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International Journal of the Whole Child                                         
2020, VOL. 5, NO. 2           

                             
Education by the Numbers   

Donald Sneada 

aMiddle Tennessee State University  

Donald Snead (B.S.in Natural Science, M.A. Teaching in Curriculum & Instruction, Ed.D. 
Curriculum & Instruction in Science Education) is the Interim Department Chair and Professor 
in the Educational Leadership Department at Middle Tennessee State University. Committed to a 
social constructivist philosophy, he teaches courses in curriculum, leadership, and research 
methods. Dr. Snead is an inductee into the Kentucky Distinguished Educators Cadre. His 
research interests focus on improving learning for all students. 

 
Education is sometimes referred to as an investment in human capital (Wolla & Sullivan, 2017). 
How Does Level of Education Affect Income?   
 
Median Annual Earnings of full-time workers ages 24-34 by Educational Attainment 

Degree Annual Income 
 Overall Gender By Race 
  Male Female Combined Genders by Race 
    White Black Hispanic Asian 
All Education Levels 44,880 48,000 40,000 48,930 35,350 35,650 59,470 
Less than High School 
Completion 

27,880 30,000 21,980 34,920 24,790 27,550  

High School Completions 34,880 38,890 28,980 37,410 29,730 32,080 35,570 
Some College, No Degree 36,300 39940 31,100 37,960 34,390 35,000 38,130 
Associate’s Degree 39,960 47900 34,020 42,730 34,780 36,190 39,620 
Bachelor’s Degree 54,700 60,000 50,000 57,740 40,850 45,100 61,580 
Master’s or Higher Degree 64,980 79,280 59,220 63,560 53,850 59,900 80,150 

 
This table is a summary of the annual earnings of 25-34-year-olds who work an average of 35 or 
more hours per week for 50 or more weeks per year. Eighty percent of those with a bachelor’s or 
higher degree worked full time compared to 72 percent of high school completers or equivalency 
(GED).   
 
  



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Reference 
National Center for Education Statistics, United States., (2019). Digest of education statistics.  

Retrieved on October 1, 2020 from  
https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/2019menu_tables.asp 

Wolla, S, & Sullivan, J. (2017).  Education, Income, and Wealth.  Page One Economics.  
Retrieved on October 1, 2020 from  
https://research.stlouisfed.org/publications/page1-econ/2017/ 

 
 

  


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