Education, Employment, and Earnings Expectations of Ninth-Graders

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In 2016, a majority of the cohort of 2009 ninth-grade students expected to complete at least a bachelor’s degree. Overall, the cohort’s median expected earnings were $60,000 a year by the time they reach age 30. Approximately 96 percent of cohort members rated job security as equal to or more important than salary. A new Statistics in Brief, Education, Employment, and Earnings: Expectations of 2009 Ninth-Graders in 2016, examines the responses of cohort members in 2016 when most were typically 21 or 22 years old. They were asked about the highest level of education they expect to complete, the job they expect to have at age 30, the average earnings they expect to make at age 30, and the relative importance of various job characteristics when compared to salary. The findings include the following: Some 60 percent of 2009 ninth-graders in 2016 expected to earn a bachelor’s degree or higher. The most common industries for planned jobs were healthcare (16 percent), business and management (11 percent), and STEM (8 percent). Overall, the median expected yearly earnings at age 30 was $60,000. The median expected yearly earnings varied by planned jobs: those who planned to work in a STEM career field expected to make $75,000 annually at age 30, and those who planned to work in the service industry expected to make $40,000 annually. When considering different aspects of a job, approximately half of 2009 ninth-graders in 2016 rated job security, contributing to society, and working with a team equal to salary. The two job aspects with the greatest percentages of cohort members considering them more important than salary were job security (44 percent) and balancing work and personal life (39 percent). This report draws on data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS: 09) Second Follow-Up, conducted in 2016.