Educational Attainment and the Uintah Basin
Scott Smith, Regional Economist
The American Community Survey (ACS) is a statistical
survey administered by the U.S. Census Bureau.
It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of
the decennial
census, such as educational attainment, income and housing characteristics
by age and sex. Sent to 3.54 million addresses annually, it is the largest
survey (other than the decennial census) that the Census Bureau administers.
The ACS offers insights on how workers of varying educational
attainment are distributed and their compensation.
As a point of reference, on average, U.S. workers who
possess less than a high school diploma earn $19,954. High school graduates
earn $27,868. Workers who have earned an associate’s degree or attended college
earn $33,988. College graduates earn $50,515. Recipients of graduate degrees earn
$66,944.
Nationally, men make more than women. For example, women
earn between 32 and 34 percent less than males with equivalent educational
backgrounds. Some, but not all, of this difference can be explained by a significant
proportion of women who choose part-time employment.
The ACS also maps the composition of the labor force by
highest educational attainment. Nationally, roughly 12 percent of the 25-year-and-older
population has not graduated from high school. Almost 27 percent of the
population has a high school diploma while 31 percent has advanced to an associate’s
degree or has attended university. A little more than 30 percent has a bachelor’s
degree.
What follows is a comparison of the population of the
counties in the Uintah Basin against the national statistics.
Daggett County
On average, Daggett County residents who possess less than a
high school diploma earn $25,500. High school graduates earn $40,125 (this
number is suspect due to sampling error). Workers who earned an associate’s
degree or attended college earned $24,063. College graduates earn $21,500. Recipients
of graduate degrees make $91,250.
As a whole, Daggett County workers earn 72 percent of the
U.S. median. With respect to gender, women earn 49 percent of men’s wages,
while the analogous U.S. figure is 72 percent. It is interesting to note that women
in Daggett County without college degrees perform far worse than the national statistics
— earning 31 to 38 percent of their male counterparts’ income. Women with
bachelor’s degrees earn 247 percent of their male coworker’s income. (Again,
these statistics are highly suspect due to sampling error).
Daggett County workers with less than a high school
education earn 128 percent of the aggregate U.S. median. Men earn 111 percent
of the median for men, while the median for women is unreported. High school
graduates in the county earn 144 percent of the aggregate U.S. median. Men earn
144 percent of the U.S. median for men, while women earn only 60 percent of the
U.S median for women (again, sampling error dominates these statistics). Daggett
County residents who hold an associate’s degree or have attended college make 71
percent of the U.S. median. Men earn 102 percent of the U.S. median, while
women earn 33 percent of their respective statistic. College graduates in
Daggett County make 43 percent of the U.S. median. Men earn 34 percent of the U.S
median for men; in contrast, women earn 122 percent. Recipients of graduate
degrees earn 136 percent of the U.S. median. Statistics for gender are too
unreliable to report.
Daggett County’s labor demographics differ from the nation’s
because of educational attainment. At 32 percent, the county has a higher
proportion of residents whose highest level of education is high school. The
national figure is 27 percent. The county has less college graduates than the
nation as a whole — 12 percent of the population possess a bachelor’s degree or
higher. The national figure is 31 percent.
Duchesne County
Duchesne County residents who possess less than a high
school diploma earn on average $27,944. High school graduates earn $42,934.
Workers who possess an associate’s degree or attended college earn $40,527.
College graduates earn $44,278. Recipients of graduate degrees make $65,842.
Workers with less than college incomes earn far above the national medians.
This is a function of employment in the extractive industries.
In total, women in Duchesne County earn 36 percent of men’s
wages, while the analogous U.S. figure is 72 percent. It is interesting to note
that women without college degrees perform far worse than the national
statistics — earning 31 to 38 percent of their male counterparts’ income.
Recipients of bachelor’s degrees earn 59 percent of their male coworker’s
income.
As a whole, Duchesne County workers earn 119 percent of the
U.S. median. However, the effects of mining employment (a predominantly male
industry) are apparent in the statistics sorted by educational attainment and
sex. Workers with less than a high school education earn 140 percent of the
aggregate U.S. median. Men earn 177 percent of the U.S. median for men, while
women earn 87 percent of the U.S. median for women. High school graduates in
the county earn 154 percent of the aggregate U.S. median. Men earn 161 percent
of the U.S. median for men, while women earn only 91 percent of the U.S median for
women. Duchesne County residents who hold an associate’s degree or have
attended college make 119 percent of the U.S. median. Men earn 140 percent of
the U.S. median, while women earn 64 percent of their respective statistic.
College graduates in Duchesne County make 88 percent of the U.S. median. Men
earn 89 percent of the U.S median for men; in contrast, women earn 77 percent.
Recipients of graduate degrees earn 98 percent of the U.S. median. Men make 82
percent of the median, and women make 103 percent of the median for women with
graduate degrees.
Duchesne County’s labor demographics differ from the
nation’s because of educational attainment. The county has less college
graduates than the nation as a whole — 16 percent of the 25-year-and-older population
possess a bachelor’s degree or higher. The national figure is 31 percent.
Uintah County
On average, Uintah County residents who possess less than a
high school diploma earn $22,019. High school graduates earn $39,375. Workers
who have earned an associate’s degree or attended college earn $35,343. College
graduates earn $39,837. Recipients of professional/graduate degrees make $55,236.
Uintah County workers earn 102 percent of the U.S. median. In
total, women in Uintah County earn 34 percent of men’s wages, while the
analogous U.S. figure is 72 percent. Only women with graduate degrees approach or
exceed the national figure. Uintah County women with no high school diploma earn
29 percent, 29 percent for high school graduates and 37 percent for women with associate’s
degrees. Women with bachelor’s degrees earn 46 percent of their male counterparts’
income.
The effects of extractive industry employment are apparent
in the income by gender statistics. Uintah County workers with less than a high
school education earn 87 percent of the aggregate U.S. median. Men earn a 137
percent of the U.S. median for men, while women earn 60 percent of the U.S.
median for women. Uintah County high school graduates earn 141 percent of the
U.S. median for both sexes. Men earn 165 percent of the U.S. median for men,
while women earn only 72 percent of their respective median. Uintah County
residents who hold an associate’s degree or have attended college make 104 percent
of the U.S. median. Men earn 138 percent of the U.S. median for men, while
women earn 74 percent of the U.S. median for women. College graduates in Uintah
County make 79 percent of the U.S. median for both sexes. Men earn 84 percent,
while women earn 50 percent. Recipients of graduate degrees earn 83 percent of
the U.S. median. Men make 90 percent of the median for men, while women make 76
percent their respective median.
Uintah County residents differ from the national profile by
educational attainment. At 36 percent, the county has a higher proportion of
residents whose highest level of education is high school. Around 27 percent of the county’s residents
possess an associate’s degree. Conversely, only 17 percent of the county population
holds at least a bachelor’s degree. The analogous figure for the U.S. is 31
percent.
