New data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau provided renewed evidence of the economic benefits that accrue to people with college degrees. According to tables published in a report, “Educational Attainment in the United States: 2005,” people with bachelor’s degrees earn, on average, $51,554, while people with only a high-school diploma earn an average of $28,645. People who did not graduate from high school earn $9,000 less than that, on average.

The report’s 14 tables describe the educational attainment of Americans by characteristics such as their age, sex, race, marital status, occupation, place of birth, and current place of residence.