make $1.4 million over a 

lifetime, while high school graduates who are supervisors of production workers make $1.8 

million over a lifetime. In fact, 14 percent of people with a high school diploma make at least as 

much as the median earnings of those with a Bachelor’s degree, and 17 percent of people with a 

Bachelor’s degree make more than the median earnings of those with a Professional degree. A lot 

of this overlap can be explained by the occupations in which individuals are found. 

 Th ese occupational diff erences highlight another fact: our traditional understanding of career 

mobility is from an industry perspective: you work your way up from the mail room to the corner 

offi ce. Th is is a relic of an earlier time — today, careers are based on occupation. Because of the 

emphasis on postsecondary education — which generally means more specifi c occupational training 

— workers will be attached more to the occupations they will fi ll than the industries in which they 

work. In other words, workers progress up an occupational hierarchy, not an industry-based one. 

 In the fi rst section of the report, we present earnings data on eight levels of educational 

attainment, including less than high school, high school, some college/no degree, Associate’s 

degree, Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree, Doctoral degree, and Professional degree. Next, we 

discuss how earnings change across the career of an individual, as related to age and educational 

attainment. Th en, we turn to an often-overlooked fact: earnings within education levels can vary 

3 These earnings, and all earnings presented hereafter, are at the median and not the average.

Even within the same 

occupation, more 

education gets workers more money. Truck 

drivers with less than 

high school make $1.3 

million over a lifetime, 

compared to $1.5 million 

for truck drivers with 

a high school diploma. 

Elementary and middle 

school teachers with a 

Bachelor’s degree make 

$1.8 million over a lifetime, compared with $2.2 

million for those with a 

Master’s degree.

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Education, Occupations, Lifetime Ear

dramatically. We show the range of earnings within each level, which demonstrates that there is 

signifi cant overlap of earnings. In other words, those in the upper reaches of one level of educational attainment have signifi cant earnings overlap with those in the lower reaches of another. For 

example, about 28 percent of workers with Associate’s degrees earn more than the median earnings 

of workers with Bachelor’s degrees. Th is section also presents earnings and education and occupation, which demonstrates that earnings vary not only by educational attainment, but by occupation. Next, we examine how earnings vary not just by educational attainment, but also by gender, 

and race/ethnicity. In the fi nal section, we identify the ten most common occupations at each 

education level and their lifetime earnings. In the appendix table, we present earnings and 

demographic information on nearly 300 specifi c occupations. 

PART I: Lifetime Earnings by Educational Attainment

As Figure 1 shows, median lifetime earnings rise steadily for workers with increasing educational 

attainment. Overall, the median lifetime earnings for all workers are $1.7 million, which is just 

under $42,000 per year ($20 per hour). Over a 40-year career, those who didn’t earn a high school 

diploma or GED are expected to bring in less than $1 million, which translates into slightly more 

than $24,000 a year ($11.70 per hour). Obtaining a high school diploma adds 33 percent more to 

lifetime earnings; the average annual earnings of people with a high school diploma are $32,600 

($15.67 per hour). Clearly, then, the economic penalty for not fi nishing high school is steep — 

almost $9,000 a year. 

 

FIGURE 1: MEDIAN LIFETIME EARNINGS BY HIGHEST EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, 2009 DOLLARS

Less 

than High 

School

High 

School 

Diploma

Some 

College/No 

Degree

Associate’s 

Degree

Bachelor’s 

Degree

Master’s 

Degree

Doctoral 

Degree

Professional Degree

$973,000

$1,304,000

$1,547,000 $1,727,000

$2,268,000

$2,671,000

$3,252,000

$3,648,000

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4 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

 Having some postsecondary education, even without earning a degree, adds nearly onequarter of a million dollars to lifetime earnings. Annual earnings rise to $38,700 ($18.69 per 

hour). Getting an Associate’s degree adds another bump of nearly $200,000 in lifetime earnings. 

At $43,200 a year ($20.77 per hour), those with Associate’s degrees earn nearly one-third more 

than those with just a high school diploma. Th ese numbers demonstrate conclusively the 

advantage of non-baccalaureate postsecondary education. 

 Getting a Bachelor’s degree adds another large increase in lifetime earnings. With median 

earnings of $56,700 ($27.26 per hour), or $2.3 million over a lifetime, Bachelor’s degree holders 

earn 31 percent more than workers with an Associate’s degree and 74 percent more than those 

with just a high school diploma. Further, obtaining a Bachelor’s is also the gateway to entering 

and completing graduate education. About one-third of Bachelor’s degree holders obtain a 

graduate degree.

 All graduate degree holders can expect lifetime earnings at least double that of those with 

only a high school diploma. For those with a Master’s degree (which includes those with Master’s 

degrees in elementary teaching and in business administration), typical lifetime earnings are $2.7 

million ($66,800 a year or $32 per hour).4

 Moreover, earnings rise substantially for those with 

Doctoral and Professional degrees: Doctoral degree holders have lifetime earnings of $3.3 million 

($81,300 per year; $39 per hour) while those with Professional degrees (mainly doctors and 

lawyers) have the highest earnings, making over $3.6 million over the course of a lifetime 

($91,200 per year; $44 per hour). Th is is a 61 percent increase (nearly 1.4 million) over 

Bachelor’s degree holders.5

PART II: Lifetime Earnings by Educational Attainment and Age

Another way to compare the labor force outcomes of workers with diff erent levels of education is 

to detail their earnings over the course of their careers. As Figure 2 shows, the diff erences among 

median earnings by education level are much smaller at the beginning of an individual’s career 

(25-29 years old) than later in an individual’s working life. Earnings at ages 40-44 are considerably higher for all workers, independent of educational attainment. However, the rise is only 19 

percent for high school dropouts and 25 percent for those with high school diplomas. Th e returns 

4 This number hides the fact that people with a Master’s in Business Administration earn substantially more than the other large categories 

of Master’s degrees—Master’s in Education (and Master’s in Fine Arts). However, there are signifi cantly more Master’s in Education, which 

bring the median down.

5 It should be noted that the choice to use the median values has the biggest effect on those with Bachelor’s and graduate degrees because of the very high earnings of top earners. For example, the mean (average) earnings of those with a Bachelor’s degree is $500,000 

higher than the median ($2.7 million) and the Bachelor’s to high school premium is 87 percent on the basis of the mean (versus 74% on 

the basis of the median). The mean of those with a Master’s degree rises to $3.3 million and for Doctoral degree holders to $3.9 million. 

But the biggest effect of choosing median over mean is seen with Professional degree holders whose mean ($5.1 million) is nearly $1.5 

million higher than its median.

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Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings 5

to career advancement rise to 35 percent for those with an Associate’s degree and some college/

no degree. By contrast, earnings of Bachelor’s degree holders in the workforce grow by 50 percent

over these years, those with Master’s degree grow by 57 percent, and those with a Doctoral degree

grow by 65 percent. By far, the biggest gain over the early years of one’s career involves those with

Professional degrees. Workers with Professional degrees earn 100 percent more in their 40’s than

they do in their initial years in the workforce.

25-29

$150,000

$125,000

$100,000

$75,000

$50,000

$20,000

30-34 35-39 40-44 45-29 50-54 55-59 60-64

Educational Attainment

Less than High School

Bachelor’s

High School Diploma

Master’s

Some College/No Degree

Doctoral

Associate’s

Professional

Age

Earnings

FIGURE 2: LIFETIME EARNINGS TRAJECTORIES, 2009 DOLLARS

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6 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

PART III: Variations in Earnings by Education and Occupation: 

Earnings Overlap

Th us far, have we focused on the typical person at each educational level by using median 

earnings. It is important to also note that there is wide variation in earnings within educational 

levels, which means that the highest earners of a lower education level earn more than the typical 

worker at a higher level of educational attainment. We call this phenomenon “overlap.” Overlap is 

very much related to diff erences in earnings by occupation.

Table 1 shows what share of less-educated workers earn the same or more as those at the median in the next education level. For example, the bottom leftmost number of 31 percent means 

that 31 percent of workers without a high school diploma earn more than the median earnings of 

workers with a high school diploma. Moving up the “Less than high school” column, the highest 

earning 16 percent of this group earns more than the median of those with Associate’s degrees, 

and 7 percent of people with less than a high school diploma earn more than the typical worker 

with a Bachelor’s degree. At the extreme, the most successful 1 percent of less than high school 

workers has at least the median lifetime earnings of those with a Professional degree. 

There is signifi cant 

overlap in earnings at all 

education levels: 17% of 

people with a Bachelor’s 

degree make more than 

the median of those with 

a Professional degree, 

for example.

TABLE 1: PERCENT OF PEOPLE IN A PARTICULAR EDUCATION LEVEL EARNING MORE THAN THOSE AT A 

HIGHER EDUCATIONAL LEVEL

Less than 

High 

School

High 

School 

Diploma 

Some 

College/No 

Degree Associate’s Bachelor’s Master’s Doctoral

Professional

Doctoral

Master’s

Bachelor’s

Associate’s

Some College/

No Degree

High School

Diploma

 1.3% 2.4% 4.8% 4.9% 17.2% 24.2% 36.9%

 2.3% 4.6% 8.6% 9.5% 26.7% 35.5% .

 4.6% 9.2% 15.9% 19.2% 39.9% . .

 7.3% 14.3% 23.1% 28.2% . . .

16.3% 29.8% 41.9% . . . .

21.3% 36.6% . . . . .

31.4% . . . . . .

How to read this chart

Taking the less than high 

school column and reading 

down, it shows that 1.3% of 

people with less than a high 

school education make the 

same amount or more as the 

median earnings of someone 

with a Professional degree. 

2.3% of people with less than 

high school make the same 

amount or more as the median 

for someone with a Doctoral 

degree, 4.6% of people with 

less than a high school education make the same amount 

or mare than someone with a 

Master’s degree, and so on.

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Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings 7

Continuing up the lower diagonal, 37 percent of workers with a high school diploma have 

lifetime earnings greater than the median amount earned by workers with some college/no 

degree. Since some college/no degree has a median very close to that of Associate-degree holders, 

it is not surprising that the overlap is very high — 42 percent of some college/no degree workers 

have lifetime earnings more than the median of workers with an Associate’s degree. However, the 

next step — from a two- to a four-year degree — is a big one, and only the most successful 28 

percent of Associate’s degree workers earn more than the median earnings of workers with a 

Bachelor’s degree. 

