Advanced education is now the most important
determinant of a person's ability to earn enough to
support a family. From now on, as the saying goes,
'What you earn depends on what you've learned.'
Public Perceptions in Remarkable Times:
Tracking Change Through 24 Years of Houston Surveys
Dr. Stephen L. Klineberg, Rice University

Houston Needs an Educated Workforce.

  • Most jobs created in the future will require some college education. Business and community leaders have sounded the alarm that our city cannot compete if we cannot produce a more educated workforce.
  • Cities with low rates of higher education have higher poverty rates and lower average standards of living.
  • People with a 2-year degree earn $500,000 more over their lifetime than those with only a high school diploma.
  • Increasing levels of higher education results in a stronger local tax base, less crime, lower costs for social programs, and a better quality of life for everybody.

Return to Why Opportunity 14