Each estimate of median earnings below restricts the American Community Survey (ACS) sample to adults aged 25–34 whose highest education is a high school diploma or equivalent and who are not enrolled in school, but they vary on five other key dimensions, as detailed in the table.
Key: Shaded cells differ from the correct methodology.
Data release | Who is included as “working” | Earnings counted | Inflation adjustment(constant dollars) | Data source | ACS survey years | National high school earnings threshold | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
As published | In real 2024 $ | ||||||
| Correct Methodology | Positive earnings | Wages, salary, and self-employment income | Reference period and survey year (2024) | PUMS or IPUMS | 2019–23 five-year ACS | $35,442 | $35,442 |
| FAFSA lower-earnings indicatorDecember 7, 2025 | Positive earnings + employed at survey (differs from the correct methodology) | Wages and salary only (differs from the correct methodology) | Survey year only(June 2025) (differs from the correct methodology) | PUMS or IPUMS | 2015–19 and 2016–20 five-year ACS; file medians averaged | $35,490 | $34,514 |
| Program Performance DataDecember 2025 | Positive earnings + employed at survey (differs from the correct methodology) | Wages, salary, and self-employment income | Survey year only (2024) (differs from the correct methodology) | Erroneous IPUMS (differs from the correct methodology) | 2019–23 five-year ACS | $34,808 | $34,760 |
| FAFSA lower-earnings indicatorMarch 23, 2026 | Positive earnings | Wages, salary, and self-employment income | Survey year only(January 2026) (differs from the correct methodology) | Erroneous IPUMS (differs from the correct methodology) | 2019–23 five-year ACS | $34,635 | $32,797 |
| College ScorecardMarch 23, 2026 | Positive earnings | Wages, salary, and self-employment income | Survey year only (2024) (differs from the correct methodology) | Erroneous IPUMS (differs from the correct methodology) | 2019–23 five-year ACS | $32,842 | $32,797 |
| College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 | Positive earnings + employed at survey (differs from the correct methodology) | Wages, salary, and self-employment income | Survey year only (2024) (differs from the correct methodology) | IPUMS | 2019–23 five-year ACS | $36,082 | $36,032 |
| College ScorecardOctober 15, 2026 | Positive earnings | Wages, salary, and self-employment income | Reference period and survey year (2024) | PUMS | 2020–24 five-year ACS | $35,678 | $35,678 |
Notes: The first row’s threshold is PEER Center’s calculation using the correct methodology. “Erroneous IPUMS” means the 2019–23 IPUMS file posted before the incorrect inflation adjustment was corrected on March 18, 2026. The Program Performance Data are labeled December 2025, though ED replaced that file with an updated one on January 2, 2026. The last two columns differ even for values originally reported in real $2024 since ED applied an inflation adjustment based on the CPI for particular months, while we use annual CPI values for the adjustment.
Source: ED and Federal Student Aid releases and documentation, including the Program Performance Data technical appendix; 91 FR 40136 (July 1, 2026); Census Bureau ACS PUMS 5-year files; IPUMS USA; PEER Center calculations. Sources for the methods and dates: Scorecard’s change log, FSA’s indicator announcement, ED’s rule (footnote 58), Census’s PUMS user guide, IPUMS’s documentation and March 18, 2026 revision, and December’s workbook definitions, the March FAFSA workbook, and the Program Performance Data earnings definition. Methods not stated in these sources were inferred by testing alternative choices to reproduce the U.S. Department of Education’s published values.