1. WARNING!! Potentially misleading statistics ahead!
Correlation ≠ Causality

2. Expected Full-Time Lifetime Earnings Relative to High School Graduates, by Education Level
FIGURE 1.2
Page 12
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012, Table PINC-03; calculations by the authors.

3. Earnings of Top 10 Majors
Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce, 2011

4. Earnings of Bottom 10 Majors
Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce, 2011

5. Median Earnings for Social Science Majors
Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce, 2011

6. Estimated Cumulative Full-Time Earnings (in 2011 Dollars) Net of Loan Repayment for Tuition and Fees, by Education Level
FIGURE 1.3
Page 13
SOURCES: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012, Table PINC-03; Baum and Ma, 2012; calculations by the authors.

7. Unemployment Rates Among Individuals Ages 25 and Older, by Education Level, 1992–2012
Figure 1.9A
Page 19
SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2013b.

8. Work Satisfaction Rates Among Employed Individuals Ages 30 to 45, by Education Level, 1972–2012
FIGURE 1.10B
Page 21
Source: National Opinion Research Center, 2013.

9. Smoking Rates Among Individuals Ages 25 and Older, by Education Level, 1940–2012
FIGURE 1.16A
Page 27
SOURCES: de Walque, 2004; National Center for Health Statistics, 2002–2013; calculations by the authors.

10. Age-Adjusted Percentage Distribution of Leisure-Time Aerobic Activity Levels Among Individuals Ages 25 and Older, by Education Level, 2011
FIGURE 1.17B
Page 28
SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012, Table 29.

11. Understanding of Political Issues Among Individuals Ages 25 and Older, 2012
FIGURE 1.20A
Page 31
SOURCE: National Opinion Research Center, 2013, 2012 Experiment Topic Module.

12. Percentage of Individuals Ages 25 and Older Who Volunteered and the Median Number of Hours Volunteered, by Education Level, 2012
FIGURE 1.20B
Page 31
SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2013c, Tables 1 and 2.

13. Postsecondary Enrollment Rates of Recent High School Graduates by Family Income, 1987 to 2012
FIGURE 2.1
Page 34
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, 2013.

14. Percentage of High School Graduates Entering Four-Year Colleges, Graduating in STEM Fields, and Employed in STEM Fields
FIGURE 2.10 B
Page 43
SOURCE: Salzman, Kuehn, & Lowell, 2013, Figure A.