Median weekly earnings $606 for high school dropouts, $1,559 for advanced degree holders

In the third quarter of 2019, full-time workers age 25 and older had median weekly earnings of $975. Those without a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of $606, compared with $749 for high school graduates (no college), and $874 for workers with some college or an associate degree. Workers with a bachelor's degree (and no additional degree) had median weekly earnings of $1,281. Workers with an advanced degree (master's, professional, and doctoral degrees) had median weekly earnings of $1,559 in the third quarter of 2019.

Workers without a high school diploma earned 62 percent of the earnings of all workers (regardless of educational attainment) in the third quarter of 2019. Over the past two decades, this ratio has ranged between 55 percent and 62 percent.

In the most recent quarter, the earnings of high school graduates (no college) were 77 percent of all-worker earnings. Since 2000, this measure has ranged between 77 percent and 85 percent.

Earnings of workers with some college or associate degree were 90 percent of the all-worker figure in the third quarter of 2019. This measure has ranged between 87 percent and 99 percent over the past two decades.

Workers with a bachelor's degree (without an advanced degree) earned 131 percent of all-worker earnings in the third quarter of 2019, while workers with an advanced degree earned 160 percent. Over the past two decades, the earnings of workers with a bachelor's degree have ranged between 127 percent and 138 percent of the earnings of all workers. The earnings of workers with an advanced degree have been between 159 percent and 175 percent of all-worker earnings.   

These data are from the Current Population Survey and are not seasonally adjusted. For more information, see "Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers: Third Quarter 2019." Also see more charts of usual weekly earnings data. Full-time workers usually work 35 hours or more per week at their sole or main job. The median is the midpoint in the earnings distribution; half of workers earn more than the median and half earn less.