In 2014, the released a report on the (rising) cost of individuals between the ages of 25 and 32 who chose not to earn a college degree. The report’s findings were staggering. College graduates in 2014 were earning $45,500 a year compared to high school graduates at just $28,000 a year. While that $17,500 difference is substantial, the divide between these two types of employees continued to widen 24 months later.

According to a 2016 survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, college graduates earn over $459 per week more at their particular jobs than employees who hold only a high school diploma. In just a 12-month period, that is a difference in annual earnings of over $23,800. Within just five years, you will have earned nearly $120,000 above and beyond what you would have earned had you not obtained your college degree. There is a lot you could do with your life with more savings in your bank account.

Over a lifetime of working, a college graduate will have earned over $2.3 million compared to an employee with a high school diploma earning just $1.3 million throughout his/her professional career. That’s a $1 million difference because one worker chose to complete a 4-year college degree and one chose not to continue with his/her formal studies beyond high school. These findings from the 2014 Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce report on affirm the significant increase in lifetime prosperity and the economic security a college degree provides.

Even if your annual income was not your motivation for working in your chosen field, think of what you could do for others in your life and your community with that “extra” $1 million earned over your lifetime. The possibilities are endless.

Even if your annual income was not your motivation for working in your chosen field, think of what you could do for others in your life and your community with that “extra” $1 million earned over your lifetime. The possibilities are endless.

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The found that only 3.8 percent of college graduates between the ages of 25 and 32 were unemployed in 2013, compared to the staggering 12.2 percent of job seekers with just a high school diploma.

In 2013, the National Center for Policy Analysis published a that found 4.3 percent of senior citizens aged 65 and older who had a college degree were more likely to be employed than the same demographic of high school graduates.

The found that only 3.8 percent of college graduates between the ages of 25 and 32 were unemployed in 2013, compared to the staggering 12.2 percent of job seekers with just a high school diploma.

From a , 2.8 percent of college graduates were unemployed in 2015 compared to 5.4 percent of unemployed high school graduates that same year.

Further, the revealed 11.5 million jobs were offered to candidates who had completed at least some college courses compared to the 80,000 positions that were offered to job seekers with a high school diploma or less after the most recent recession.

While a college degree, of course, cannot guarantee your employment status throughout your career, it can help you be a more viable candidate and have a greater chance of securing employment – even beyond the age of 65 – than had you not continued with your studies after high school.

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More High School Graduates Smoke than College Graduates

It’s no secret that smoking is bad for your health; in fact, a warning label is printed on every cigarette pack to remind you. According to the , only eight percent of male college graduates (still) smoke compared to 28 percent of male smokers who only have a high school diploma. The report released in 2016 also shared that six percent of female college graduates smoke, while nearly four times that amount (almost 24 percent) of females who are only high school graduates are smokers today.

High School Graduates are More Sedentary on a Weekly Basis than College Graduates

86 percent of college graduates between the ages of 25 and 34 are committed to regular weekly exercise compared to 66 percent of high school graduates in the same age group.  72 percent of senior citizens aged 65 and older who have college degrees still engage in routine weekly exercises over their counterparts with just a high school diploma. According to a report published in 2016 by , only 49 percent of individuals who are 65 and older and who do not have a college degree participate in a formal weekly exercise. Whether it’s the college environment with all its fitness facilities and opportunities to participate in physical activities and sports, or it’s the completion of formal classes that explain, promote, and encourage a healthy lifestyle, more college graduates understand and embrace the lifelong benefits of making exercise a part of their regular weekly routine.

High School Graduates are More Likely to Have Obese Children than College Graduates

Of all the results of a report by in 2016, perhaps the most disturbing and motivating one is the fact that parents with just a high school diploma have a higher percentage of children suffering from obesity than the children of college graduate parents. The study found that nine percent of girls between the ages of 2 and 19 with parents who graduated from college were obese, compared to the 24 percent of obese girls with parents who did not pursue formal studies beyond high school. For the boys, 11 percent were obese who had parents that graduated from college compared to 20 percent of the boys who were obese and had parents with high school diplomas.

Despite hectic schedules, more individuals – in particular, college graduates — are becoming mindful of the food they choose and the lifestyles they commit to for both themselves and the loved ones in their lives.

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Increased Tax Contributions Over a Year

In 2016, according to , college graduates contributed 91 percent more to tax revenues than employees with only a high school diploma. This significant difference in just one-year’s contributions demonstrates how a college degree adds value to not only the college graduate and his/her family, but also their neighborhood, their city, their state, and our government. In turn, those tax dollars are used to fund unique programs that enhance, support, and improve the lives of others, our physical environment, and future generations.

Increased Tax Revenues Over a Lifetime

According to a report published in 2015 by the , the tax contributions from college-educated individuals is nearly three times the amount of what high school graduates contribute. The study found that, over a lifetime, college graduates contribute nearly $330,000 in tax contributions compared to around $136,000 high school graduates contribute. Higher paying positions are synonymous with advanced formal schooling beyond the high school diploma; those higher incomes then lead to increased tax revenues that support local, state, and federal governments.

Increased Charitable Donations Over a Year

The further found that college graduates go beyond what they are required to contribute to their world via their taxes by making the purposeful decision to contribute also to charities. In 2012, for example, college graduates, on average, each donated $1,304 to charities while high school graduates that same year donated $385 each. Of course, it is harder to donate, tithe, and generously give money to others when it’s barely enough for yourself. Since college graduate employees earn more than employees with no formal education beyond their high school diploma, it just naturally makes it more viable to be able to share a portion of those extra dollars with local, national, and international charities.

Communities that attract higher-income-earning college graduates are those neighborhoods with better public school systems for their children or the children of their neighbors. Homebuyers who move into these neighborhoods value education – their own and the education of future generations. The countless benefits of investing in yourself and choosing to earn a college degree – even one class at a time — are truly profound and life-enhancing for you, your family, your community, and our world.

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