Definition
A cross-tabulation showing the highest level of educational attainment for individuals aged 25+, categorized by their household or personal income levels.
Why It Matters
Directly quantifies the economic benefits of education. It illustrates the strong positive correlation between higher educational attainment and higher income, highlighting economic mobility pathways and disparities.
Specific Relevance for Professionals:
Marketers
Enables highly targeted marketing based on both educational background and purchasing power. For example, promoting luxury goods to high-income graduate degree holders or financial literacy products to lower-income high school graduates.
Researchers
Fundamental for studying economic returns to education, income inequality, and the role of education in socio-economic mobility. It provides robust data for analyzing educational disparities and their economic impacts.
Consultants
Crucial for market sizing and assessing the economic viability of specific market segments based on the intersection of education and income for clients. It informs strategies for targeting consumers at various income-education tiers.
Public Policy Workers
Paramount for informing education funding policies, financial aid programs, and strategies to improve economic outcomes through educational investments. It helps identify segments where educational attainment is not translating into expected income, prompting policy review.