The financial advisory website SmartAsset analyzed 2021 Census Bureau data across 281 metro areas with at least 100,000 people aged 25 or older. It determined the difference in median income between those with a graduate or professional degree and those with a bachelor’s degree.
These 20 metro areas have the highest gap between a bachelor’s-educated salary and a master’s-educated one, according to the analysis:
1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. — $48,067 income difference
2. Huntsville, Ala. — $36,139
3. Trenton-Princeton, N.J. — $35,646
4. St. George, Utah — $33,691
5. Merced. Calif. — $32,731
6. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, Calif. — $31,449
7. Provo-Orem, Utah — $30,782
8. Visalia, Calif. — $30,023
9. Salinas, Calif. — $29,056
10. Fresno, Calif. — $28,853
11. East Stroudsburg, Pa. — $28,517
12. Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, Fla. — $28,042
13. Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Fla. — $28,026
14. Santa Fe, N.M. — $27,797
15. Modesto, Calif. — $26,866
16. Yakima, Wash. — $26,852
17. Ogden-Clearfield, Utah — $26,545
18. Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, Iowa/Ill. — $26,449
19. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash. — $25,893
20. Charlottesville, Va. — $25,799
View the full list here.
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