Wages
College wage premium, by gender, 1979–2015
| Date | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 29.2% | 31.6% |
| 1980 | 30.9% | 32.8% |
| 1981 | 32.1% | 33.0% |
| 1982 | 34.6% | 34.9% |
| 1983 | 36.8% | 37.4% |
| 1984 | 39.3% | 39.7% |
| 1985 | 40.8% | 41.9% |
| 1986 | 42.6% | 42.9% |
| 1987 | 44.3% | 44.8% |
| 1988 | 44.4% | 45.1% |
| 1989 | 43.2% | 47.1% |
| 1990 | 44.8% | 48.9% |
| 1991 | 44.6% | 47.0% |
| 1992 | 46.1% | 50.2% |
| 1993 | 46.4% | 50.5% |
| 1994 | 46.1% | 52.1% |
| 1995 | 45.6% | 52.4% |
| 1996 | 45.4% | 51.3% |
| 1997 | 46.4% | 51.9% |
| 1998 | 48.5% | 52.3% |
| 1999 | 48.8% | 53.0% |
| 2000 | 49.9% | 52.7% |
| 2001 | 50.2% | 53.4% |
| 2002 | 49.4% | 52.2% |
| 2003 | 49.3% | 52.0% |
| 2004 | 49.2% | 51.4% |
| 2005 | 50.3% | 52.8% |
| 2006 | 50.0% | 53.9% |
| 2007 | 51.6% | 54.5% |
| 2008 | 51.9% | 55.2% |
| 2009 | 52.2% | 52.5% |
| 2010 | 53.4% | 53.9% |
| 2011 | 52.6% | 54.4% |
| 2012 | 54.5% | 54.3% |
| 2013 | 55.7% | 55.5% |
| 2014 | 52.4% | 56.2% |
| 2015 | 55.7% | 56.4% |
Note: The college wage premium is the percent by which wages of college graduates exceed those of otherwise equivalent high school graduates, regression adjusted.
Source: EPI analysis of Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group microdata
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