Abstract
This article provides one of the first rigorous estimations of the labor-market returns to community college certificates and diplomas, as well as estimations of the returns to the more commonly studied associate's degrees. Using administrative data from Kentucky, we estimate panel-data models that control for differences among students in precollege earnings and educational aspirations. Associate's degrees and diplomas have quarterly earnings returns of nearly $2,400 for women and $1,500 for men, compared with much smaller returns for certificates. There is substantial heterogeneity in returns across fields of study. Degrees, diplomas, and-for women-certificates correspond with higher levels of employment.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 95-121 |
Number of pages | 27 |
Journal | Journal of Labor Economics |
Volume | 32 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2014 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Industrial relations
- Economics and Econometrics