 Another way to look at earnings variation within a specifi c education level is “interquartile 

range”– the diff erence between the lifetime earnings at the 75th and 25th percentile among 

people with the same highest educational attainment. For example, among those who did not 

fi nish high school, median lifetime earnings amount to $973,000. However, at the 25th percentile, workers earn $645,000 over a lifetime, while at the 75th percentile workers earn $1.5 million 

over a lifetime. As Table 1A shows, the interquartile range is approximately 1–4.5 million 

dollars (which is about 80 percent of the value of the median for each education level, although 

it increases as educational attainment increases). Th e largest variation (120% of the median) 

occurs among those with Professional degrees, due to very high earnings at the 75th percentile 

of this group. 

 Finally, Figure 3 shows the large amount of overlap when interquartile ranges are aligned 

with progressively higher levels of education. Th e overlap would even be greater if we didn’t limit 

the low values to the 25th percentile and the high values to the 75th percentile.

 As stated above, much of the overlap can be attributed to diff erences in occupation. As 

Figure 4 shows, there is great variation among earnings for those with the same educational 

attainment in diff erent occupations. Moreover, within the same occupation, diff erent education 

levels see diff erences in earnings.

TABLE 1A: LIFETIME EARNINGS VARIATIONS WITHIN EDUCATION LEVELS, 2009 DOLLARS 

25th Percentile 75th Percentile Interquartile Range

 Less than High School 644,600 1,464,000 819,400 

 High School Diploma 867,500 1,889,500 1,022,000 

 Some College/No Degree 1,035,500 2,252,100 1,216,700 

 Associate’s Degree 1,177,100 2,426,300 1,249,200 

 Bachelor’s Degree 1,490,600 3,388,700 1,898,100

 Master’s Degree 1,864,400 3,835,600 1,971,200

 Doctoral Degree 2,150,400 4,743,400 2,592,900 

 Professional Degree 2,004,600 6,472,800 4,468,200

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Professional

Doctoral

Master’s

Bachelor’s

Associate’s

Some College/

No Degree

High School Diploma

Less than High School Bachelor’s compared to Professional

Bachelor’s compared to Doctoral

Bachelor’s compared to Master’s

Bachelor’s compared to Less than High School Bachelor’s compared to Some College

Bachelor’s compared to Associate’s

Bachelor’s compared to High School Diploma

175,000

1,175,000

2,175,000

3,175,000

4,175,000

5,175,000

7,175,000

8,175,000

6,175,000

9,175,000

Lifetime earnings — Truncated left and right

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

Number of People (in thousands)

7,000

8,000

8 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

Figure 3: OVERLAP IN EARNINGS,

2009 DOLLARS

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Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings 9

Figure 4: LIFETIME EARNINGS BY EDUCATION AND OCCUPATION, 2009 DOLLARS

Less than High School

Bachelor’s

High School Diploma

Master’s

Some College/No Degree

Doctoral

Associate’s

Professional

Health

Professionals

Managerial

and

Professional

Community

Service

and Arts

Education Sales and Blue Collar

Office

Health

Support

Personal

Services

STEM

$4,500,000

$4,000,000

$3,500,000

$3,000,000

$2,500,000

$2,000,000

$1,500,000

$1,000,000

$500,000

$0

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10 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

Master’s

Some College/

No Degree

Doctoral Male $3,466,000

Female $2,857,000

Professional Male $4,033,000

Female $3,010,000

Male $3,145,000

Female $2,321,000

Male $2,593,000

Female $1,939,000

Male $1,933,000

Female $1,544,000

Female $1,327,000

Male $1,500,000

Female $1,117,000

Male $1,103,000

Female $797,000

Male $1,802,000

High School

Diploma

Less than

High School

Male

Female

Women have

to have a PhD

to make as

much as men

with a BA

Men with some college but no

degree earn about the same as

women with a Bachelor’s degree

$0 $50,000 $1,000,000 $1,500,000 $2,000,000 $2,500,000 $3,000,000 $3,500,000 $4,000,000 $4,500,000

Bachelor’s

Associate’s

Figure 5: MALE AND FEMALE EARNINGS BY EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Women need a Doctoral

or Professional degree

to make more than men

with a Bachelor’s degree.

PART IV: Lifetime Earnings by Educational Attainment, Gender, and

Race/Ethnicity

Figure 5 shows the median lifetime earnings of male and female workers for each of our eight

education levels. As can be seen in Table 2, women with the same educational attainment as men

earn about a quarter less than their male counterparts over a lifetime. Th is is consistent with

the yearly reported gender earnings gap of 23 percent, which is based on comparing full-time,

full-year workers in a single year. For example, over the course of their lifetime, women who

obtain a Bachelor’s degree make over $650,000 less than men with the same level of education.

Th e smallest gender gaps within postsecondary educational bands occurs among those with

Associate’s degrees and those with Doctoral degrees, where women earn about $400,000 and

$600,000 less than men over a lifetime, respectively. However, the largest gender gap in earnings

is for those with Professional degrees: men earn about a million dollar more over a lifetime

than women with these degrees.

Had we defi ned lifetime earnings on the basis of all workers, including those who had periods

with no earnings (for example, women who leave the labor force for childbearing/child rearing,

or anyone who leaves for disability or other reasons), we would see even higher gaps between the

earnings of men and women because women are much more likely than men to be out of the

labor force for spells of time (and thus, not regularly work full-time, full-year). Considering all

63774_X.indd 63774_X.indd 12 4/26/14/26/1
workers — not just those who work full-time, full-year — the gender gap in earnings widens by 

about 20 percentage points (with the exception of those with a Master’s or Doctoral degree where 

it only widens 6–9 percentage points).

 Because so few women with less than a high school diploma work, the earnings gap among 

this group expands to an alarming 90 percent. Women with just a high school diploma are also 

likely to be out of the labor force and their lifetime earnings gap versus comparable males is 52 

percent. At the some college/no degree, Bachelor’s, and Professional degree levels, the gender gap 

stands at a hefty 45 percent. Th e smallest gender gaps for the ‘typical’ worker can be found at the 

Associate’s degree (38%), Master’s degree (34%), and Doctoral degree (27%) levels. 

 Wage disparities also are visible when lifetime earnings are examined on the basis of race or 

ethnicity. Historically, non-Hispanic Whites (hereafter, Whites) have had higher earnings than 

those of other races/ethnicities. Th ere is now an exception, though, because Asians — especially 

highly-educated Asians — earn wages comparable to Whites. Latinos, meanwhile, have median 

lifetime earnings 34 percent lower than Whites across the board. African Americans make 23 

percent less than Whites. A similar gap (22%) exists for Other Races/Ethnicities (Native 

Americans, Pacifi c Islanders, and others). 

 As Figure 6 shows, there is a lot of variation of the relative earnings of people of diff erent 

races/ethnicities relative to Whites. Among African Americans, for example, lifetime earnings are 

13-16 percent less than Whites with three prominent exceptions — less than high school (18% 

less than Whites), Bachelor’s degrees (20% less than Whites), and Professional degrees (23% less 

than Whites). Latinos have a similar pattern, but the earnings gap is generally in a lower range 

(10-12%). A larger gap exists among Latinos with less than high school (23% less than Whites), 

high school (18% less than Whites), Bachelor’s degrees (21% less than Whites), and Professional 

degrees (18% less than Whites). 

Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings 11

Full-time, Full-Year Workers with Typical Experiences 

 Workers (ideal) with the Labor Market 

Less than High School -27.7% -90.0%

High School Diploma -25.5% -52.2%

Some College/No Degree -26.4% -47.1%

Associate’s Degree -20.1% -37.6%

Bachelor’s Degree -25.2% -43.7%

Master’s Degree -26.2% -33.7%

Doctoral Degree -17.6% -26.7%

Professional Degree -25.4% -44.6% 

TABLE 2: GENDER GAP (FEMALE EARNINGS RELATIVE TO MALE EARNINGS)

At all levels of 

educational attainment, 

women earn, on average, 

25% less than men.

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12 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

For African Americans and Latinos, there are large gaps between earnings when compared to

Whites, especially at the lowest levels of educational attainment. It should be noted that these gaps

would be larger if the full-time, full-year approach was expanded to include periods when workers

were out of the labor force. While the gaps are smallest at the some college/no degree, Associate’s,

Master’s, and Doctoral degree levels, they are large again among Bachelor’s and Professional degree

holders. Th ese patterns suggest that more study is needed regarding the nature of occupational

concentration by race/ethnicity at the high and low ends of the occupational ladder.

At the highest levels of

educational attainment,

African Americans and

Latinos lag far behind the

earnings of their White

and Asian counterparts—over a lifetime,

they make close to a

million dollars less.

African Americans with

Bachelor’s degrees make

20% less than Whites

with Bachelor’s degrees.

$0 $1,000,000 $2,000,000 $3,000,000 $4,000,000

Professional

Doctoral

Master’s

Bachelor’s

Associate’s

Some College/

No Degree

High School

Diploma

Less than

High School

Other

Asian

Latino

African

American

White

FIGURE 6: LIFETIME EARNINGS BY RACE/ETHNICITY, 2009 DOLLARS

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 Asian workers, by contrast, have the most varied earnings relative to Whites. Among the leasteducated Asian workers — high school graduates and dropouts — lifetime earnings are 20 percent 

below Whites with the same education levels. Th e gap falls to 6-9 percent for those with some 

college/no degree, an Associate’s degree, or a Bachelor’s degree. However, among those with 

graduate degrees, Asian workers have higher lifetime earnings than Whites. 

PART V: Top Ten Occupations by Educational Attainment

Here we detail the ten most common occupations for each education level. Th ere are 300 detailed 

occupations, which are all presented in the appendix table.

Table 3 presents the ten most common occupations for those who did not fi nish high school. 

Not surprisingly, virtually all of these jobs are low-skill manual labor and service jobs. Th e blue 

collar ‘male’ jobs of truck drivers, carpenters, construction laborers, and other production workers 

earn more than the median of all workers at this education level. 

Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings 13

TABLE 3: TOP TEN OCCUPATIONS FOR THOSE WITH LESS THAN HIGH SCHOOL

Share of all Occupations Lifetime

for those with less Earnings 

than High School (2009 dollars)

 All Occupations, Less than High School $973,000

Driver/Sales Workers and Truck Drivers 6.1% 1,300,000

Janitors and Building Cleaners 4.6% 855,000

Cooks 3.3% 761,000

Construction Laborers 3.2% 1,037,000

Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 3.1% 663,000

Laborers and Material Movers 2.9% 965,000

Maintenance Workers 2.7% 772,000

Other Agricultural Workers 2.6% 814,000

Other Production Workers 2.3% 980,000

Carpenters 2.2% 1,069,000

63774.indd 15 3774.indd 15 4/26/1/26/1
14 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

 Table 4 lists the most common occupations for those with a high school diploma and no 

postsecondary education, many of which are also found in Table 3. However, the diff erence 

between having and not having a high school degree leads to much higher earnings in these same 

occupations. For example, driver/sales workers and truck drivers with a high school diploma have 

lifetime earnings $230,000 higher than workers in the same fi eld without a high school diploma. 

