Allen’s blog of trivial stuff

Been a while since I put one of these out…

A National Institute of Health report from July/August 1992 looking at 1979-1985 data (and, I believe, reconfirmed by a recent Harvard study) showed longer life expectancies at all ages and both genders based on educational level.  For example, a white male of 25 with 0-4 years of education had a life expectancy of 48.2 years.  With 12 years of education it rises to 50.2, and with 17+ years the expectancy reaches 54.5 years.  That’s a difference of more than six years.  For white females aged 65, the expectancy is 19.7 years for those with the minimal amount of education to 22.1 for those with the maximum amount.

The study also considers income and employment status.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1403677/pdf/pubhealthrep00072-0091.pdf

This 2004 article from the Bureau of Labor Statistics compares the unemployment rates for individuals with different levels of education from 2003.  Individuals with a high school diploma or GED saw an average 5.5% unemployment rate (compared to 8.8% for those without a high school diploma), while those with a Master’s degree or higher saw unemployment rates under 3%.  Those with professional degrees (MD, JD, DDS, etc.) saw a 1.7% unemployment rate.

http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2004/fall/oochart.pdf

This 2002 Census publication compares lifetime earnings based on education attained.  For example, an individual with a high school diploma would make about $30,000 (1999 dollars) average over a lifetime.  An individual with a Master’s degree can more than double that with an average annual income of $63,000.

http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/p23-210.pdf