The actual dollars earned by college graduates versus those with technical experience increases with the age of the worker, with gender being a factor.
The median salary for full-time male workers between the ages of 25 and 34 in 2008 with a bachelor's degree or higher was $55,000 in 2008, while the median pay for women in the same category and time period was $45,000.
The median salary of men between the ages of 25 and 34 without a degree in 2008 was $32,000, while women without a degree in the same age group and time period had a median pay of $25,000.
The difference between median income for those with a degree and those without is roughly $20,000, sorted by gender.
Like median income statistics, average income shows a disparity based on gender. However, level of education remains a large factor in the difference in pay.
In 2008, men between the ages of 25 and 34 without a college degree averaged $37,850 and women in the same category averaged $25,769.
Men between the ages of 25 and 34 with a bachelor's degree or higher averaged $84,914 in 2008 and women in the same category averaged $59,462.
The difference between average income for those with a degree and those without is roughly $50,000, sorted by gender.
It may seem that the disparity between the average pay scale of men and women with a college degree is tremendous. This is not necessarily true; there may be outliers in the male category that skew the results. Consequently, the median pay scale may be a better indicator of potential income in this case.
In 2008, men between the ages of 35 and 44 without a college degree averaged $45,331 and women in the same category averaged $30,438.
Men between the ages of 35 and 44 with a bachelor's degree or higher averaged $115,779 in 2008 and women in the same category averaged $78,477.
The difference between average income for men with a degree versus men without was roughly $70,000. The difference between women with a degree and women without in the same category over the same time period was almost $50,000. The gap between the pay for men and women with a degree compared to men and women without continues to broaden the longer they are in the workforce.