Th ere is an equivalent bump for janitors, other production workers, and laborers and material 

handlers. In this table, however, there are also now new titles with greater responsibilities and 

pay — other managers, supervisors and managers of retail sales workers, and supervisors and 

managers of production workers. 

TABLE 4: TOP TEN OCCUPATIONS, HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA

Share of all Lifetime

Occupations Earnings 

High School Diploma (2009 dollars)

 All Occupations, High School Diploma $1,304,000

Driver/Sales Workers and Truck Drivers 4.9% 1,531,000

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants 3.7% 1,264,000

Supervisors/Managers of Retail Sales Workers 3.3% 1,345,000

Janitors and Building Cleaners 2.6% 1,048,000

Laborers and Movers 2.2% 1,199,000

Retail Salespersons 1.8% 1,134,000

Nursing and Home Health Aides 1.8% 966,000

Other Production Workers 1.8% 1,308,000

Other Managers 1.7% 1,876,000

Supervisors/Managers of Production Worker 1.6% 1,809,000

63774.indd 16 3774.indd 16 4/26/1/26/1
Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings 15

Table 5 presents the occupations where workers with some college/no degree are concentrated. 

While some of these occupations also appeared in Table 4, the relative pay within these common 

occupations vary greatly. On the one hand, driver/sales workers and truck drivers and nursing and 

home health aides have virtually the same lifetime earnings. By contrast, retail salespersons and 

other managers with some college/no degree make considerably more than their counterparts with 

just a high school diploma. Finally, secretaries and administrative assistants make slightly more if 

they have some postsecondary education.

 Th is variation shows that some jobs have narrowly defi ned tasks and that college education 

does not always lead to extra earnings. In other jobs, however, there is more room for personal 

initiative, which permits those with college-level skills to perform more productive activities and 

attain higher pay. Further, those with some college/no degree expand their access to more 

supervisory, fi nancial, and high sales functions. 

TABLE 5: TOP TEN OCCUPATIONS, SOME COLLEGE/NO DEGREE

Share of all Lifetime

Occupations, Some College/ Earnings 

No Degree (2009 dollars)

 All Occupations, Some College/No Degree $1,547,000

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants 4.7% 1,348,000

Supervisors/Managers of Retail Sales Workers 3.4% 1,507,000

Other Managers 2.8% 2,220,000

Drivers/Sales Workers and Truck Drivers 2.4% 1,569,000

Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 2.1% 1,391,000

Supervisors/Managers of Administrative Support Workers 2.0% 1,657,000

Customer Service Representatives 2.0% 1,331,000

Retail Salespersons 2.0% 1,320,000

Nursing and Home Health Aides 1.6% 1,030,000

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing 1.5% 2,009,000

63774.indd 17 3774.indd 17 4/26/1/26/1
As Table 6 shows, registered nurse is by far the most common occupation among workers 

with an Associate’s degree; this occupation pays considerably more than what is earned at the 

median for all workers with an Associate’s degree. Medical technologists and technicians also make 

signifi cantly more than the median for Associate’s degree holders. For many other jobs, however, 

earnings for those with some college/no degree and those with an Associate’s are quite similar; 

secretaries and administrative assistants, other managers, supervisory of retail sales workers and 

administrative support workers, accounting, customer service representatives, and retail sales 

workers all earn similar pay in the same occupation at the some college/no degree and Associate’s 

degree level. 

As Table 7 indicates, Managerial and Professional occupations are the most common 

occupations for those with Bachelor’s degrees. With the exception of elementary and middle 

school teachers and supervisors of retail workers, lifetime earnings are much higher at the 

Bachelor’s level than for less-educated workers. Registered nurses earn $260,000 more over a 

lifetime if they have a Bachelor’s rather than an Associate’s, while accountants/auditors and other 

managers with a Bachelor’s have extra lifetime earnings of approximately $800,000 more than 

their counterparts with Associate’s degrees. New occupations such as chief executives, fi nancial 

managers, computer software engineers, and marketing and sales managers all have lifetime 

earnings over $3 million with only a Bachelor’s, close to the median lifetime earnings of 

Doctoral degree holders. 

16 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

TABLE 6: TOP TEN OCCUPATIONS, ASSOCIATE’S DEGREES

Share of all Lifetime

Occupations Earnings 

Associate’s Degree (2009 dollars)

 All Occupations, Associate’s Degree $1,728,000

Registered Nurses 9.1% 2,267,000

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants 4.3% 1,385,000

Other Managers 2.6% 2,292,000

Supervisors/Managers of Retail Sales Workers 2.5% 1,531,000

Accountants and Auditors 2.0% 1,636,000

Supervisors/Managers of Administrative Support Workers 1.7% 1,736,000

Customer Service Representatives 1.6% 1,379,000

Retail Salespersons 1.5% 1,312,000

Medical Technologists and Technicians 1.2% 2,187,000

Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 1.2% 1,327,000

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Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings 17

TABLE 7: TOP TEN OCCUPATIONS, BACHELOR’S DEGREES

 Th ose who obtain Master’s degrees seek specialization, which limits the number of occupations 

in which they can seek work. Table 8 details the top ten occupations for those with a Master’s degree. Once again, elementary and middle school teachers lead the way because of the large number 

of teachers with a Master’s in education. Many of the top jobs are common to both those with 

Bachelor’s degrees (as shown in Table 7) and those with Master’s degrees (as shown in Table 8). 

Th e diff erence is that at the graduate level workers have signifi cantly higher lifetime earnings; for 

example, computer software engineers make nearly $300,000 extra with a Master’s degree over a 

lifetime, while elementary and middle school teachers make $400,000 extra with a Master’s degree. 

Th is is clear evidence that additional educational preparation, which is often only two years of 

schoolwork, leads to a signifi cant payoff — but that payoff varies by occupation. 

TABLE 8: TOP TEN OCCUPATIONS, MASTER’S DEGREES

Share of all Lifetime

Occupations Earnings 

Master’s Degree (2009 dollars)

 All Occupations, Master’s Degree $2,671,000

Elementary and Middle School Teachers 13.0% 2,155,000

Other Managers 5.4% 3,762,000

Education Administrators 4.0% 2,786,000

Accountants and Auditors 3.7% 3,030,000

Secondary School Teachers 3.1% 2,217,000

Computer Software Engineers 2.6% 3,835,000

Registered Nurses 2.5% 3,044,000

Postsecondary Teachers 2.5% 2,024,000

Counselors 2.4% 1,945,000

Chief Executives 2.4% 5,160,000

Share of all Lifetime

Occupations Earnings 

Bachelor’s Degree (2009 dollars)

 All Occupations, Bachelor’s Degree $2,268,000

Elementary and Middle School Teachers 5.1% 1,757,000

Other Managers 4.6% 3,094,000

Accountants and Auditors 4.6% 2,422,000

Registered Nurses 4.0% 2,527,000

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing 2.5% 3,062,000

Suoervisors/Managers of Retail Sales Workers 2.3% 1,807,000

Chief Executives 1.9% 4,483,000

Financial Managers 1.9% 3,081,000

Computer Software Engineers 1.8% 3,554,000

Marketing and Sales Managers 1.8% 3,494,000

63774.indd 19 3774.indd 19 4/26/1/26/1
 Traditionally, Doctoral degree holders have worked predominantly within academia, though 

today only 26 percent of Doctoral degree holders work as postsecondary teachers or professors 

(as shown in Table 10). Yet a number of people can have both Doctoral and Professional degrees 

(e.g., physicians, lawyers, etc.) and are put in the Doctoral degree category because the Census 

treats a Doctoral degree as a higher attainment level than a Professional degree (and defers to the 

higher educational attainment level). Doctors and lawyers can seek additional education (Doctoral 

degrees), though many of those who get a Doctoral degree in addition to their Professional degree 

tend to teach or do research at the university level rather than pursue private practice (which can 

be more remunerative). Finally, there are a few workers with Doctoral degrees who are categorized 

as business executives (other managers and chief executives); these may be scientists or technical 

specialists who have become company leaders and have been substantially rewarded as a result. 

18 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

TABLE 10: TOP TEN OCCUPATIONS, DOCTORAL DEGREES

Share of all Lifetime

Occupations Earnings 

Doctoral (2009 dollars)

 All Occupations, Doctoral Degree $3,252,000

Postsecondary Teachers 26.0% 2,803,000

Physicians and Surgeons 5.7% 5,085,000

Physical Scientists 5.2% 3,577,000

Lawyers and Judges 4.7% 3,676,000

Education Administrators 4.6% 3,465,000

Other Managers 3.7% 4,670,000

Psychologists 3.5% 2,515,000

Medical Scientists 3.5% 3,259,000

Pharmacists 2.6% 4,358,000

Chief Executives 2.1% 5,131,000

63774.indd 20 3774.indd 20 4/26/1/26/1
Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings 19

TABLE 9: TOP TEN OCCUPATIONS, PROFESSIONAL DEGREES

 Th ose who get Professional degrees receive specialized training for their occupations, in 

particular in law and medicine. About a third (32%) of these workers are practicing lawyers and 

judges, and another third (32%) obtained a degree in one of the medical specialties (physicians 

and surgeons, dentists, pharmacists, veterinarians, and nurses). Th e remaining occupations in the 

top ten are other managers, teachers, accountants, and auditors. Th e managerial fi eld is particularly 

undercounted because of the plethora of industry-specifi c managers. Th ere are also several occupations in this list that pay a similar amount as those with just a Master’s degree: elementary and 

secondary school teachers, accountants and auditors, and registered nurses (who actually make less 

than their counterparts with a Master’s degree). 

Share of all Lifetime

Occupations Earnings 

Professional degree (2009 dollars)

 All Occupations, Professional Degree $3,648,000

Lawyers and Judges 31.5% 4,032,000

Physicians and Surgeons 22.8% 6,172,000

Dentists 3.4% 4,035,000

Elementary and Middle School Teachers 2.8% 2,292,000

Pharmacists 2.3% 4,420,000

Veterinarians 2.1% 2,981,000

Accountants and Auditors 1.7% 3,203,000

Other Managers 1.7% 3,873,000

Postsecondary Teachers 1.6% 2,919,000

Registered Nurses 1.5% 2,722,000

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20 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

CONCLUSION

 No matter how you cut it, more education pays. Th e data presented here show that there is a 

sizeable economic return to going to college and earning at least a two- or four-year degree. Th e 

33 percent of Bachelor’s degree holders that continue on to graduate and professional schools have 

even more prosperous futures ahead. Moreover, the diff erence in earnings between those who go 

to college and those who don’t is growing — meaning that postsecondary education is more 

important than ever. 

 However, as we have demonstrated, there are signifi cant variations based on age, gender, 

race/ethnicity, and above all, occupation. In the following appendices, we present lifetime earnings 

by education level for 300 distinct occupations. Th ese numbers prove that higher education 

opens up the highest-paying jobs, but also that there is a range of pay within jobs and that more 

highly-educated people usually earn considerably more than their less-educated counterparts 

in the same occupation. 

63774_X.indd 22 3774_X.indd 22 4/26/1/26/1
Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings 21

TECHNICAL APPENDIX

We reproduced the methodology originally 

used in the 2002 Census report on lifetime 

earnings. Th ey describe this approach as: 

“ Synthetic estimates of work-life earnings 

are created by using the working population’s 1-year annual earnings and summing 

their age-specifi c average earnings for 

people ages 25 to 64 years. Th e resulting 

totals represent what individuals with the 

same educational level could expect to 

earn, on average, in today’s dollars, during 

a hypothetical 40-year working life.” 

Specifi cally, the Census approach looks at 

5-year age groups — 25-29, 30-34, etc. — 

to get an average for each age group and then 

sums each of these 5-year averages of a particular demographic and/or educational group to 

estimate the average 40-year degree for 

that group. 

 Th is approach is an estimate and is not 

based on real careers of people. In real life, 

people’s careers are much more volatile — 

they change jobs, have wide yearly earnings 

variations, have periods of time where they are 

not working, often start working before age 

25, and may retire before age 64 or work well 

past it. Also, by only using earnings levels from 

2009 data, these estimates are only approximations of what individuals who are 25 years old 

today can expect to earn over their lifetime. It 

is quite probable that productivity growth will 

lead to higher earnings in the future and therefore the career of today’s young adults will lead 

to higher lifetime earnings than presented here. 

 We diff er from the Census in that we use 

median earnings rather than average earnings. 

As noted in footnote 2, median earnings tend 

to be more representative of “typical” experiences than average earnings. 

To construct medians and the 25th and 75th 

percentile groups, we combine the medians, 

25th, and 75th percentile levels in the diff erent 

5-year periods rather than the averages. 

 Since no data source exists with a large 

number of cases that tracks individuals throughout their careers by earnings, occupation, and 

hours worked per year, this approach is the only 

viable one to construct even a rough estimate 

of lifetime earnings. While most people don’t 

increase their education level after age 25, very 

few people work full-time, full-year in the same 

narrow occupation. Th e numbers presented 

here should be viewed as representing the broad 

earning diff erences that exist based on education, 

gender, race/ethnicity, and occupation and 

not exact representations of an individual’s 

lifetime earnings. 

Simple Dollars versus Net Present Value 

A series of commentators objected to the 

Census computations because it treated a 

dollar today the same as a dollar 30 years later 

in one’s career (e.g., it didn’t take into account 

net present value). Th e essence of this criticism 

is the fi nancial principle that a dollar in the 

future is worth less than dollar today. A person 

who wins a million dollars in the lottery has 

the choice of receiving $50,000 per year for 

20 years or taking a lump sum of $450,000 to 

$550,000 (depending on the state and current 

interest rate on government bonds). Th e reason 

for this discrepancy is that those who take the 

money today could be earning money by investing it (in government bonds, for example). 

 Simple fi nancial calculators can turn a 

stream of earnings into a “net present discounted value” with a specifi c discounting rate. 

We chose 2.5% because this represents the real 

interest rate of long term government bonds. 

63774.indd 23 3774.indd 23 4/26/1/26/1
22 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

Th us, the $2,789,000 lifetime earnings of a 

Bachelor’s degree holder has a current lump 

sum value of $1,712,000, which is 39 percent 

less than the simple adding up of yearly earnings. Using discounted values, the dollar gap 

between Bachelor’s degree holders and high 

school graduates falls to $786,000 (from nearly 

$1.3 million). 

 Even with discounted dollars, workers with 

a Bachelor’s degree today can expect to have 

lifetime earnings $593,000 higher than workers 

with only a high school diploma. Th erefore, it 

is still worth the time and investment to obtain 

a college education. 

 For those interested in present discounted 

values, simply reducing each of these numbers 

by 39 percent will result in a satisfactory 

estimate. 

Full-Time, Full-Year Workers Another 

important choice in determining lifetime 

earnings is whether to base these computations 

on an “ideal” career in which the person works 

full-time, full-year for each of 40 years from 25 

to 64. In reality, only about half of men and 

a small share of women meet these criteria, 

since major interruptions, including temporary 

unemployment, illness, early retirement, and 

time taken off to meet family responsibilities, 

often take people out of the workforce for 

some period of time. Over a recent 15-year 

period, Rose and Hartmann (2004) found that 

74 percent of men and 26 percent of women 

were “super attached workers”–working at least 

1,750 hours in 12 of 15 years. Following the 

Census approach, we chose to compute lifetime 

earnings on the basis of full-time, full-year 

workers and alert the reader that many 

workers, especially female workers, don’t 

meet this standard. 

But what if we take the costs of college 

into account? James Altucher and others have 

been vocal that the costs of college change the 

equation and make going to college not worth 

it. In many media appearances, he has claimed 

that the $200,000-$250,000 that parents might 

spend on a college education could easily return 

over $2 million if it were invested long-term in 

stocks and bonds rather than spent on college. 

 Th is argument contains several errors. To 

begin with, only a very small share of private 

colleges cost between $200,000-$250,000, 

and no public college costs this much; only 

10% of 2008 Bachelor’s degree students had 

total costs (tuition, fees, books, room, board, 

transportation, and other expenses) of $50,000 

or more per year. Second, more than two-thirds 

(65%) of students don’t pay the full price of 

college and have access to grants and lowinterest loans. Th ird, the multimillion-dollar 

payoff assumes that neither the principal nor 

the yearly profi ts on the investment will be 

used for 40 years. However, it is absurd to 

suggest that people with a high school education are likely to leave their investments 

untouched for 40 years, because, as we have 

just demonstrated, they are more likely to earn 

much less than their more highly educated 

counterparts and need the money. Th e reality is 

that 20- and 30-year olds have very low savings 

rates because this is the time when they are 

raising their own children. Most saving occurs 

after age 40, and are done by people with high 

earnings. Th e median net worth of people 

approaching retirement with a Bachelor’s 

degree is four times higher than those with only 

a high school diploma. It is a fantasy to think 

that starting one’s career after high school and 

using the money that might have been used to 

pay for college will lead to a gold mine later in life. 

63774.indd 24 3774.indd 24 4/26/1/26/1
Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings 23

Lifetime Earnings by Degree

 (in millions of dollars)

Distributions of Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and

Educational Attainment within Occupations

Occupation

Lessthan HighSchool

HighSchoolDiploma

Somecollege

Associate’s Bachelor’s Master’s/

Professional/Doctoral

GenderEarnings

Gap %

PercentFemale

PercentWhite•

PercentAfricanAmerican•

PercentLatino•

PercentHighSchool orless

PercentSome College andAssociate’s

PercentBA andGraduate

Chief Executives and Legislators . 2.6 3.2 3.0 4.5 5.1 30.2 21.1 87.0 3.3 4.6 11.2 22.6 66.2

General and Operations Managers . 2.2 2.5 2.5 3.3 4.0 28.1 28.0 82.2 5.7 7.6 18.0 33.8 48.2

Advertising, Promotions, Public Relations Managers . . . . 2.9 . 28.1 55.7 84.8 5.6 5.7 6.7 20.1 73.2

Marketing and Sales Managers . 2.2 2.5 2.5 3.5 4.3 37.1 41.7 83.9 4.2 6.7 8.7 24.4 66.9

Administrative Services Managers . . 2.1 . 2.6 . 13.0 30.9 78.2 9.9 8.2 21.8 42.3 36.0

Computer and Information Systems Managers . . 3.1 3.0 3.7 4.0 14.6 28.3 77.4 6.0 5.2 4.9 24.1 71.0

Financial Managers . 1.8 2.1 2.2 3.1 4.2 61.1 52.8 77.8 8.1 8.3 12.4 26.9 60.7

Human Resources Managers . 1.9 2.2 2.2 2.9 3.4 19.9 60.2 75.2 9.6 10.1 13.9 29.8 56.3

Industrial Production Managers . 2.3 2.4 . 3.3 3.9 23.8 16.6 83.4 4.1 8.3 23.6 33.0 43.4

Purchasing Managers . . 2.2 . 2.9 3.7 24.5 42.5 80.1 8.5 6.9 12.6 30.0 57.4

Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers . 1.7 1.9 . 2.6 . 3.3 16.9 74.8 9.3 11.4 38.6 36.2 25.2

Farmers and Ranchers, Farm, Ranch, and other

Agricultural Managers . . . . . . . 11.7 92.6 .7 4.9 46.5 31.3 22.2

Construction Managers 1.5 2.0 2.3 2.3 3.1 3.6 20.0 6.4 85.4 3.0 9.0 34.8 33.4 31.8

Education Administrators . 1.4 1.5 1.6 2.0 2.9 27.5 62.7 76.3 13.4 7.4 5.1 14.1 80.8

Miscellaneous Managers, including Engineering, FuneralDirectors, Postmasters and Mail Superintendents 1.4 1.9 2.2 2.3 3.2 3.9 29.3 31.9 79.8 6.8 7.5 16.6 28.1 55.2

Food Service Managers 1.0 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.8 . 33.3 43.1 66.0 8.5 14.2 38.4 37.9 23.7

Gaming and Lodging Managers . . 1.7 . 2.1 . 30.1 48.3 70.4 6.7 9.3 24.4 36.3 39.3

Natural Sciences, Medical and Health Services Managers . 1.7 1.9 2.3 2.7 3.5 29.5 67.7 75.4 12.1 7.2 10.8 28.0 61.2

Property, Real Estate, and Community Association

Managers . 1.5 1.7 1.6 2.2 2.9 27.2 49.5 75.5 9.1 11.7 24.4 37.2 38.4

Social and Community Service Managers . . 1.7 . 2.1 2.6 22.4 66.3 74.9 14.2 7.4 8.7 21.7 69.6

Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, andAthletes, Logisticians, Meeting and Convention Planners . . 1.9 . 2.5 . 19.7 47.0 74.0 12.2 9.2 14.1 33.8 52.0

Purchasing Agents, except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm andNon-Farm Products . 1.7 1.8 1.9 2.3 . 18.1 52.3 78.8 9.1 7.8 21.9 38.9 39.3

Wholesale and Retail Buyers, except Farm Products . 1.4 1.6 . 2.1 . 15.7 49.0 79.6 5.7 8.8 26.2 36.9 36.9

Claims Adjusters, Appraisers, Examiners, and Investigators . 1.7 1.7 1.8 2.3 . 27.0 61.8 72.3 15.2 8.3 18.2 36.0 45.8

Compliance Offi cers, except Agriculture, Construction,Health and Safety, and Transportation . . 2.0 . 2.7 3.1 10.9 46.2 73.8 11.0 9.0 11.7 29.8 58.5

Cost Estimators . . 2.2 . 2.7 . 37.5 12.9 88.8 1.5 6.5 26.2 41.8 32.0

* Percent White, Percent African American and Percent Latino rows total to 100%

 (may not add to exactly 100% due to missing other races.)

63774_X.indd 63774_X.indd  25 4/26/14/26/1
24 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce Lifetime Earnings by Degree (in millions of dollars) Distributions of Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Educational Attainment within Occupations Occupation Less than High School High School Diploma Some college Associate’s Bachelor’s Master’s/ Profes- sional/ Doctoral Gender Earnings Gap % Percent Female Percent White• Percent African American• Percent Latino• Percent High School or less Percent Some Col- lege and Associate’s Percent BA and Graduate Human Resources, Training, and Labor Relations Specialists . 1.7 1.9 1.9 2.3 2.9 24.2 70.2 72.2 13.9 9.3 13.6 33.4 53.0 Management Analysts . . 2.2 . 2.9 3.5 24.6 40.6 78.5 6.7 5.3 5.4 18.4 76.2 Other Business Operations Specialists . 1.6 1.8 . 2.3 3.1 39.7 60.6 69.5 14.0 9.3 15.5 33.5 51.0 Accountants and Auditors . 1.5 1.7 1.6 2.4 3.0 40.8 58.2 73.6 8.8 6.6 4.5 18.6 76.9

Appraisers and Assessors of Real Estate . . . . 2.0 . 16.5 33.2 89.1 3.9 4.0 12.1 36.1 51.8

Budget, Credit, Financial Analysts . . . . 2.7 3.8 40.1 49.0 72.6 10.5 6.8 6.0 20.3 73.7

Personal Financial Advisors . . 2.0 . 3.1 3.8 53.5 28.7 79.9 7.0 6.6 4.9 17.1 78.1

Insurance Underwriters . . . . 2.7 . 42.6 68.9 78.9 9.5 6.8 17.4 33.4 49.2

Financial Examiners, Financial Specialists, all other . . . . 2.7 . 84.8 54.7 72.5 13.2 8.5 13.9 28.3 57.8

Loan Counselors and Offi cers . 1.6 1.8 . 2.4 2.9 44.7 52.4 76.7 8.4 10.2 14.7 35.1 50.2

Tax Examiners, Collectors, Revenue Agents, and Preparers . . . . 2.2 . 23.0 61.1 66.1 17.5 11.5 15.5 33.4 51.2

Computer Scientists and Systems Analysts . 2.2 2.4 2.3 3.0 3.5 14.8 29.3 70.0 9.2 5.9 5.9 28.4 65.6

Computer Programmers . . 2.6 2.7 3.0 3.3 11.0 24.0 74.4 4.7 4.4 5.4 24.4 70.2

Computer Software Engineers . . 3.1 3.0 3.6 3.9 16.5 20.4 63.4 4.5 3.7 2.8 15.1 82.1

Computer Support Specialists . 1.9 2.1 2.0 2.4 2.6 15.0 29.4 72.5 11.1 7.8 12.1 47.0 40.9

Database Administrators . . . . 3.0 . 28.9 32.6 73.0 6.2 5.1 5.5 26.2 68.3

Network and Computer Systems Administrators . . 2.5 2.5 2.9 3.3 15.0 18.5 77.2 8.2 6.0 8.5 39.3 52.3

Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts . . 2.4 2.5 2.7 3.4 19.1 23.0 74.7 8.8 6.4 7.9 36.4 55.7

Actuaries, Miscellaneous Mathematical ScienceOccupations, including Mathematicians and Statisticans . . . . . 3.8 23.6 40.3 73.8 4.2 4.6 1.2 6.3 92.4

Operations Research Analysts . . . . 3.0 3.5 14.6 49.0 72.7 12.6 6.2 7.1 25.5 67.4

Architects, except Naval . . . . 2.8 2.9 9.7 23.0 80.6 3.3 7.0 1.8 8.3 89.9

Surveyors, Cartographers, and Photogrammetrists, andSurveying and Mapping Technicians . . 1.9 . . . 18.2 12.6 85.7 2.9 8.1 23.4 47.2 29.4

Aerospace, Biomedical, Agricultural, Chemical, ComputerHardware, Environmental, Marine, Materials, Petroleum,Mining, Geological . . . . 3.6 4.0 13.9 12.8 75.6 4.9 5.6 3.4 14.3 82.2

Civil Engineers . . . . 3.2 3.7 16.9 11.1 79.3 4.4 5.7 3.5 11.5 85.0

Electrical and Electronics Engineers . . . . 3.4 4.1 12.8 8.3 72.4 4.7 5.6 4.2 17.9 77.9

Industrial Engineers, including Health and Safety . . . . 3.0 3.4 8.4 18.3 79.7 4.1 6.2 8.2 23.0 68.8

* Percent White, Percent African American and Percent Latino rows total to 100%

 (may not add to exactly 100% due to missing other races.)

63774_X.indd 63774_X.indd  26 4/26/14/26/1
Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings 25

Lifetime Earnings by Degree

 (in millions of dollars)

Distributions of Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and

Educational Attainment within Occupations

Occupation

Lessthan HighSchool

HighSchoolDiploma

Somecollege

Associate’s Bachelor’s Master’s/

Professional/Doctoral

GenderEarnings

Gap %

PercentFemale

PercentWhite•

PercentAfricanAmerican•

PercentLatino•

PercentHighSchool orless

PercentSome College andAssociate’s

PercentBA andGraduate

Mechanical Engineers . . . . 3.2 3.6 10.5 7.1 81.7 3.5 5.4 5.2 21.5 73.4

Miscellaneous Engineers, including Nuclear Engineers . . 2.7 2.6 3.4 3.8 4.7 11.6 74.7 4.4 5.2 3.7 15.4 80.9

Drafters . . 2.0 1.9 2.0 . 12.4 17.3 81.4 4.3 8.5 14.1 62.2 23.8

Engineering Technicians, except Drafters . 1.9 2.1 2.2 2.2 . 31.3 16.0 72.9 9.6 9.4 26.4 56.9 16.6

Agricultural and Food, Biological, Conservation Scientists

and Foresters, Environmental Scientists and Geoscientists . . . . 2.3 2.8 2.9 32.9 84.0 4.4 4.1 2.5 7.6 89.9

Medical Scientists . . . . . 3.1 16.4 51.3 59.9 5.1 4.8 1.0 2.0 97.0

Astronomers and Physicists, Atmospheric and Space,Physical Scientists, all other . . . . 2.8 3.4 29.5 33.4 70.0 3.0 4.6 .7 2.4 96.9

Chemists and Materials Scientists . . . . 2.5 3.4 7.7 36.0 67.9 7.6 5.4 1.2 7.4 91.4

Economists, Market and Survey Researchers,Urban and

Regional Planners, Miscellaneous Social Scientists,

including Sociologists . . . . 2.7 3.4 29.6 47.1 79.7 5.2 6.1 3.2 11.1 85.7

Psychologists . . . . . 2.2 8.6 62.4 84.2 6.6 6.0 .4 .9 98.6

Agricultural/Food Science, Biological, Geological/Petroleum and Miscellaneous Life, Physical and Social ScienceTechnicians, including Social Science Nuclear Technicians

Research Assistants . 1.5 1.7 . 2.0 . 15.9 42.7 72.9 7.8 10.1 21.7 36.3 42.0

Counselors . . 1.3 . 1.5 2.0 -2.3 68.3 64.6 22.0 10.1 7.5 17.3 75.2

Social Workers . 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.6 2.0 6.5 78.0 61.4 23.8 11.2 7.1 17.1 75.8

Miscellaneous Community and Social Service Specialists . 1.2 1.4 . 1.7 2.0 21.9 65.3 58.7 23.8 13.8 14.0 32.5 53.6

Clergy . . 1.4 . 1.6 1.8 10.4 14.2 79.9 9.1 5.8 8.2 14.7 77.2

Directors, Religious Activities and Education, and Religious

Workers, all other . . . . 1.5 . 22.8 53.7 79.5 6.1 8.7 11.0 22.3 66.7

Lawyers and Judges, Magistrates, and other Judicial

Workers . . . . . 4.0 19.7 33.2 86.4 5.2 4.4 .8 1.3 98.0

Paralegals and Legal Assistants . 1.7 1.7 1.7 2.0 . 10.2 88.1 74.5 9.4 12.0 13.5 47.3 39.2

Miscellaneous Legal Support Workers . 1.5 1.6 . 2.2 . 32.7 71.9 73.1 11.2 10.7 19.1 41.0 39.9

Postsecondary Teachers . . . . 1.8 2.5 17.9 45.3 78.0 6.4 5.1 1.2 4.8 94.0

Preschool and Kindergarten Teachers . .7 .8 .9 1.3 1.9 57.9 98.0 63.4 20.2 12.7 15.9 40.3 43.8

Elementary and Middle School Teachers . . 1.1 1.3 1.8 2.2 9.9 77.6 80.7 9.5 7.4 1.4 3.6 94.9

Secondary School Teachers . . . . 1.8 2.2 8.4 56.6 81.1 8.9 7.3 1.0 3.3 95.7

* Percent White, Percent African American and Percent Latino rows total to 100%

 (may not add to exactly 100% due to missing other races.)

63774_X.indd 63774_X.indd  27 4/26/14/26/1
26 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce Lifetime Earnings by Degree (in millions of dollars) Distributions of Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Educational Attainment within Occupations Occupation Less than High School High School Diploma Some college Associate’s Bachelor’s Master’s/ Profes- sional/ Doctoral Gender Earnings Gap % Percent Female Percent White• Percent African American• Percent Latino• Percent High School or less Percent Some Col- lege and Associate’s Percent BA and Graduate Special Education Teachers . . . . 1.8 2.1 6.7 84.2 79.6 11.8 6.4 3.5 7.6 89.0 Other Teachers and Instructors . 1.2 1.6 1.8 1.7 2.1 36.6 54.5 74.6 13.2 8.0 14.1 31.2 54.7 Archivists, Curators, and Museum Technicians, Librarians . . . . 1.6 2.1 8.5 76.4 84.9 7.7 4.2 3.9 11.5 84.7 Library Technicians, and Other Education, Training, and Library Workers . . . . . 2.3 8.7 72.3 73.5 12.8 8.7 10.0 18.3 71.7

Teacher Assistants . .7 .8 .8 .9 . 34.1 90.3 58.6 20.4 17.3 32.6 48.7 18.7

Artists and Related Workers . . . . 1.6 . 44.2 35.0 82.7 2.8 8.3 13.5 30.0 56.5

Designers . 1.4 1.7 1.8 1.9 2.3 36.2 45.6 78.9 3.8 9.2 13.4 33.3 53.3

Producers and Directors and Broadcast and Sound Engineering Technicians and Radio Operators, and Media andall other Communication Equipment Workers, Television,

Video, and Motion Picture Camera Operators and Editors . . 2.1 . 2.4 . -.9 25.2 77.6 8.6 10.0 11.8 30.1 58.1

Athletes, Coaches, Umpires and Related Workers . . . . 1.9 . 15.8 20.9 77.6 11.8 6.7 8.4 25.0 66.6

Announcers, and News Analysts, Reporters andCorrespondents . . . . 2.2 . 15.8 35.2 79.6 6.0 10.6 9.0 20.2 70.8

Public Relations Specialists . . . . 2.5 . 29.3 60.4 82.6 7.2 6.7 4.3 15.2 80.5

Editors . . . . 2.3 2.2 13.7 52.5 85.0 5.0 5.5 4.3 14.8 80.9

Technical Writers . . . . 2.6 . 8.4 55.1 85.4 7.0 3.6 6.7 19.6 73.7

Writers and Authors . . . . 2.0 2.0 -3.7 51.0 85.8 5.9 3.6 2.9 10.5 86.6

Photographers and Miscellaneous Media andCommunication Workers . . . . 1.3 . 19.1 44.2 69.6 5.4 17.4 16.9 35.3 47.7

Chiropractors, Optometrists, Podiatrists, Veterinarians . . . . . 2.7 11.2 32.0 88.7 1.7 3.7 1.0 1.2 97.7

Dentists . . . . . 4.0 18.2 22.4 74.9 3.4 6.1 .6 .9 98.5

Pharmacists . . . . 4.0 4.4 7.6 49.0 71.8 6.5 3.6 .8 1.9 97.3

Physicians and Surgeons . . . . . 6.0 36.3 31.9 69.9 5.4 6.1 .6 1.1 98.2

Physician Assistants . . . . . 3.5 29.3 61.6 74.1 11.0 8.6 6.7 18.2 75.1

Registered Nurses . . 2.1 2.3 2.5 3.0 13.2 89.1 74.1 11.3 4.9 1.6 43.0 55.4

Audiologists, Radiation Therapists, Recreational Therapists,Respiratory Therapists, Speech-Language Pathologists,Therapists, all other . . . 2.1 2.1 2.2 10.9 75.4 79.2 10.1 7.0 2.9 29.2 67.8

Occupational Therapists, and Physical Therapists . . . . 2.7 2.8 13.1 69.6 79.4 5.6 4.6 1.5 8.6 89.9

* Percent White, Percent African American and Percent Latino rows total to 100%

 (may not add to exactly 100% due to missing other races.)

63774_X.indd 63774_X.indd  28 4/26/14/26/1
Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings 27

Lifetime Earnings by Degree

 (in millions of dollars)

Distributions of Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and

Educational Attainment within Occupations

Occupation

Lessthan HighSchool

HighSchoolDiploma

Somecollege

Associate’s Bachelor’s Master’s/

Professional/Doctoral

GenderEarnings

Gap %

PercentFemale

PercentWhite•

PercentAfricanAmerican•

PercentLatino•

PercentHighSchool orless

PercentSome College andAssociate’s

PercentBA andGraduate

Health Diagnosing and Treating Practitioner Support

Technicians, Health Diagnosing and Treating Practitioners,all other . 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.3 . 20.0 79.0 66.5 15.3 10.9 28.3 53.2 18.5

Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians . . 1.4 1.7 2.1 . 11.9 72.6 62.4 16.8 8.0 12.8 36.8 50.5

Dental Hygienists, and Other Healthcare Practitioners and

Technical Occupations . . . 2.1 2.2 . 15.3 66.1 79.8 8.8 7.4 9.0 43.6 47.4

Diagnostic Related Technologists and Technicians . . 2.0 2.2 2.4 . 14.7 66.6 76.2 8.8 8.7 9.8 66.9 23.3

Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics . . 1.7 1.8 . . 27.0 27.6 83.1 6.0 8.8 15.1 69.8 15.1

Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses . 1.4 1.5 1.5 . . 11.0 92.0 63.1 25.4 7.0 20.9 73.4 5.7

Miscellaneous Health Technologists and Technicians . . 1.3 . . . 43.2 64.9 60.2 21.4 10.2 24.4 50.4 25.3

Nursing, Psychiatric, and Home Health Aides .9 1.0 1.0 1.1 1.2 . 22.7 87.1 44.4 36.9 12.6 54.2 37.9 7.9

Occupational Therapist Assistants and Aides, PhysicalTherapist Assistants and Aides . . . 1.7 . . 7.4 78.1 74.4 11.3 10.4 11.4 70.6 18.0

Dental Assistants . 1.2 1.2 . . . 19.4 95.9 65.0 7.7 20.7 34.9 55.0 10.1

Medical Assistants and Other Healthcare Support

Occupations, except Dental Assistants . 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.3 . 14.9 89.4 60.0 17.2 17.6 32.0 56.9 11.1

First-line Supervisors/Managers of Police and Detectives . . 2.5 . 3.0 . 28.1 14.9 78.2 12.1 7.8 13.6 47.7 38.7Fire Fighters, Fire Inspectors . 2.1 2.4 2.6 2.7 . 9.1 3.6 81.2 8.5 8.2 18.7 62.2 19.1

Bailiffs, Correctional Offi cers, and Jailers . 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 . 26.5 28.5 63.1 23.4 11.4 34.0 53.2 12.8

Detectives and Criminal Investigators . . 2.5 . 2.9 . 26.9 22.8 72.8 12.7 11.4 9.1 39.3 51.6

Police Offi cers . 1.9 2.2 2.4 2.7 3.1 12.5 13.9 72.0 12.7 12.5 13.5 53.0 33.4

Security Guards and Gaming Surveillance Offi cers .9 1.1 1.3 1.3 1.6 . 9.4 23.5 50.8 29.7 14.3 42.2 43.7 14.1

Chefs and Head Cooks .9 1.2 1.3 1.6 . . 24.2 16.0 48.9 12.3 20.2 49.3 38.3 12.4

First-line Supervisors/Managers of Food Preparation andServing Workers .9 1.0 1.1 . 1.5 . 37.2 54.1 60.1 15.8 18.7 51.7 34.5 13.7

Cooks .8 .8 .8 .9 .9 . 26.9 39.6 34.2 16.2 41.5 76.0 19.2 4.9

Food Preparation Workers .7 .8 .8 . . . 17.9 55.8 33.4 14.4 39.9 74.7 19.2 6.2

Bartenders . .9 1.0 . . . 25.3 50.1 78.1 5.4 13.1 38.8 45.0 16.2

Combined Food Preparation and Serving Workers,including Fast Food . .8 . . . . 12.1 73.1 58.6 14.8 19.8 70.5 23.4 6.1

Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee

Shop, Waiters and Waitresses .7 .8 .9 . 1.0 . 37.8 66.0 59.4 7.1 23.4 53.0 32.2 14.8

* Percent White, Percent African American and Percent Latino rows total to 100%

 (may not add to exactly 100% due to missing other races.)

63774_X.indd 63774_X.indd  29 4/26/14/26/1
28 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce Lifetime Earnings by Degree (in millions of dollars) Distributions of Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Educational Attainment within Occupations Occupation Less than High School High School Diploma Some college Associate’s Bachelor’s Master’s/ Profes- sional/ Doctoral Gender Earnings Gap % Percent Female Percent White• Percent African American• Percent Latino• Percent High School or less Percent Some Col- lege and Associate’s Percent BA and Graduate Food Servers, Non-restaurant . .9 . . . . 31.1 67.4 40.7 25.4 23.5 63.3 29.7 7.0 First-line Supervisors/Managers of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers 1.1 1.2 1.4 . . . 50.8 35.2 57.7 16.8 22.1 56.9 32.5 10.7 First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers . 1.1 1.3 . . . 39.5 5.2 72.9 4.2 21.0 48.5 32.4 19.1 Janitors and Building Cleaners .9 1.0 1.2 1.2 1.0 . 40.0 25.5 48.6 17.4 29.5 71.4 23.6 5.0

Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners .7 .7 .7 . . . 33.7 85.4 29.8 19.3 44.0 80.4 15.6 4.0

Pest Control Workers, Grounds Maintenance Workers .8 1.0 1.0 1.2 1.1 . 1.9 4.7 42.9 7.5 47.5 74.1 19.5 6.3

First-line Supervisors/Managers of Personal Service Workers . .8 1.1 . . . 69.1 59.8 68.2 8.3 11.1 37.5 37.9 24.6

Animal Trainers, Non-farm Animal Caretakers . .0 . . . . 15.9 62.7 83.0 3.9 11.2 46.2 33.3 20.5

Gaming Services Workers, Motion Picture Projectionists,Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers, Miscellaneous Entertainment Attendants and Related Workers . 1.3 1.4 . . . 13.3 44.5 55.6 11.7 11.8 41.2 41.4 17.5Barbers, Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists . .6 . . . . -5.7 78.5 63.3 15.0 15.0 54.8 38.7 6.5

Miscellaneous Personal Appearance Workers .6 .7 . . . . 2.9 82.1 27.4 2.3 9.5 62.9 27.8 9.3

Baggage Porters, Bellhops, and Concierges, Transportation

Attendants . . 1.4 . . . -3.2 46.4 54.4 20.3 17.9 35.7 38.5 25.8

Tour and Travel Guides, Recreation and Fitness Workers . 1.0 1.1 . 1.4 . 21.2 58.2 73.5 12.3 9.5 23.6 36.5 39.9

Child Care Workers . .4 .3 .3 .6 . 193.7 95.6 54.5 19.5 21.4 47.7 38.2 14.0

Personal and Home Care Aides .7 .8 .8 .9 .9 . 16.1 85.4 46.7 26.7 17.9 55.0 34.5 10.5

First-line Supervisors/Managers of Retail Sales Workers 1.1 1.3 1.5 1.5 1.8 2.0 41.0 41.3 75.4 7.7 10.8 37.4 38.3 24.3

First-line Supervisors/Managers of Non-retail Sales Workers 1.3 1.7 2.0 2.0 2.9 3.4 17.5 28.5 78.0 6.2 10.1 27.2 32.7 40.1

Cashiers .7 .8 .9 .9 1.1 . 32.5 71.8 53.5 15.9 19.7 59.5 29.4 11.2

Parts and Salespersons . 1.3 . . . . 4.1 11.0 80.5 4.9 12.6 58.2 34.9 6.9

Retail Salespersons .9 1.1 1.3 1.3 1.8 1.9 49.3 39.0 73.4 9.5 12.1 36.8 37.9 25.3

Advertising Sales Agents . . 1.8 . 2.6 . 15.8 50.5 82.3 6.6 8.4 13.7 31.1 55.2

Insurance Sales Agents . 1.5 1.6 1.6 2.2 2.4 35.2 45.4 81.7 6.8 8.1 17.2 36.6 46.2

Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services SalesAgents . . 1.9 . 3.4 4.4 53.7 29.0 82.0 5.6 6.7 8.4 22.0 69.7

Sales Representatives, Services, all other . 1.8 2.0 2.0 2.9 3.7 27.3 31.4 82.7 6.3 7.8 17.6 34.1 48.3

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing 1.4 1.8 2.0 2.1 3.1 3.6 21.2 24.2 85.5 3.3 7.8 19.6 31.9 48.5

* Percent White, Percent African American and Percent Latino rows total to 100%

 (may not add to exactly 100% due to missing other races.)

