Value of an Associate’s Degree

What if we told you there’s a way to make more money and live longer? Most of us would be all over that.

Well, it’s true, you can do both simply by earning your college degree. We’ve known for some time that those with a  higher level of education make more money. Now, it’s been shown you live longer too.

First, let’s talk money - A Half-Million Dollars


According to the National Center for Education Statistics new window, the median annual earnings of full-time, year-round male wage and salary workers, ages 25 – 34, who earned their Associate’s Degree is $43,600. For those with just a high school diploma it’s $32,800.

That’s a difference of nearly $11,000 per year. Take that simple number times the roughly 45 years that most people will be working and we’re talking somewhere in the range of a half a million dollars!

And, just for comparison, those with less than a high school diploma have annual earnings of less than $25,000 annually. That’s just barely more than half of those with an Associate’s Degree.

Value of Associates Degree Bar Chart
Chart shows that males with less than high school completion make about $24,500 annually. Females with less than high school completion make about $17,500 annually. Males with a high school diploma or its equivalent make about $33,500 annually. Females with a high school diploma or its equivalent make about $25,500 annually. Males with an Associate's Degree make about $44,000 annually. Females with an Associate's Degree make about $32,000 annually.

Get a Job


Not only will you make more money with an Associate’s Degree, it’s also easier to find a job.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics new window, the national unemployment rate in October, 2014, was 5.8 percent but it was a full percentage point lower, 4.8 percent, for those with an Associate’s Degree.

Compare that to those with a high school diploma at 5.7 percent and those without a high school education at 7.9 percent.

Live Longer


That’s right, let’s talk about health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention new window releases a report not too long ago showing a distinct correlation between health and education. Though these statistics are for people with Bachelor’s Degrees, it’s reasonable to believe that those with Associate’s Degrees will also experience some of these advantages.

(By the way, just a reminder, our formal transfer agreements make it easy to transfer your credits from us to a state university or area private college once you graduate from us.)

Between 1996-2006, the gap in life expectancy at age 25 between those with less than a high school education and those with a Bachelor’s Degree or higher increased by 1.9 years for men and 2.8 years for women.

On average in 2006, 25-year-old men without a high school diploma had a life expectancy 9.3 years less than those with a Bachelor’s Degree or higher.  Women without a high school diploma had a life expectancy 8.6 years less than those with a Bachelor’s Degree or higher.

So, give us a call today at 1-888-336-3907 and increase your chances of higher incomes and better health.