An interesting report and data summary on issues relating to higher education from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
By the numbers:
- Over the 1992–2009 period, the number of college-educated workers increased from 27 million to 44 million.
- In 2009, the unemployment rate for workers with college degrees was 4.6 percent. The rate for workers without a high school diploma was 10 points higher.
- In 2009, the median weekly earnings of workers with bachelor’s degrees were $1,137. This amount is 1.8 times the average amount earned by those with only a high school diploma, and 2.5 times the earnings of high school dropouts.
These and myriad other data on degree attainment, student’s time use (1.5 hrs/day traveling? lots of commuter students I guess), degree attainment in U.S. compared to other countries, higher education workplaces, costs, etc. Includes this interesting chart on Professor pay and employment by discipline: