Some high school students wonder if getting a high school diploma is worth it. In many states, a high school diploma could earn you significantly more money than if you didn’t graduate and get your diploma. Which states have the biggest difference in pay for high school graduates and non-graduates? U.S. Career Institute looked at the data.
Connecticut ranks first for states with the highest pay discrepancy between high school graduates and non-graduates. The median salary for high school graduates in Connecticut is $37,365, while the median salary for non-graduates is $25,926 (a difference of $11,439). Second on the list is Alaska, where the median salary for graduates is $36,386, while the median salary for non-graduates is $26,100 (a difference of $10,286).
One the other end of the spectrum, the U.S. state with the smallest salary discrepancy between high school graduates and non-graduates is Iowa. High school graduates in Iowa have a median salary of $33,483, while non-graduates earn $30,147 (a $3,336 difference).
Overall, those with a high school diploma or GED can expect lifetime earnings of between $1,100,424 and $2,242,775 (median earnings of $1,576,058), whereas those with less than a high school education can expect to earn between $854,901 and $$1,743,615 (with a median earning of $1,204,724) in their lifetime. In comparison, people with a Bachelor’s degree typically earn somewhere between $1,876,363 and $4,148,653 (median earnings of $2,803,619) in their lifetimes.
Which U.S. state’s salary discrepancy was most surprising to you?
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