The Private Benefits of Higher Education: An Examination of the Earnings Premium

This research uses data from the 1992 follow-up to the High School and Beyond longitudinal study of 1980 high school sophomores to identify the percentage of the observed earnings premium that is attributable to a bachelor's degree, the extent to which this percentage varies based on the characteristics that are taken into account in the analyses (e.g., ability, job tenure and experience, industry, and occupation), and the extent to which this percentage varies based on sex, race, and socioeconomic status. The analyses provide an update to previous work on this topic.