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Differences in women's earnings by educational level, 2006

Female college graduates age 25 and over who worked full time earned about 81 percent more than women with only a high school diploma in 2006.

[Chart data—TXT]

This difference in earnings by education has increased sharply since 1979, when female college graduates earned 43 percent more than female high school graduates. 

Women workers without a high school diploma who worked full-time in 2006 had median usual weekly earnings of $358. Those with a high school diploma and no college earned $500; those with some college but no degree earned $584 and those with an associate degree earned $632.

Full-time women workers who held a bachelor's degree in 2006 had median usual weekly earnings of $839. Master's degree holders had earnings of $987, while the figure for professional degree holders was $1,203 and for doctoral degree holders was $1,174.

These data on earnings are from the Current Population Survey. Earnings data in this article are median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers age 25 and over. For more information see BLS Report 1002, Women in the Labor Force: A Databook (2007 Edition). 

Related TED articles:

• Labor force participation rate of mothers, 1975-2006 
• Wives who earn more than their husbands, 1987-2005 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is an agency within the U.S. Department of Labor.