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Digest of Education Statistics
2015 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 505.15. Number, percentage distribution, and median annual earnings of 25- to 34-year-olds with a bachelor's or higher degree, by sex, race/ethnicity, and selected employment and occupational characteristics: 2014
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Selected employment or occupational characteristic Total Sex Race/ethnicity
Male Female White Black Hispanic Asian Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Two or
more races
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
  Number (in thousands)
All 25- to 34-year-olds with a
      bachelor's or higher degree
14,360   (56.6) 6,324   (30.3) 8,036   (36.4) 9,703   (38.6) 1,158   (14.1) 1,316   (17.3) 1,770   (13.6) 11   (1.3) 37   (2.4) 327   (8.5)
                                                             
  Percentage distribution
All 25- to 34-year-olds with a
      bachelor's or higher degree
100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†)
Employment status                                                            
Employed 86.3   (0.11) 90.3   (0.16) 83.1   (0.19) 88.2   (0.13) 86.8   (0.53) 84.4   (0.42) 77.5   (0.41) 85.0   (3.75) 82.1   (2.42) 83.8   (0.80)
Full-time 75.7   (0.14) 82.3   (0.19) 70.4   (0.22) 77.4   (0.17) 76.5   (0.60) 73.1   (0.46) 68.3   (0.40) 75.8   (4.81) 74.8   (2.64) 71.6   (0.92)
Part-time 10.6   (0.11) 8.0   (0.13) 12.7   (0.15) 10.8   (0.12) 10.2   (0.42) 11.3   (0.34) 9.2   (0.27) 9.2 ! (3.69) 7.3   (1.64) 12.3   (0.67)
Less than 20 hours per week 2.5   (0.04) 1.6   (0.06) 3.2   (0.06) 2.5   (0.05) 2.3   (0.19) 2.6   (0.18) 2.4   (0.14)   (†) 1.5 ! (0.68) 3.1   (0.38)
20 to 29 hours per week 4.5   (0.07) 3.5   (0.09) 5.4   (0.10) 4.5   (0.07) 4.4   (0.26) 5.1   (0.23) 4.5   (0.19)   (†) 4.3 ! (1.31) 5.1   (0.50)
30 to 34 hours per week 3.6   (0.07) 2.9   (0.07) 4.1   (0.09) 3.8   (0.09) 3.5   (0.24) 3.6   (0.24) 2.3   (0.14)   (†) 1.5 ! (0.60) 4.1   (0.40)
Unemployed 3.1   (0.07) 3.4   (0.10) 2.9   (0.08) 2.6   (0.07) 5.3   (0.32) 4.3   (0.24) 3.1   (0.16) 5.9 ! (2.37) 5.0 ! (1.61) 4.9   (0.52)
Not in labor force 10.6   (0.11) 6.3   (0.14) 14.0   (0.17) 9.2   (0.12) 7.9   (0.41) 11.3   (0.35) 19.4   (0.40) 9.1 ! (2.92) 12.9   (1.92) 11.3   (0.66)
Enrolled in graduate school 2.9   (0.05) 3.1   (0.09) 2.8   (0.08) 2.4   (0.05) 2.5   (0.21) 2.8   (0.18) 6.0   (0.24)   (†) 2.4 ! (0.92) 3.9   (0.48)
Not enrolled in graduate school 7.7   (0.10) 3.2   (0.10) 11.2   (0.16) 6.8   (0.11) 5.4   (0.35) 8.5   (0.29) 13.3   (0.30) 8.7 ! (2.86) 10.5   (1.64) 7.3   (0.52)
                                                             
Major occupation group1 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†)
Management 12.4   (0.12) 14.2   (0.20) 10.8   (0.15) 12.9   (0.13) 10.8   (0.44) 12.0   (0.43) 10.7   (0.35) 12.2 ! (4.48) 10.6   (1.97) 11.1   (0.69)
Business and financial operations 10.5   (0.11) 10.4   (0.17) 10.6   (0.14) 10.4   (0.14) 10.7   (0.40) 9.9   (0.37) 11.6   (0.34) 17.0 ! (5.36) 4.4   (1.16) 9.7   (0.70)
