A college education significantly boosts a student’s annual and lifetime earnings. College graduates in 2015 earned markedly more than high school graduates. Median annual earnings, college graduates: $61,400 Median annual earnings, high school graduates: $36,800 Source: The College Board, “Education Pays 2016,” 2016 Lifelong Benefits College graduates earn a median of $1 million more over the course of their lives than those with only a high school diploma – $2.3 million in lifetime earnings versus $1.3 million. Source: Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce, “The College Payoff,” 2014

College-educated individuals are much less likely to be unemployed. The employment trend is especially pronounced among Millennials, ages 25-32. 2015 unemployment rate, college graduates: 2.8 percent 2015 unemployment rate, high school graduates: 5.4 percent 2013 unemployment rate, Millennial college graduates: 3.8 percent 2013 unemployment rate, Millennial high school graduates: 12.2 percent Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; Pew Research Center Recession Recovery Since the most recent recession, 11.5 million of the 11.6 million jobs created went to workers with at least an associate’s degree. College graduates gained 4.6 million jobs. Source: Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce, “America’s Divided Recovery,” 2016

Individuals with a college education have higher levels of retirement security. Average annual retirement income is more than four times higher for college graduates than high school graduates. 2010 retirement income, college graduates: $8,482* 2010 retirement income, high school graduates, $1,901* *Figures exclude Social Security Source: National Center for Policy Analysis, “More Education, Better Retirement,” 2013 Stifled Savings A third of workers with a high school diploma surveyed don’t have access to employer-sponsored retirement plans, compared to 13 percent of college graduate respondents. Source: Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, “17th Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey,” 2016

People with a college degree are significantly more likely to volunteer and vote. Higher percentages of college graduates give back to their communities. 38.8 percent of college graduates volunteered in 2014-15 15.6 percent of high school graduates volunteered in 2014-15 Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Volunteers by selected characteristics, September 2015,” 2015 Presidential Participation In the 2012 presidential election, 77 percent of Americans with at least a college degree voted, compared to 38 percent of those with only a high school diploma. Source: The College Board, “Education Pays 2016,” 2016

College-educated individuals contribute increased tax revenues. In 2015, college graduates paid nearly double the amount in taxes high school graduates paid. Estimated average taxes, college graduates: $14,500 Estimated average taxes, high school graduates: $7,600 Source: The College Board, “Education Pays 2016,” 2016 Cumulative Contributions A college graduate pays, on average, $328,511 in lifetime taxes (federal income, state income, property, and sales); high school graduates contribute an average of $136,564. Source: Lumina Foundation, “It’s Not Just the Money,” 2015

A college education leads to increased giving to charities. In 2012, the average charitable donation made by college graduates was more than three times the average contribution from high school graduates. Average donation, college graduates: $1,304 Average donation, high school graduates: $385 Source: Lumina Foundation, “It’s Not Just the Money,” 2015 Alumni Giving Graduates donated a cumulative $9.93 billion to their colleges and universities in FY16–accounting for nearly a quarter of all charitable contributions to institutions that year. Source: Council for Aid to Education, “Voluntary Support of Education survey,” 2017

A college education leads to healthier lifestyles. College graduates are much less likely to smoke than high school graduates. 8 percent of male college graduates smoked in 2014 28 percent of male high school graduates smoked in 2014 6 percent of female college graduates smoked in 2014 23.5 percent of female high school graduates smoked in 2014 Source: National Center for Health Statistics, “Health, United States, 2015,” 2016 Exercise Engagement Across all age groups, college-educated individuals are more likely to report exercising regularly than high school graduates. For adults ages 25-32, 86 percent with a college degree said they work out weekly, compared to 66 percent with a high school diploma. Source: The College Board, “Education Pays 2016,” 2016

College-educated individuals have a longer lifespan. Both men and women have longer life expectancies at age 25 if they have earned a college degree. In 2006, college-educated men were expected to live 5 years longer than male high school graduates. In 2006, college-educated women were expected to live 3 years longer than female high school graduates. Source: National Center for Health Statistics, “Health, United States, 2011: With Special Feature on Socioeconomic Status and Health,” 2012 Increasing Benefits Life expectancy gaps between college and high school graduates widened by one year for both men and women between 1996 and 2006. Source: Same as above

A college education alters future generations. From 2011-14, children ages 2-19 were less likely to be obese if their parents had graduated from college. 9 percent of girls whose parents graduated from college were obese 24 percent of girls whose parents graduated from high school were obese 11 percent of boys whose parents graduated from college were obese 20 percent of boys whose parents graduated from high school were obese Source: The College Board, “Education Pays 2016,” 2016 College-Going Culture In a survey, 76 percent of the children of college graduates enrolled in college right after high school, compared to 37 percent of the respondents whose parents did not graduate from college. Source: The Atlantic, “Are College Degrees Inherited?” 2014