It has become cliched to describe the global economy and an information economy, but it does not make their existence any less real. Americans are now competing in many industries with their contemporaries around the world. "Ninety percent of the fastest-growing jobs in the new knowledge-driven economy will require some postsecondary education. Already, the median earnings of a U.S worker with only a high-school diploma are 37% less than those of a worker with a bachelor's degree. Colleges and universities must continue to be the major route for new generations of Americans to achieve social mobility." (2).

This disparity between the incomes of high school graduates and college graduates is well know and documented.

• "For every dollar earned by a college graduate, someone leaving before obtaining a four-year degree earns only 67 cents." (6)
• The Census Bureau website shows that high school graduates aged 21-64 have a median income of $27,351. College graduates in the same age range have a median income of $42,877.
• "High school dropouts earned an average of $19,169 and those with advanced college degrees made an average of $78,093" (7)

A conglomerate of New Hampshire nonprofits, the NHHEAF Network, has a Value of College Calculator which allows you to determine the present value of a college education, based on your particular college's costs along with other assumptions.

On a more national perspective, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has noted that differences in education levels are strongly related to the growing income gap between the rich and poor. Mr. Bernanke described disparities in education and training as "likely the single greatest source of the long-term increase in [economic] inequality." (8)