Estimates of Work-Life Earnings by Educational Attainment AVERAGE ANNUAL EARNINGS/WORK-LIFETIME EARNINGS High School Diploma
$25,909
Bachelor’s Degree
$45,394
Master’s Degree
$54,547
Doctoral Degree
$81,430
Professional Degree
$99,253 0
$1,226,600 $2,140,900 $2,463,100 $3,440,000 $4,411,500 1
2 3 Millions of Dollars
4
5
Source: The Big Payoff: Educational Attainment and Synthetic Estimates of Work-Life Earnings US Census Bureau, July 2002
Perhaps one of the most tangible benefits associated with an educated labor force is the work-life earnings of students with degrees. According to the 2000 US Census, while workers with only a high school certificate were expected to earn an average income of $25,909 per year, those with bachelor’s degrees were expected to earn an average income of $45,394. The higher wage-earning capacity shows that the average worker with a bachelor’s degree can expect to earn $914,000 more than their counterparts with high school diplomas over their worklifetime. The benefits of graduates with more advanced
degrees compared to those with only high school diplomas are even much more significant as shown above. Alumni
Alumni constitute ECU’s major asset. Out of ECU’s 123,000 living alumni whose addresses are known, more than 70 percent reside in North Carolina, and 58 percent of these are in eastern North Carolina. In terms of contributions to communities, many of ECU’s alumni are playing prominent roles in various fields, including business, health care, the arts, media, and others.
ECU Alumni per County
Total Number of ECU Alumni 0–99
500–699
100–299
700–899
300–499
900–1,099
1,100+
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