Computer and mathematical 6.8   (0.10) 11.2   (0.18) 3.1   (0.08) 5.3   (0.09) 4.6   (0.29) 3.8   (0.24) 20.1   (0.43)   (†) 3.0 ! (0.93) 7.4   (0.69)
Architecture and engineering 3.9   (0.09) 6.7   (0.16) 1.6   (0.06) 3.8   (0.10) 1.9   (0.20) 3.9   (0.27) 6.0   (0.30)   (†)   (†) 4.0   (0.46)
Life, physical, and social sciences 2.5   (0.06) 2.6   (0.08) 2.4   (0.07) 2.4   (0.06) 1.5   (0.17) 1.9   (0.19) 4.1   (0.22)   (†) 1.6 ! (0.69) 3.3   (0.42)
Community and social services 3.8   (0.07) 2.4   (0.08) 5.0   (0.10) 3.5   (0.08) 7.6   (0.36) 5.0   (0.24) 1.2   (0.14)   (†) 5.2   (1.27) 4.7   (0.53)
Legal 2.5   (0.06) 2.6   (0.09) 2.4   (0.08) 2.6   (0.08) 2.0   (0.18) 2.3   (0.20) 1.9   (0.15)   (†)   (†) 2.5   (0.39)
Education, training, and library 13.8   (0.12) 8.9   (0.16) 18.1   (0.19) 15.1   (0.14) 12.4   (0.51) 13.3   (0.40) 8.1   (0.30) 9.4 ! (3.37) 14.1   (2.12) 12.3   (0.72)
Arts, design, entertainment, sports,
      and media
4.3   (0.09) 4.5   (0.14) 4.1   (0.09) 4.6   (0.11) 2.4   (0.19) 4.2   (0.26) 3.1   (0.22)   (†) 2.9 ! (1.01) 5.4   (0.51)
Healthcare practitioners and technicians 10.2   (0.11) 5.3   (0.13) 14.4   (0.16) 10.3   (0.12) 9.6   (0.47) 7.7   (0.34) 12.2   (0.41) 15.9 ! (5.07) 10.6   (2.54) 9.6   (0.82)
Healthcare support 1.0   (0.04) 0.5   (0.04) 1.4   (0.06) 0.8   (0.04) 1.8   (0.18) 1.4   (0.14) 1.0   (0.13)   (†)   (†) 1.3   (0.23)
Protective service 1.8   (0.04) 3.0   (0.08) 0.8   (0.04) 1.8   (0.05) 2.7   (0.23) 2.4   (0.20) 0.6   (0.09)   (†)   (†) 1.8   (0.35)
Food preparation and serving 2.3   (0.06) 2.1   (0.08) 2.3   (0.08) 2.4   (0.07) 1.5   (0.17) 2.9   (0.21) 1.6   (0.15)   (†) 2.4 ! (0.78) 2.6   (0.36)
Building and grounds cleaning and
      maintenance
0.5   (0.03) 0.8   (0.04) 0.3   (0.03) 0.5   (0.03) 0.5   (0.11) 1.1   (0.15) 0.2   (0.05)   (†)   (†) 0.3 ! (0.12)
Personal care and service 1.9   (0.05) 1.1   (0.06) 2.6   (0.09) 1.8   (0.06) 3.1   (0.33) 2.2   (0.19) 1.5   (0.12)   (†) 5.6 ! (1.75) 1.9   (0.33)
Sales and related 8.4   (0.12) 9.9   (0.19) 7.1   (0.14) 8.8   (0.13) 8.1   (0.42) 8.8   (0.36) 5.9   (0.27)   (†) 8.1   (1.90) 8.6   (0.74)
Office and administrative support 9.3   (0.09) 6.7   (0.13) 11.5   (0.14) 8.7   (0.11) 14.1   (0.54) 11.3   (0.45) 7.5   (0.28) 10.1 ! (3.23) 13.7   (2.68) 9.2   (0.64)
Farming, fishing, and forestry 0.2   (0.01) 0.2   (0.02) 0.1   (0.01) 0.2   (0.02) 0.1 ! (0.03) 0.2   (0.05) 0.1 ! (0.03)   (†)   (†)   (†)
Construction and extraction 0.8   (0.03) 1.5   (0.07) 0.1   (0.02) 0.8   (0.04) 0.5   (0.10) 1.5   (0.18) 0.2 ! (0.05)   (†)   (†) 0.3 ! (0.15)
Installation, maintenance, and repair 0.7   (0.03) 1.3   (0.06) 0.2   (0.02) 0.6   (0.03) 0.8   (0.13) 0.9   (0.10) 0.5   (0.07)   (†)   (†) 1.3 ! (0.49)
Production 1.4   (0.05) 2.1   (0.09) 0.9   (0.04) 1.4   (0.06) 1.7   (0.22) 1.7   (0.14) 1.3   (0.13)   (†) 6.3 ! (2.49) 1.2   (0.27)
Transportation and material moving 1.2   (0.04) 2.2   (0.08) 0.4   (0.03) 1.2   (0.05) 1.6   (0.18) 1.6   (0.18) 0.7   (0.09)   (†) 2.9 ! (1.22) 1.4   (0.26)
