Both graduates from four-year colleges and those who did not
attend college believe that, on average, a bachelor's degree
makes a difference of $20,000 in yearly earnings, according to a
2011 Pew Research Center survey on whether college is worth the
cost. U.S. Census Bureau data shows these estimates are pretty
accurate--the median earning gap between a high school grad and
a college grad in 2010 was $19,500. The Bureau of Labor
Statistics confirms that college pays off, reporting that as the
level of education increases, earnings increase and the
unemployment rate decreases. Workers with high school diplomas
earned 2010 median weekly wages of $626. Those with associate
degrees earned 22 percent more; bachelor's degree holders netted
66 percent more; and workers with master's degrees earned more
than twice as much as those with high school diplomas.