Workforce Preparation and Employment Outcomes

Workforce Preparation and Employment Outcomes

Average Quarterly Earnings: Kentucky

Mean quarterly wages through the third quarter of 2008 for Kentucky Community and Technical College System students who enrolled between 2002 and 2004

What Is Measured?

Mean quarterly earnings through the third quarter of 2008

Who Is Counted?

Students who enrolled in the Kentucky Community and Technical College System between the 2002-03 and 2003-04 academic years.

What It Tells Us

Male students who enrolled in the Kentucky Community and Technical College System between 2002-03 and 2003-04 had higher mean quarterly earnings ($8,300) than their female counterparts ($5,000).

Why It's Important

Many students enroll in community colleges to gain new skills so that they can improve their employment prospects. Numerous studies have found that median earnings for individuals with associate degrees are higher than median earnings for high school graduates. Even individuals who attend community college but do not complete a degree have higher earnings than those whose education stops at high school. Fewer studies have examined vocational certificates at the national level, but their results are consistent with the research on associate degrees, with certificate recipients showing a substantial advantage in earnings.

About the Data
Data exclude students who attended while in correctional institutions, were younger than 17 years old or older than 60 years old at enrollment, and those who transferred to a four-year school. Data come from Kentucky's Unemployment Insurance wage records, and include data from the first quarter of 2000 through the third quarter of 2008. Earnings are given in 2008 dollars and cover the entire period between 2000 and 2008.
Data Source

Jepsen, C., Troske, K., & Coomes, P. (2009). The labor-market returns to community college degrees, diplomas, and certificates. University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series. Lexington, KY: University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research.