Military-specific   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)
                                                             
Class of worker1 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†)
Private for-profit wage and salary 65.7   (0.20) 72.1   (0.23) 60.3   (0.29) 64.7   (0.21) 61.6   (0.78) 65.1   (0.62) 75.9   (0.41) 63.2   (6.97) 55.6   (3.87) 63.8   (1.22)
Employee of private company 64.0   (0.21) 69.8   (0.23) 59.0   (0.30) 62.8   (0.22) 60.5   (0.78) 63.6   (0.61) 74.5   (0.43) 61.0   (7.08) 54.1   (3.95) 62.3   (1.23)
Self-employed in own
       incorporated business
1.7   (0.04) 2.3   (0.07) 1.2   (0.05) 1.9   (0.06) 1.1   (0.17) 1.4   (0.14) 1.4   (0.12)   (†) 1.5 ! (0.70) 1.5   (0.25)
Private nonprofit wage and salary 12.8   (0.12) 9.2   (0.15) 15.9   (0.19) 13.3   (0.14) 12.6   (0.54) 11.2   (0.39) 10.4   (0.33) 20.1   (5.79) 12.0   (2.27) 14.8   (0.75)
Government 18.6   (0.14) 15.7   (0.17) 21.2   (0.21) 18.8   (0.15) 24.3   (0.64) 20.8   (0.54) 11.6   (0.34) 14.7 ! (4.53) 28.8   (3.20) 18.0   (0.86)
Local 8.6   (0.10) 6.6   (0.11) 10.4   (0.15) 8.9   (0.13) 10.2   (0.42) 11.1   (0.37) 4.0   (0.21)   (†) 14.4   (2.65) 7.2   (0.70)
State 7.1   (0.10) 5.8   (0.11) 8.2   (0.15) 7.2   (0.11) 8.6   (0.42) 6.6   (0.32) 5.4   (0.22)   (†) 8.4   (1.67) 7.4   (0.52)
Federal 2.9   (0.07) 3.3   (0.09) 2.6   (0.09) 2.6   (0.07) 5.6   (0.38) 3.2   (0.24) 2.3   (0.17) 8.9 ! (3.78) 6.0   (1.74) 3.4   (0.40)
Self-employed in own
      nonincorporated business
2.8   (0.07) 3.0   (0.09) 2.7   (0.08) 3.1   (0.1) 1.5   (0.18) 2.9   (0.24) 1.9   (0.14)   (†) 3.6 ! (1.44) 3.3   (0.48)
Unpaid family 0.1   (0.01) 0.1   (0.01) 0.1   (0.01) #   (0.01)   (†) #   (0.02) 0.2   (0.04)   (†)   (†)   (†)
  Median annual earnings (in current dollars)
All 25- to 34-year-old bachelor's
      degree holders who were full-
      -time year-round workers2
$50,370   (4) $55,460   (1) $46,290   (561) $50,380   (4) $42,210   (113) $45,360   (262) $62,590   (972) $46,990   (3,049) $37,280   (2,157) $48,350   (1,038)
Major occupation group1                                                            
Management 60,370   (36) 65,280   (163) 54,850   (260) 60,440   (42) 50,100   (1,120) 54,900   (550) 70,390   (2,173) 47,350   (8,191) 51,760   (14,328) 58,880   (3,836)
Business and financial operations 55,460   (909) 60,280   (75) 51,770   (491) 56,400   (553) 49,950   (1,644) 50,130   (989) 64,650   (1,114) 44,850   (8,072) 49,050   (3,166) 51,540   (3,569)
Computer and mathematical 70,050   (182) 70,560   (1,238) 64,910   (685) 67,490   (1,174) 55,340   (4,100) 62,730   (3,711) 78,930   (1,926) 53,680   (6,953) 35,690   (5,854) 60,430   (5,399)
Architecture and engineering 70,330   (73) 70,460   (89) 65,230   (1,124) 70,020   (1,026) 59,210   (3,376) 65,510   (2,354) 77,170   (1,952)   (†) 57,830   (9,851) 64,700   (5,817)
Life, physical, and social sciences 48,090   (749) 48,370   (1,264) 47,280   (1,018) 48,020   (1,016) 46,040   (3,049) 49,610   (1,626) 47,450   (3,358)   (†) 49,940   (6,652) 48,580   (2,744)
