Table 2.
Mean Annual Wage Earnings of Full-time Workers by Education (2010 Dollars)
| 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panel A: Full-time Male Workers | ||||||
| High School | 43,333 | 54,129 | 52,010 | 46,223 | 45,950 | 40,967 |
| Some College | 49,382 | 62,332 | 55,842 | 54,579 | 56,039 | 50,501 |
| College or More | 60,094 | 80,490 | 72,553 | 81,366 | 92,226 | 89,187 |
| Panel B: Full-time Female Workers | ||||||
| High School | 23,653 | 28,598 | 28,983 | 30,059 | 31,755 | 30,288 |
| Some College | 26,078 | 32,762 | 32,853 | 36,398 | 39,160 | 37,413 |
| College or More | 33,898 | 44,169 | 41,389 | 50,973 | 59,133 | 60,902 |
| Panel C: Ratio of Mean Female/Male Earnings | ||||||
| High School | 0.546 | 0.528 | 0.557 | 0.650 | 0.691 | 0.739 |
| Some College | 0.528 | 0.526 | 0.588 | 0.667 | 0.699 | 0.741 |
| College or More | 0.564 | 0.549 | 0.570 | 0.626 | 0.641 | 0.683 |
Source: Authors’ calculations based on the 1960–2000 Census and 2010 ACS. The sample is restricted to full-time workers (who usually work at least 35 hours per week in 1980–2010 or worked at least 35 hours last week in 1960–1970) ages 25–54. Earnings are measured by annual wage and salary income converted to 2010 dollars. Although income in the Census data is top-coded, the majority of workers whose income exceeds the top code are college educated. This issue only affects a small share of workers, but if anything, the difference between the college-educated and some college groups is slightly understated as a result.