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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2016 Aug 1.
Published in final edited form as: Demography. 2015 Aug;52(4):1383–1407. doi: 10.1007/s13524-015-0407-0

Table 5.

Net lifetime earnings, estimates using self-reported annual earningsa

(C)b,d
(C)/(A)c (D)b,d
(D)/(A)c
Sample Restrictions:
- Positive Earnings in 2004
- Full-time Workers Only
Sample Restriction:

- Positive Earnings in 2004
Net 50-Year
Lifetime Earnings
Gap From HSG Net 50-Year
Lifetime Earnings
Gap From HSG
Male LTHS 1,539,000 (−286,000) 1.306 1,377,000 (−316,000) 1.169
HSG 1,825,000 1.189 1,693,000 1.103
SC 2,072,000 (246,000) 1.222 1,894,000 (201,000) 1.117
BA 2,635,000 (810,000) 1.203 2,486,000 (793,000) 1.135
GRAD 3,183,000 (1,358,000) 1.189 2,971,000 (1,278,000) 1.109
[BA+GRAD] 2,843,000 (1,018,000) 1.197 2,669,000 (976,000) 1.124
Female LTHS 1,016,000 (−335,000) 1.734 948,000 (−291,000) 1.618
HSG 1,351,000 1.551 1,239,000 1.423
SC 1,504,000 (153,000) 1.452 1,399,000 (159,000) 1.350
BA 1,982,000 (631,000) 1.506 1,846,000 (607,000) 1.402
GRAD 2,286,000 (935,000) 1.350 2,325,000 (1,086,000) 1.373
[BA+GRAD] 2,096,000 (841,000) 1.438 2,026,000 (787,000) 1.390
a

All estimates control for race/ethnicity, marital history, number of children, birth place, high school type, college preparation courses, and math and science AP courses. The same mean values for all covariates are applied to all estimates.

b

Annual earnings is estimated by multiplying three to the four-month SIPP earnings. To compute 10-year earnings, annual earnings is multiplied by 10, and then log-transformed. To account for low earnings in the early 20s for highly educated workers, earnings in their 20s is discounted by 20 % for SC, 30 % for BA, and 50 % for GRAD.

c

(A) are the estimates of lifetime earnings reported in column (A) of Table 4.

d

The total numbers of respondents to compute lifetime earnings (C) are 18,251 for men and 14,724 for women. The total numbers of respondents to compute (D) are 20,359 for men and 19,730 for women.