College degrees still give Houstonians a major earnings edge

The share of Americans who say college is "very important" has plummeted over the past decade, new Gallup polling finds, yet U.S. Census Bureau income data shows higher education still boosts earnings for most in the Houston region.

Why it matters: While other pathways for success are becoming more appealing for Gen Z, a college degree still provides an edge in terms of lifetime earnings, Axios' Emily Peck writes.

The big picture: There are plenty of reasons for the decline in perceived value among Americans.

• School is expensive, student loan debt is often onerous, and job security for those with degrees has diminished — even more so with the advent of AI. Plus, new graduates are seeing higher unemployment rates.
• There's also growing interest and appeal for young adults in the skilled trades — becoming plumbers, electricians, etc. — especially as AI appears to threaten white collar work.

Zoom in: The median income for a Houston resident with a bachelor's degree ($71,832) is about 87% higher than the income for a Houstonian with a high school diploma ($38,425).

• Those with graduate degrees in Houston ($93,234) make more than three times that of those without a degree or high school diploma ($30,557).

Between the lines: Conservatives often criticize universities as "elitist" or "woke," but Gallup finds skepticism has grown in both parties.

• In 2013, 68% of Republicans and 83% of Democrats said college was "very important." This year, just 20% of Republicans and 42% of Democrats did, per Gallup.

The bottom line: "It feels bad right now to be a recent college graduate, but it doesn't necessarily feel better to be someone with a high-school diploma who's just going onto the labor market either," says Chris Martin, lead researcher on jobs site Glassdoor's economic research team.

• "While there may be declines in the returns to a college education, you're still better off."