Bachelor’s degree pay bonus over high school diploma is 80.1% in Arizona

Education
Bachelor degree study

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Arizona workers with four-year degrees on average earn 80.1 percent more per year than workers with high school diplomas, the 15th highest percentage among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, according to an analysis released last month.

The study by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute found that bachelor’s degree holders in the state make $88,104, while those with high school educations make on average $48,925 per year. Arizona workers with two-year degrees earn $57,859 on average, according to the analysis.

The study is the first of its kind to examine average earnings for full-time employees with different levels of education in jurisdictions around the nation, the institute said.

The evidence is clear that workers with four-year degrees earn more than those with two-year degrees or no post-secondary degrees, the researchers concluded. But how much of an advantage bachelor’s degree holders have varies according to where they live, the analysis found.

The earnings dividend for a bachelor’s degree over a high school diploma ranges from more than 100 percent to just over 21 percent, depending on the state. The study is based on data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

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Bachelor’s Degree Earnings Advantage by State

RankStateHigh School Graduate Average Annual EarningsAssociate Degree Average Annual EarningsBachelor's Degree Average Annual EarningsBachelor's Degree Pay Advantage over High School Diploma
1Georgia$45,247$54,799$90,952101.0%
2California$55,158$70,376$108,93297.5%
3Washington, D.C.$58,119$64,221$114,70697.4%
4New Jersey$60,715$72,908$119,78997.3%
5Connecticut$60,352$71,594$118,45496.3%
6Virginia$50,581$59,643$98,22594.2%
7North Carolina$43,924$52,325$83,36389.8%
8Illinois$52,144$62,266$98,56389.0%
9Texas$49,857$62,118$93,25687.0%
10Tennessee$44,120$53,545$81,97085.8%
11Florida$45,789$55,085$84,03383.5%
12South Carolina$42,901$52,637$78,65783.3%
13Maryland$56,427$69,282$102,69482.0%
14Massachusetts$59,948$70,539$108,89081.6%
15Arizona$48,925$57,859$88,10480.1%
16Michigan$47,992$57,585$86,44680.1%
17Ohio$47,836$56,117$85,33278.4%
18Minnesota$51,597$62,695$91,85678.0%
19Pennsylvania$50,160$58,847$89,27878.0%
20Kansas$47,300$55,238$82,47074.4%
21Missouri$46,366$53,905$80,74374.1%
22Kentucky$46,683$54,499$80,07671.5%
23Colorado$54,117$59,923$92,77771.4%
24New York$54,526$64,806$110,86771.1%
25Oregon$50,446$58,876$85,84370.2%
26Wisconsin$48,848$58,681$82,62369.1%
27Utah$52,606$61,746$88,86068.9%
28New Hampshire$55,825$64,635$94,17468.7%
29Idaho$47,184$56,550$79,11467.7%
30Washington$59,413$66,135$99,33167.2%
31Arkansas$45,296$50,466$75,49266.7%
32Alabama$46,347$53,315$77,17966.5%
33Indiana$49,119$55,667$80,72364.3%
34Rhode Island$57,324$63,647$93,40162.9%
35Delaware$54,523$64,422$88,75462.8%
36Nevada$52,398$60,366$85,01762.3%
37Maine$46,872$53,560$75,47561.0%
38Oklahoma$46,779$55,410$74,25058.7%
39Nebraska$49,744$54,817$77,96856.7%
40New Mexico$44,481$52,677$69,47056.2%
41Louisiana$50,033$56,673$77,22654.4%
42Hawaii$52,684$59,391$80,23652.3%
43Vermont$48,667$59,112$73,75051.5%
44Mississippi$43,735$49,041$66,22551.4%
45Iowa$51,233$55,755$77,25950.8%
46West Virginia$47,145$52,022$69,65247.7%
47Montana$50,906$53,950$68,45534.5%
48South Dakota$51,574$54,605$69,05333.9%
49Alaska$64,015$70,539$82,30728.6%
50North Dakota$57,381$62,146$71,32724.3%
51Wyoming$60,687$58,872$73,64221.3%
Source: Thomas B. Fordham Institute

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