Earnings · State policy
The Payoff of College Credentials
A state-by-state analysis of what certificate, associate’s, and bachelor’s degree graduates earn
State Snapshot →
A high-level briefing for every state
The Payoff Map →
An interactive map and table of every program
Download: State rankings (Excel)FAQ (PDF)
Two ways in
Start with your state, or explore the whole country
Both tools use the same data and the same method. Choose the one that fits what you need today.
State Snapshot
A plain-language briefing for any state, ready to cite and share.
- Where the state ranks among the 50 states and D.C. on earnings premium
- Three takeaways from state-level data
- The fields that are working best, and the ones that need attention
- One-page PDF and a shareable link for each state
The Payoff Map
An interactive map and table of every different type of credential, state by state.
- Click any state to see what its graduates earn compared with high school graduates
- Filter by level of credential and subject area
- See how each program ranks against the same program in other states
- Sort by earnings, earnings premium, or number of earners
What it does
One question, answered the same way in every state
For each program, we measure how much more a graduate typically earns than a high school graduate in that same state.
Measure earnings
Typical earnings four years after graduation, for each different type of credential, weighted by the number of graduates.
Compare with a benchmark
Each state’s own high school graduate earnings set the bar, so the comparison reflects local wages and cost of living.
Rank across states
The earnings premium, as a percent above the benchmark, shows which states and programs deliver the strongest return.
Who it’s for
Built for people who shape the path to a credential
State leaders and policymakers
See how your state’s programs compare nationally and where the return on a credential is strongest or weakest.
Higher education and workforce teams
Find the fields that lead to the best outcomes and the ones that deserve a closer look.
Reporters and researchers
Pull high-level, sourced figures for any state, with a shareable link and a one-page summary.
About the data
Earnings come from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard and cover students who completed an undergraduate certificate, associate’s degree, or bachelor’s degree in 2017–18 and 2018–19. Earnings are measured four years later and adjusted to 2024 dollars.
The high school benchmark is each state’s median earnings for high school graduates aged 25–34 who never attended college.
Good to know
- Rankings cover the 50 states and D.C. Puerto Rico appears in full but is not ranked.
- Programs offered by only one institution nationwide are excluded.
- Small programs are suppressed under federal privacy rules.