College degrees still pay off in San Diego
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.


While polling shows fewer Americans believe college is "very important," income data shows college graduates have a clear financial edge in San Diego.
Why it matters: Getting a degree is becoming more costly and doesn't guarantee job security, but it still significantly boosts someone's lifetime earnings.
By the numbers: Local college graduates make nearly twice as much as high-school graduates, according to recent Census data.
- The median income for someone with a bachelor's degree was about $82,000 last year, compared to $41,400 for a high-school grad.
- That jumps to $108,000 with a graduate or professional degree.
The big picture: There are plenty of reasons for the decline in perceived value among Americans, Axios' Emily Peck writes.
- School is expensive, student loan debt is often onerous and job security for those with degrees has diminished. 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.
What they're saying: "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."