Community and social services 38,820   (666) 39,930   (221) 38,250   (347) 38,770   (640) 38,000   (1,294) 38,320   (2,052) 44,480   (2,729)   (†) 35,830   (1,277) 39,510   (4,220)
Legal 70,310   (878) 80,020   (2,152) 61,960   (2,885) 75,030   (2,031) 60,370   (3,963) 53,760   (3,781) 74,790   (9,674)   (†)   (†) 73,000   (11,354)
Education, training, and library 40,330   (115) 41,310   (767) 40,320   (9) 41,090   (881) 38,910   (801) 43,200   (574) 36,000   (2,027)   (†) 31,360   (1,391) 42,730   (1,115)
Arts, design, entertainment, sports,
      and media
46,350   (937) 48,040   (1,229) 45,370   (617) 46,310   (1,047) 42,220   (2,216) 45,280   (3,986) 50,230   (1,808)   (†) 51,880   (6,890) 45,260   (1,692)
Healthcare practitioners and technicians 58,190   (1,038) 60,160   (119) 57,250   (727) 58,020   (748) 53,550   (1,523) 54,030   (2,008) 64,270   (2,016) 50,150   (2,535) 41,200   (4,732) 55,910   (3,074)
Healthcare support 30,020   (168) 29,630   (422) 30,070   (561) 30,070   (534) 29,510   (1,110) 32,290   (2,727) 27,990   (5,159)   (†) 29,660   (7,801) 28,640   (881)
Protective service 50,070   (222) 50,360   (1,468) 46,380   (1,536) 50,360   (1,152) 41,750   (3,468) 49,840   (2,772) 56,420   (5,610)   (†) 26,740   (3,857) 44,490   (5,747)
Food preparation and serving 27,180   (1,168) 29,200   (1,391) 26,080   (1,131) 28,160   (1,253) 22,000   (3,069) 24,660   (3,288) 29,120   (2,699) 22,180 ! (8,750) 28,780   (4,214) 30,670   (5,334)
Building and grounds cleaning and
      maintenance
30,350   (2,323) 32,520   (2,633) 24,670   (2,831) 34,330   (2,116) 30,560   (4,553) 24,600   (2,064) 28,070   (4,667)   (†)   (†) 24,940   (3,170)
Personal care and service 29,960   (1,561) 32,020   (1,199) 27,140   (1,289) 30,060   (324) 26,930   (1,979) 31,010   (2,214) 24,130   (2,761)   (†) 33,890   (6,186) 36,840   (1,225)
Sales and related 50,350   (22) 54,600   (488) 45,340   (33) 50,420   (1,316) 40,260   (678) 44,440   (1,864) 48,300   (1,349) 36,540   (1,591) 35,380   (6,541) 44,370   (3,939)
Office and administrative support 37,260   (250) 40,270   (17) 36,120   (844) 38,640   (810) 33,180   (1,407) 35,200   (1,263) 39,400   (803) 25,200   (3,076) 36,760   (6,421) 35,280   (1,388)
Farming, fishing, and forestry 32,200   (2,263) 32,130   (2,052) 32,270   (6,874) 31,820   (2,480) 41,190   (6,424) 31,740   (4,921)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)
Construction and extraction 41,580   (1,803) 42,260   (1,796) 33,750   (4,130) 41,310   (1,637) 39,850   (7,558) 33,730   (6,926) 76,870 ! (29,172)   (†) 27,400   (4,966) 42,700   (9,619)
Installation, maintenance, and repair 43,200   (1,818) 44,200   (1,835) 38,000   (5,378) 44,870   (1,695) 40,310   (4,879) 39,990   (3,006) 39,950   (10,027)   (†)   (†) 69,680 ! (26,350)
Production 43,150   (2,086) 45,180   (902) 38,080   (1,747) 44,620   (601) 35,150   (2,616) 35,940   (5,193) 49,430   (4,261)   (†)   (†) 42,260   (11,445)
Transportation and material moving 39,510   (1,236) 40,060   (251) 32,300   (3,241) 40,330   (2,279) 35,010   (3,603) 34,400   (3,055) 28,230   (3,456)   (†) 44,350   (7,667) 29,440   (2,974)
