Is college worth it? It depends on how far you go
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While polling shows fewer and fewer Americans believe college is very important, income data shows a degree makes a big difference in most Utah cities.
Why it matters: In Utah, the most financially valuable step in educational attainment is a graduate or professional degree — which isn't the case in most of the country, where a bachelor's degree correlates with bigger income gains.
By the numbers: Utahns with advanced degrees earned a median $91,000 in 2024, almost 40% more than the median for those with bachelor's degrees, according to census data released this fall.
- Only New Mexico saw a bigger income advantage for the top scholars.
Zoom out: Nationally, the biggest earnings jump was between Americans with some college or associates degrees (about $48,000) and those with bachelor's degrees, who earned a median $70,000 — almost 47% more.
- By contrast, a bachelor's degree in Utah means median earnings 31% over "some college."
Between the lines: The bang for your education buck varies a lot depending on where in Utah you live.
- In Ogden, for example, the median earnings for those with bachelor's degrees was 54% higher than those with high school diplomas. Provo and SLC weren't far behind.
- But in St. George, college grads earned just 13% more than those who ended their studies with high school; in Logan, the median earnings gain was 26%.
- Meanwhile, the advantage of a graduate or professional degree was much higher in St. George and Logan, with a wage gain of more than 60% over those who stopped with a bachelor's. In SLC, the highest degree holders earned 34% more than those with 4-year degrees.
Stunning stat: In Utah, as with the rest of the country, associate's degrees or "some college" correlated with the smallest gains of all four steps in educational attainment.
- In Logan and St. George, median earnings were lower for those with postsecondary schooling short of a bachelor's degree than for those with just a high school diploma. In St. George, even high school dropouts were out-earning those with "some college."
The fine print: Vocational or technical training is not counted as "regular education," so this data doesn't speak to Utah policymakers' growing emphasis on technical education as a solution to college affordability.
- Whether you're a hairdresser working your way toward a law degree or a Ph.D. who took up plumbing (see: my college trumpet professor), your income gets lumped in with your "Pomp and Circumstance" tally.