Educational Level & Pay

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Generally speaking, jobs that require high levels of education and skill pay higher wages than jobs that require few skills and little education. Statistics from the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) validate this viewpoint by revealing that the unemployment rate among people who have a professional degree is significantly lower than that of people who have a high school diploma or less than a complete high school education. In addition, earnings increase significantly as a worker's degree of education rises.

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Earnings by Educational Attainment and SexBLS data indicating that the earnings are higher and the unemployment rate is lower for people who have high levels of education. The reverse is true for the least educated American workers.

America's Career InfoNetInformation about educational levels for various occupations, as well as average wage ranges by occupation and geographical area.

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Equal Pay and Compensation DiscriminationEqual pay provisions prohibit sex-based wage differentials between men and women employed in the same establishment who perform jobs requiring equal effort, skill, and responsibility. These provisions are enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).