Military-specific   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)
                                                             
Class of worker1                                                            
Private for-profit wage and salary 53,350   (66) 60,290   (21) 49,320   (933) 54,350   (216) 42,250   (611) 47,210   (1,184) 67,200   (1,076) 42,580   (5,214) 40,380   (3,276) 50,280   (640)
Employee of private company 53,340   (65) 59,920   (59) 49,340   (819) 54,340   (217) 42,260   (684) 46,380   (1,293) 67,200   (1,047) 44,440   (5,162) 40,390   (3,179) 50,280   (634)
Self-employed in own
       incorporated business
55,400   (1,475) 60,420   (462) 45,290   (2,969) 55,410   (2,105) 41,200   (6,805) 56,070   (5,789) 65,680   (7,206)   (†) 27,620   (1,545) 47,500   (10,244)
Private nonprofit wage and salary 45,330   (15) 47,900   (892) 44,580   (864) 45,340   (18) 40,270   (707) 40,370   (929) 50,560   (954) 49,970   (1,473) 40,620   (3,789) 42,710   (2,048)
Government 45,680   (735) 50,180   (42) 44,350   (487) 45,720   (747) 42,320   (844) 46,310   (981) 51,140   (1,308) 44,260   (4,597) 35,390   (1,868) 47,900   (1,259)
Local 45,340   (17) 48,350   (442) 44,340   (772) 45,330   (18) 41,240   (1,279) 46,120   (856) 52,990   (1,995)   (†) 35,010   (3,214) 47,470   (2,179)
State 42,310   (33) 45,190   (754) 41,290   (569) 42,330   (394) 38,240   (1,385) 42,210   (1,076) 47,210   (1,410)   (†) 33,720   (2,126) 45,560   (1,261)
Federal 64,330   (809) 68,400   (2,059) 59,960   (339) 68,260   (1,702) 55,230   (1,887) 59,910   (2,042) 64,150   (3,416) 39,230   (11,633) 39,700   (7,787) 55,120   (5,963)
Self-employed in own
      nonincorporated business
40,090   (474) 42,270   (2,961) 35,100   (1,880) 40,130   (243) 35,890   (5,442) 39,560   (4,925) 38,200   (1,584)   (†)   (†) 32,800   (5,583)
Unpaid family 25,520   (6,458) 30,720   (7,754) 21,690   (5,279) 33,470 ! (12,707)   (†) 17,790   (4,843) 28,000   (7,607)   (†)   (†)   (†)
†Not applicable.
#Rounds to zero.
!Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
‡Reporting standards not met. Either there are too few cases for a reliable estimate or the coefficient of variation (CV) is 50 percent or greater.
1 Estimates by major occupation group and class of worker are restricted to individuals currently employed.
2 Estimates of median annual earnings are restricted to individuals working full time and year round.
NOTE: Estimates are for the entire population of civilian 25- to 34-year-old bachelor's degree holders, including persons living in households and persons living in group quarters (such as college residence halls, residential treatment centers, and correctional facilities). Standard errors were computed using replicate weights. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Totals include other racial/ethnic groups not separately shown. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), 2014. (This table was prepared January 2016.)

2015 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest