Getting a college education is one of the most common ways to boost earning potential. The median worker with a bachelor’s degree has an income of $56,152, compared to just over $32,000 for one whose highest level of education is high school.
While a degree is generally helpful for increasing income nationwide, there are a handful of cities in the U.S. in which the typical college graduate outearns the typical high school graduate by an especially significant amount
To determine the cities where a college education pays off the most 24/7 Tempo reviewed five-year data on earnings by educational attainment from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 American Community Survey. Metropolitan statistical areas were ranked based on the raw difference in median earnings for workers 25 years and older with a bachelor’s degree and the median earnings for workers 25 years and older with only a high school diploma. (Here are the highest-paying jobs you can get without a college degree.)
Nearly all of the places where a college degree pays off the most are concentrated on the East and West coasts. California is home to 11 of the 25 metro areas on this list, and Connecticut, Washington, and (an outlier in regards to location) Michigan are the only other states to feature multiple times.
Click here to see the cities where a college education pays off the most
Click here to read our detailed methodology
Many of the places on this list also rank among the metro areas with the highest incomes overall. These areas tend to have a relatively high concentration of tech workers – one of the highest-paying job markets in the country. College-educated IT specialists, software and hardware engineers, and other high-tech workers can often earn well over $100,000 per year. These are the best paying jobs in America.
25. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
> Earnings premium for bachelor’s degree holders: +$21,263
> Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $60,823
> Median earnings for high school graduates: $31,455
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 35.4%
> Most concentrated job requiring bachelor’s degree: Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes (10.7 times the national employment share)
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24. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA
> Earnings premium for bachelor’s degree holders: +$21,295
> Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $62,946
> Median earnings for high school graduates: $33,266
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 34.3%
> Most concentrated job requiring bachelor’s degree: Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents (9.9 times the national employment share)
23. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
> Earnings premium for bachelor’s degree holders: +$21,349
> Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $62,554
> Median earnings for high school graduates: $34,530
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 38.7%
> Most concentrated job requiring bachelor’s degree: Biochemists and Biophysicists (3.7 times the national employment share)
22. Trenton-Princeton, NJ
> Earnings premium for bachelor’s degree holders: +$21,767
> Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $65,810
> Median earnings for high school graduates: $32,913
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 43.5%
> Most concentrated job requiring bachelor’s degree: Natural Sciences Managers (14.9 times the national employment share)
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21. Modesto, CA
> Earnings premium for bachelor’s degree holders: +$21,772
> Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $62,220
> Median earnings for high school graduates: $33,397
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 17.7%
> Most concentrated job requiring bachelor’s degree: Food Scientists and Technologists (5.2 times the national employment share)
20. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
> Earnings premium for bachelor’s degree holders: +$21,928
> Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $62,350
> Median earnings for high school graduates: $33,514
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 39.0%
> Most concentrated job requiring bachelor’s degree: Materials Scientists (2.3 times the national employment share)
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19. Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT
> Earnings premium for bachelor’s degree holders: +$22,316
> Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $67,406
> Median earnings for high school graduates: $38,027
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 39.6%
> Most concentrated job requiring bachelor’s degree: Actuaries (9.9 times the national employment share)
18. Bakersfield, CA
> Earnings premium for bachelor’s degree holders: +$22,402
> Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $59,249
> Median earnings for high school graduates: $30,755
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 17.1%
> Most concentrated job requiring bachelor’s degree: Petroleum Engineers (14.2 times the national employment share)
17. Madera, CA
> Earnings premium for bachelor’s degree holders: +$22,433
> Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $54,398
> Median earnings for high school graduates: $31,744
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 15.2%
> Most concentrated job requiring bachelor’s degree: Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other (2.8 times the national employment share)
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16. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
> Earnings premium for bachelor’s degree holders: +$22,500
> Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $60,487
> Median earnings for high school graduates: $31,320
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 32.2%
> Most concentrated job requiring bachelor’s degree: Commercial and Industrial Designers (7.0 times the national employment share)
15. Midland, MI
> Earnings premium for bachelor’s degree holders: +$22,849
> Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $59,205
> Median earnings for high school graduates: $30,255
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 34.8%
> Most concentrated job requiring bachelor’s degree: Chemical Engineers (33.5 times the national employment share)
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14. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
> Earnings premium for bachelor’s degree holders: +$23,330
> Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $63,235
> Median earnings for high school graduates: $32,404
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 39.5%
> Most concentrated job requiring bachelor’s degree: Biological Scientists, All Other (7.8 times the national employment share)
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13. Visalia, CA
> Earnings premium for bachelor’s degree holders: +$23,540
> Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $58,200
> Median earnings for high school graduates: $30,465
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 14.5%
> Most concentrated job requiring bachelor’s degree: Food Scientists and Technologists (4.9 times the national employment share)
12. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
> Earnings premium for bachelor’s degree holders: +$24,179
> Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $67,355
> Median earnings for high school graduates: $34,389
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 41.4%
> Most concentrated job requiring bachelor’s degree: Fashion Designers (6.3 times the national employment share)
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11. Napa, CA
> Earnings premium for bachelor’s degree holders: +$24,317
> Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $69,402
> Median earnings for high school graduates: $34,048
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 37.2%
> Most concentrated job requiring bachelor’s degree: Food Scientists and Technologists (12.1 times the national employment share)
10. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
> Earnings premium for bachelor’s degree holders: +$24,335
> Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $68,618
> Median earnings for high school graduates: $38,416
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 48.9%
> Most concentrated job requiring bachelor’s degree: Biochemists and Biophysicists (11.9 times the national employment share)
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9. Kennewick-Richland, WA
> Earnings premium for bachelor’s degree holders: +$24,453
> Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $65,496
> Median earnings for high school graduates: $33,651
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 27.9%
> Most concentrated job requiring bachelor’s degree: Agricultural Inspectors (15.9 times the national employment share)
8. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
> Earnings premium for bachelor’s degree holders: +$24,856
> Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $70,490
> Median earnings for high school graduates: $39,496
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 43.6%
> Most concentrated job requiring bachelor’s degree: Special Effects Artists and Animators (7.0 times the national employment share)
7. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
> Earnings premium for bachelor’s degree holders: +$24,863
> Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $66,855
> Median earnings for high school graduates: $32,875
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 41.8%
> Most concentrated job requiring bachelor’s degree: Anthropologists and Archeologists (9.1 times the national employment share)
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6. California-Lexington Park, MD
> Earnings premium for bachelor’s degree holders: +$25,822
> Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $83,375
> Median earnings for high school graduates: $41,535
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 32.0%
> Most concentrated job requiring bachelor’s degree: Aerospace Engineers (60.1 times the national employment share)
5. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
> Earnings premium for bachelor’s degree holders: +$26,144
> Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $72,512
> Median earnings for high school graduates: $36,303
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 51.7%
> Most concentrated job requiring bachelor’s degree: Political Scientists (34.4 times the national employment share)
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4. Huntsville, AL
> Earnings premium for bachelor’s degree holders: +$27,499
> Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $62,227
> Median earnings for high school graduates: $30,689
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 39.8%
> Most concentrated job requiring bachelor’s degree: Aerospace Engineers (36.1 times the national employment share)
3. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT
> Earnings premium for bachelor’s degree holders: +$31,423
> Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $74,575
> Median earnings for high school graduates: $34,807
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 48.9%
> Most concentrated job requiring bachelor’s degree: Personal Financial Advisors (4.1 times the national employment share)
2. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA
> Earnings premium for bachelor’s degree holders: +$32,847
> Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $80,586
> Median earnings for high school graduates: $37,927
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 50.7%
> Most concentrated job requiring bachelor’s degree: Biological Scientists, All Other (6.1 times the national employment share)
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1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
> Earnings premium for bachelor’s degree holders: +$38,439
> Median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders: $86,665
> Median earnings for high school graduates: $36,566
> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 52.5%
> Most concentrated job requiring bachelor’s degree: Computer Hardware Engineers (13.5 times the national employment share)
Methodology
To determine the cities where a college education pays off the most 24/7 Tempo reviewed five-year data on earnings by educational attainment from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 American Community Survey. Metropolitan statistical areas were ranked based on the raw difference in median earnings for workers 25 years and older with a bachelor’s degree and the median earnings for workers 25 years and older with a high school diploma. Data on the percentage of adults 25 and over with at least a bachelor’s degree also came from the 2020 ACS and are five-year estimates. Data on the most concentrated job requiring a bachelor’s degree came from the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2021 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, and was calculated using the location quotient, a ratio comparing the share of workers in a specific occupation as a share of all workers in a metro area relative to the share of workers nationwide in the same occupation. Only detailed occupations in which the typical educational entry requirement is a bachelor’s degree or higher were considered. Data on typical educational entry requirements came from the BLS Employment Projections program and are for 2020.
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