Double The Numbers - Benefits

Benefits

There is a strong correlation between education level and personal income, productivity, civic participation, life expectancy, employment status and community strength.

States with more college graduates have stronger, more diverse economies.

  • Unemployment rates are much lower for college graduates than for high school graduates.
  • The top states in educational attainment also rank highest on the New Economy Index, which measures innovation, entrepreneurship, and competitiveness in the global economy. Kentucky ranks 45th on this index.

College graduates earn more.

  • Kentuckians with bachelor’s degrees typically earn over $16,000 more per year than high school graduates.
  • The average U.S. bachelor’s degree recipient can expect to earn 62 percent more over a 40-year working life than the average high school graduate.

College graduates are healthier.

  • In 2005, 61 percent of U.S. college graduates exercised vigorously at least once a week as compared to 31 percent of high school graduates.
  • College graduates in the U.S. are less likely to smoke.
  • U.S. adults with a bachelor's degree are more likely to have health insurance.

College graduates tend to be more engaged citizens.

  • In 2006, about 27 percent of U.S. adults volunteered for community organizations. Among college graduates, the volunteer rate was 43 percent, over twice the 19 percent rate for high school graduates.
  • In the 2004 presidential election, 76 percent of U.S. college graduates reported voting, compared to 49 percent of high school graduates.

States with more college graduates generally enjoy a higher quality of life.

  • Incarceration rates for U.S. adults with some postsecondary education are significantly lower--about a quarter of that for individuals with only a
high school diploma.
  • Government spending for public assistance programs tends to decrease as levels of education increase.
  • Kentuckians with higher education levels have lower rates of poverty.

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