63774_X.indd 63774_X.indd  30 4/26/14/26/1
Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings 29

Lifetime Earnings by Degree

 (in millions of dollars)

Distributions of Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and

Educational Attainment within Occupations

Occupation

Lessthan HighSchool

HighSchoolDiploma

Somecollege

Associate’s Bachelor’s Master’s/

Professional/Doctoral

GenderEarnings

Gap %

PercentFemale

PercentWhite•

PercentAfricanAmerican•

PercentLatino•

PercentHighSchool orless

PercentSome College andAssociate’s

PercentBA andGraduate

Models, Demonstrators, and Product Promoters, Sales

Engineers, and Sales and Related Workers, all other . 1.3 1.7 . 2.6 3.1 42.6 48.1 83.9 4.9 7.1 15.2 25.6 59.3

Real Estate Brokers and Sales Agents . 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.5 1.5 37.7 49.0 80.8 5.4 8.9 15.1 37.3 47.5First-line Supervisors/Managers of Offi ce and AdministrativeSupport Workers 1.4 1.5 1.7 1.7 2.2 2.8 29.8 64.3 73.6 11.1 10.9 26.8 43.3 30.0

Bill and Account Collectors . 1.3 1.3 . . . 11.1 71.2 62.0 20.1 15.1 36.1 49.5 14.4

Billing and Posting Clerks and Machine Operators . 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.4 . 22.9 90.1 71.2 12.3 11.5 36.1 49.8 14.1Bookkeeping, Accounting and Auditing Clerks . 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.5 . 19.1 88.9 75.8 9.1 9.8 34.9 52.3 12.9

Gaming Cage Workers, Procurement Clerks, Payroll and

Timekeeping Clerks . 1.4 1.5 . . . 20.7 85.8 71.9 12.4 10.1 32.9 51.0 16.1

Tellers . 1.0 1.0 . . . 23.0 91.0 70.0 11.8 12.4 41.0 44.4 14.6

Brokerage Clerks, Customer Service Representatives, New

Account Clerks 1.0 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.6 1.9 25.2 68.7 65.3 17.1 13.1 31.8 45.3 22.9

Court, Municipal, and License Clerks . . 1.4 . . . 20.2 80.4 67.4 14.4 13.3 30.2 50.5 19.3File Clerks . 1.2 1.3 . 1.4 . 14.5 80.9 62.9 18.3 12.6 34.9 46.5 18.6

Loan Interviewers and Clerks . . 1.5 . . . 14.3 82.3 72.7 10.6 11.6 29.5 48.4 22.1Correspondence Clerks and Order Clerks . 1.2 1.3 . . . 11.3 60.9 68.6 11.7 14.5 45.6 38.0 16.4

Receptionists and Information Clerks . 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.2 . 19.1 91.5 66.7 13.7 16.0 41.6 46.7 11.7

Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel

Clerks . . 1.5 . . . 28.5 59.5 61.7 17.0 12.9 28.5 43.8 27.7

Information and Record Clerks, all other . . 1.3 . . . 18.8 86.8 68.4 15.0 11.0 26.1 56.5 17.4Cargo and Freight Agents, Couriers and Messengers . 1.4 1.6 . . . 31.6 14.1 63.6 14.6 17.1 45.9 42.0 12.2Dispatchers, Meter Readers, Utilities . 1.4 1.5 1.6 . . 20.7 51.5 72.8 14.1 10.9 42.0 47.0 11.0Postal Service Clerks . 2.0 2.0 . . . 6.9 48.7 52.3 26.9 9.1 36.5 47.8 15.7

Postal Service Mail Carriers . 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 . 7.0 34.5 67.3 15.7 9.5 35.8 49.4 14.9

Production, Planning and Expediting Clerks . 1.5 1.7 1.8 2.2 . 38.7 55.5 76.4 10.3 9.1 28.4 41.6 30.1

Shipping, Receiving, and Traffi c Clerks 1.1 1.2 1.2 . . . 19.0 29.8 61.0 13.9 20.9 62.2 30.3 7.5

Stock Clerks and Order Fillers .9 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.3 . 19.2 39.4 58.3 16.6 19.9 59.9 31.8 8.4

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants 1.1 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 24.3 96.3 76.5 10.5 9.8 33.2 50.3 16.6

Computer Operators and Statistical Assistants . 1.4 1.6 . . . 31.8 51.2 68.9 14.1 9.8 26.9 47.4 25.7Data Entry Keyers . 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.3 . 28.9 81.1 63.5 17.7 12.6 37.9 47.3 14.9

* Percent White, Percent African American and Percent Latino rows total to 100%

 (may not add to exactly 100% due to missing other races.)

63774_X.indd 63774_X.indd  31 4/26/14/26/1
30 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce Lifetime Earnings by Degree (in millions of dollars) Distributions of Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Educational Attainment within Occupations Occupation Less than High School High School Diploma Some college Associate’s Bachelor’s Master’s/ Profes- sional/ Doctoral Gender Earnings Gap % Percent Female Percent White• Percent African American• Percent Latino• Percent High School or less Percent Some Col- lege and Associate’s Percent BA and Graduate Word Processors and Typists . 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.4 . 18.3 90.0 67.3 16.4 10.5 36.3 48.2 15.5 Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks . 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.6 . 18.1 83.5 69.7 17.0 10.3 31.0 46.9 22.2 Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, except Postal Service and Offi ce Machine Operators, except Computer . 1.1 . . . . 19.1 51.2 54.0 22.4 15.6 53.1 36.9 10.1 Proofreaders and Copy Markers, Offi ce Clerks, General . 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.5 . 21.7 84.1 63.8 15.7 14.4 35.7 46.8 17.4

Miscellaneous Offi ce and Administrative Support Workers,

including Desktop Publishers . 1.3 1.5 1.5 1.7 2.2 33.3 74.6 68.7 15.5 10.6 25.9 43.4 30.6

Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products, Miscellaneous

Agricultural Workers, including Animal Breeders .8 1.0 1.0 . . . 29.0 17.4 35.9 4.3 57.9 81.9 13.6 4.5

Fishing and Hunting, Forest and Conservation, Logging

Workers . .9 . . . . -27.6 3.3 79.0 7.8 10.3 77.0 16.0 7.1

First-line Supervisors/Managers of Construction Trades andExtraction Workers 1.7 2.0 2.2 2.2 2.3 . 24.8 2.5 79.9 4.1 14.1 56.5 33.1 10.5

Structural Iron and Steel Workers, Reinforcing Iron and Rebar

Workers including Boilermakers . 1.8 . . . . 43.7 1.6 70.4 7.6 19.4 68.2 28.7 3.0

Brick Masons, Block Masons, and Stonemasons . 1.4 . . . . -26.9 1.2 52.7 7.1 39.1 77.8 18.3 3.9

Carpenters 1.1 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.1 . .8 1.2 65.1 4.7 27.5 67.2 25.9 6.9

Carpet, Floor, and Tile Installers and Finishers . 1.1 . . . . 10.1 2.1 54.6 3.4 39.8 75.6 18.9 5.5

Construction Laborers 1.0 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 . 9.5 2.4 48.7 7.7 41.0 74.7 19.7 5.5

Construction Equipment Operators, Except Paving, Surfacingand Tamping Equipment Operators 1.4 1.6 1.8 . . . -2.0 1.8 77.7 5.9 14.2 75.1 22.0 2.9

Drywall Installers, Ceiling Tile Installers, and Tapers,

Plasterers and Stucco Masons 1.0 1.1 . . . . 54.7 1.9 35.6 4.4 57.7 84.1 13.2 2.7

Electricians 1.4 1.8 2.0 2.1 1.8 . 5.8 1.8 75.7 6.2 15.2 46.7 46.2 7.0

Glaziers, Insulation Workers, Paperhangers . 1.4 . . . . 64.1 3.1 65.5 7.0 25.3 70.9 24.2 5.0

Painters, Construction and Maintenance .9 1.1 1.0 . . . 67.3 4.8 48.9 6.1 42.9 73.8 19.8 6.4Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefi tters, and Steamfi tters 1.3 1.7 1.9 2.0 . . 25.9 1.0 71.9 6.4 19.9 63.1 32.6 4.3

Roofers 1.0 1.2 . . . . 130.6 .9 43.3 5.3 49.2 84.7 11.7 3.6

Sheet Metal Workers . 1.7 . . . . 19.6 3.1 77.5 5.8 14.0 65.4 31.5 3.2

Miscellaneous Construction . 1.5 . . . . 10.7 5.7 62.4 9.1 26.0 67.0 27.0 6.0

Construction and Building Inspectors . . 1.9 . . . 12.0 11.5 76.9 7.3 11.5 27.7 47.1 25.2

Highway Maintenance Workers . 1.3 . . . . 6.9 3.3 76.1 10.0 12.2 69.0 28.3 2.7

Ext-Mining Machine Operators . 2.1 . . . . 17.0 3.1 82.9 5.1 10.7 69.2 27.1 3.8

* Percent White, Percent African American and Percent Latino rows total to 100%

 (may not add to exactly 100% due to missing other races.)

