Career Technical Education (CTE) programs are enjoying a surge in popularity across the nation and in Virginia, where then-candidate Abigail Spanberger made strengthening CTE a cornerstone of her successful run for the Governor’s Mansion. A promise she has leaned into her first year in office.
Simultaneously, parents and students alike are beginning to question the value of post-high-school education when the demand for skilled labor is surging.
Against this backdrop the Bureau of Labor Statistics released on Tuesday a study titled “Education Pays, 2025.”
Analyzing data from the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly survey that collects information about the labor force, including demographic information such as age, sex, and other characteristics, BLS shows that in 2025 advanced education carries with it a hefty financial benefit.
Earning an associate’s degree leads, on average, to an additional $169 per week in income over individuals with a high school diploma. Associate’s degree holders also have an unemployment rate 1.3 percent points lower than high school graduates.
The differences become more pronounced the higher one climbs the education ladder.
Individuals with a master’s degree earn on average nearly $300 more per week than people with a bachelor’s degree, and their unemployment rate is 0.2 percentage points lower.
Coming Soon from BLS
On September 15, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will be publishing findings of three reports estimating income, poverty and health insurance coverage in the United States.
The reports — Income in the United States: 2025, Poverty in the United States: 2025, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2025 — provide national statistics from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC).
The Virginia Free Press will cover that press conference and release.
