Short stories built from the public data on MajorPays. Each one shows a chart, says what stands out, and explains what the numbers do not say. They are information, not advice, and nothing here ranks schools or places.
- Inside a major, graduates differ more than majors do
Median earnings hide how widely graduates of the same major differ: a look at six bachelor's fields and the middle half of their graduates. - Most colleges admit most of their applicants
A look at acceptance rates across more than 1,700 colleges: the median is about three in four, and very selective colleges are a small minority. - Earnings keep growing between year six and year ten
College Scorecard follows students for ten years after they enter: median earnings rise by roughly 15 to 19 percent between year six and year ten. - Across U.S. counties, housing costs vary more than pay
County data shows housing costs, especially home values, vary more across the country than what workers earn. - For many jobs, a license is either rare or nearly universal
Government survey data shows that for nearly half of occupations a license is either rare or nearly universal, and for the rest it depends. - In every state, more education goes with less poverty
Poverty falls at each step up in education in every state, and the gap is larger than the differences between states. - Most first-year students start close to home
Residence data shows public colleges draw most of their first-year students from their own state, and private colleges draw from farther away. - Union membership ranges widely across kinds of work
About one in ten workers belongs to a union, but the rate runs from about 2 percent to about a third across major occupation groups. - The typical community college student is not who people picture
At the typical community college, about half of students attend part time, a quarter are 25 or older, and nearly half are first in their family to attend.
Updated October 21, 2026. See methodology and editorial standards.