63774_X.indd 63774_X.indd  32 4/26/14/26/1
Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings 31

Lifetime Earnings by Degree

 (in millions of dollars)

Distributions of Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and

Educational Attainment within Occupations

Occupation

Lessthan HighSchool

HighSchoolDiploma

Somecollege

Associate’s Bachelor’s Master’s/

Professional/Doctoral

GenderEarnings

Gap %

PercentFemale

PercentWhite•

PercentAfricanAmerican•

PercentLatino•

PercentHighSchool orless

PercentSome College andAssociate’s

PercentBA andGraduate

First-line Supervisors/Managers of Mechanics, Installers, and

Repairers . 2.0 2.2 2.3 2.6 . 16.9 6.9 80.0 7.0 9.9 43.1 44.0 12.9

Computer, Automated Teller, and Offi ce Machine Repairers . 1.6 1.9 1.9 1.9 . 3.9 11.6 71.6 10.6 9.6 22.0 56.0 22.0

Radio and Telecommunications Equipment Installers andRepairers . 2.0 2.2 2.2 . . 3.2 11.5 72.3 13.0 10.7 32.5 54.8 12.7

Avionics Technicians, Aircraft Mechanics and ServiceTechnicians . 2.0 2.2 2.3 . . 21.7 4.3 73.8 7.3 13.2 32.6 56.2 11.2

Other Electric/Electronic . 1.7 1.8 . . . 20.2 3.9 72.0 8.3 15.0 43.0 48.4 8.6

Automotive Body and Related Repairers, Automotive GlassInstallers and Repairers 1.2 1.5 . . . . 33.4 1.3 69.2 4.5 23.4 73.0 24.4 2.5

Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics 1.1 1.3 1.6 1.6 . . 23.1 1.2 69.5 6.7 19.6 63.3 32.8 3.9

Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists 1.5 1.7 1.8 . . . -22.2 .8 77.3 6.8 13.0 63.3 34.1 2.5

Heavy Vehicle and Mobile Equipment Service Technicians

and Mechanics . 1.8 1.9 . . . 4.7 1.0 81.1 4.9 12.5 61.9 34.4 3.7

Small Engine Mechanics, Miscellaneous Vehicle and MobileEquipment Mechanics, Installers and Repairers, Control andValve Installers and Repairers . 1.3 . . . . -24.3 2.5 73.9 8.9 15.5 65.0 30.0 5.0

Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics andInstallers . 1.6 1.8 1.8 . . 5.3 1.0 74.8 6.7 16.0 51.7 42.6 5.7

Home Appliance Repairers, Maintenance Workers,Machiners, Millwrights . 1.7 2.0 . . . 30.7 3.3 81.5 6.3 9.6 55.2 39.2 5.6

Industrial and Refractory Machinery Mechanics 1.5 1.7 2.0 2.0 . . 28.2 3.1 76.8 7.1 12.9 53.4 41.3 5.3

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 1.2 1.6 1.7 1.9 . . 19.9 3.0 71.3 8.8 16.1 56.1 37.9 6.0

Electrical Power-line Installers and Repairers . 2.4 2.6 . . . 61.0 1.2 80.8 7.1 10.8 51.3 43.4 5.3

Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers . 2.0 2.2 . . . 14.5 5.9 67.4 15.0 14.8 41.3 49.1 9.6

Other-installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers 1.1 1.4 1.6 . . . 24.8 6.6 71.5 8.1 16.6 56.0 35.9 8.1

First-line Supervisors/Managers of Production and OperatingWorkers 1.5 1.8 2.1 2.2 2.5 3.1 41.4 17.9 72.6 9.1 14.0 49.3 34.9 15.8

Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine

Operators and Tenders, Food Batchmakers, Food CookingMachine Operators and Tenders . 1.3 . . . . 55.8 35.5 61.5 11.3 22.5 67.4 26.4 6.2

Electrical, Electronics, and Electromechanical Assemblers . 1.1 . . . . 29.2 55.6 49.0 11.5 19.6 68.7 24.5 6.9Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators .9 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.3 . 31.5 40.0 57.5 14.2 18.9 68.3 26.1 5.6

* Percent White, Percent African American and Percent Latino rows total to 100%

 (may not add to exactly 100% due to missing other races.)

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32 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce Lifetime Earnings by Degree (in millions of dollars) Distributions of Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Educational Attainment within Occupations Occupation Less than High School High School Diploma Some college Associate’s Bachelor’s Master’s/ Profes- sional/ Doctoral Gender Earnings Gap % Percent Female Percent White• Percent African American• Percent Latino• Percent High School or less Percent Some Col- lege and Associate’s Percent BA and Graduate Bakers . 1.0 . . . . 23.4 49.0 44.5 10.9 37.6 70.2 22.6 7.2 Butchers and other Meat, Poultry, and Fish Processing Workers .9 1.2 . . . . 39.8 21.3 44.0 10.4 40.7 78.7 18.7 2.6 Aircraft Structure, Computer Control Programmers/Operators, Extruding/Drawing, Forging, Rolling Machine Setters, Opera- tors and Tenders, Metal and Plastic . 1.5 . . . . 32.1 10.8 77.6 7.4 10.7 58.3 35.9 5.7

Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators,and Tenders, Metal and Plastic . 1.2 . . . . 38.4 21.2 71.6 10.4 14.8 72.1 24.1 3.8

Machinists 1.4 1.7 1.8 1.8 . . 39.6 3.8 76.6 5.7 12.1 58.9 37.6 3.5

Metal Workers including Kiln Model Makers, Molders and

other Machine Setters 1.3 1.5 1.7 1.8 . . 44.7 6.2 69.5 8.5 18.6 69.3 27.9 2.9

Miscellaneous Metal Workers and Plastic Workers, including

Milling and Planning, and Multiple Machine Tool Setters and

Lay-out Workers 1.1 1.3 1.4 . . . 37.4 23.0 54.8 12.7 24.4 71.1 24.4 4.5

Bookbinders and Bindery Workers, Job Printers, PrepressTechnicians and Workers . 1.3 . . . . 40.1 34.2 72.7 9.8 12.3 56.0 32.1 11.9

Printing Machine Operators . 1.4 1.5 . . . 50.2 15.0 72.6 9.1 14.5 63.5 30.2 6.3

Laundry and Dry-cleaning Workers .7 .8 . . . . 25.3 60.2 37.1 15.9 35.2 78.7 14.6 6.7Textile, Apparel, and Furnishings Workers .8 .9 . . . . 29.4 53.5 47.2 12.3 28.0 74.9 17.3 7.7

Sewing Machine Operators .7 .8 . . . . 17.5 73.4 33.1 11.0 42.1 82.9 13.2 3.9

Miscellaneous Woodworkers, including Model Makers andPattern Makers . 1.1 . . . . 26.3 11.9 69.9 5.8 20.3 73.8 19.9 6.3

Power Plant, Water and Liquid Waste Treatment, Miscellaneous Plant and System Operators . 1.9 2.2 . . . 21.3 4.9 79.7 8.7 9.2 42.2 45.7 12.0Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators . 2.0 2.0 . . . 25.4 2.9 70.9 13.6 11.2 45.2 44.7 10.1Chemical Processing Machine, Extruding, Forming, Pressing and Compacting, Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and KettleOperators and Tenders . 1.7 . . . . 42.9 13.7 70.4 13.3 13.0 55.3 35.1 9.6

Crushing, Grinding, Polishing, Mixing, and Blending Workers . 1.4 . . . . 28.2 10.5 62.6 12.9 20.8 66.4 28.1 5.5Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers 1.0 1.4 1.7 1.8 2.0 . 54.1 38.0 66.9 11.3 14.7 48.0 37.3 14.8Other Production Workers, including Semiconductor Processors and Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators 1.0 1.3 1.5 1.6 1.6 . 38.6 28.7 56.2 14.2 23.5 68.1 25.7 6.1Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders .8 1.1 . . . . 33.8 56.7 37.0 17.1 40.4 77.8 18.0 4.3

Painting Workers 1.1 1.4 . . . . 46.6 12.7 57.6 9.9 29.6 75.1 21.7 3.2

Supervisors, Transportation and Material Moving Workers . 1.8 1.9 . 2.3 . 30.8 18.7 69.7 12.5 13.4 43.4 38.9 17.6

* Percent White, Percent African American and Percent Latino rows total to 100%

 (may not add to exactly 100% due to missing other races.)

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Lifetime Earnings by Degree

 (in millions of dollars)

Distributions of Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and

Educational Attainment within Occupations

Occupation

Lessthan HighSchool

HighSchoolDiploma

Somecollege

Associate’s Bachelor’s Master’s/

Professional/Doctoral

GenderEarnings

Gap %

PercentFemale

PercentWhite•

PercentAfricanAmerican•

PercentLatino•

PercentHighSchool orless

PercentSome College andAssociate’s

PercentBA andGraduate

Aircraft Pilots and Flight Engineers, Air Traffi c Controllers and

Airfi eld Operations Specialists . . . . 3.9 . 24.0 8.5 88.7 4.3 4.4 7.7 29.4 62.9

Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Taxi Drivers andChauffeurs, Motor Vehicle Operators, all other .8 .9 .9 . . . 10.2 12.8 39.5 28.6 20.7 55.1 31.4 13.5

Bus Drivers . 1.2 1.3 . . . 39.4 41.2 45.2 35.3 15.4 54.2 38.7 7.1

Driver/Sales Workers and Truck Drivers 1.3 1.5 1.6 1.5 1.5 . 42.2 3.8 64.9 14.0 18.4 68.5 26.8 4.8Locomotive Engineers, Railroad Brake, Signal and SwitchOperators, Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters, Subway,Streetcar, and other Rail Transportation Workers . 2.4 2.5 . . . 22.6 6.8 71.8 18.4 7.5 44.2 44.5 11.3

Parking Lot, Service Station Attendants . .9 . . . . 20.9 15.4 48.0 17.6 26.2 65.8 24.8 9.5

Conveyor Operators/Tenders, Hoist/Winch Operators, Miscellaneous Material Moving/Transportation Workers, Inspectors . 1.6 1.8 . . . 41.3 13.7 67.4 14.1 14.6 49.8 41.2 9.1

Crane and Tower, Dredge, Excavating, and Loading Machine,Pumping Station Operators . 1.9 . . . . 26.5 2.7 77.5 8.6 12.0 71.7 24.7 3.7

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators 1.1 1.2 1.3 . . . 6.1 8.7 49.2 21.1 27.4 76.8 20.7 2.6

Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment .9 1.0 . . . . 7.9 13.3 36.2 18.9 41.9 79.1 17.4 3.5

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand,Machine Feeders and Offbearers 1.0 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.3 . 27.6 18.2 59.6 15.2 21.6 70.6 24.5 5.0Packers and Packagers, Hand .8 .9 . . . . 25.5 60.2 34.1 12.5 46.2 80.5 15.6 4.0

* Percent White, Percent African American and Percent Latino rows total to 100%

 (may not add to exactly 100% due to missing other races.)

Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings Report 00

63774_X.indd 63774_X.indd  35 4/26/14/26/1
Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings

 Th e

College Payoff

3300 Whitehaven Street, NW, Suite 5000

Washington, DC 20007

Mail: Campus Box 571444, Washington, DC 20057

cew.georgetown.edu

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