The American Community Survey, results of which were released earlier this month, says one-quarter of Temple residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Eighty-five percent have a high-school diploma or equivalent certificate.
Statistics from the Department of Labor indicate Temple is typical when it comes to a large discrepancy in earnings among those with varying levels of educational achievement. The department’s figures for 2007 show someone with less than a high-school diploma making a national average of $428 per week, while a person with a bachelor’s degree made $987.
A Temple resident with a high-school diploma made about $23,000 in 2007, but a person with an associate’s degree made $30,000 and a person with a bachelor’s made $36,000.
Christopher B. Swanson, author of “Learning and Earning” published by Education Week, notes that, “With a generally strong economy, even in the 21st century a person with just a high-school diploma can probably find a job and manage to stay steadily employed. But chances are that he or she will be eking out a living rather than truly thriving.” Today’s national economy is in a recession. A broad range of indicators suggest that the Temple economy is running better than that.
The poverty rate for those living here without a high-school education was 20.8 percent in 2007, according to the ACS. The poverty rate for those with a bachelor’s degree was only 2.8 percent.
Carroll Wilson
