Education

The 2001 Census clearly showed that the chances of making it to the top earnings levels are most directly associated with educational attainment, and particularly with a university degree.

In 2000, more than 60% of earners in the lowest earnings category (less than $20,000) had no more than a high school education. However, more than 60% of earners in the top category ($100,000 or more) had a university degree.

Among men who were working on a full-year, full-time basis in 2000, those without a university degree had average earnings of less than $50,000. In contrast, earnings for men with a university degree have been above this level in each census since 1980, and surpassed $70,000 on average for the first time in 2000. Their earnings rose 7.7% to almost $72,000.

University degree holders were the only group of men to earn significantly more than they did two decades earlier. Earnings for college graduates rose only 2% to $49,231. Those with a college diploma were making only $342 more on average than in 1980.

In contrast, women experienced increases in earnings across all educational levels. Changes were most notable for university-educated women who were the only women during the past two decades to have earnings higher than $40,000 on average.

Female university graduates who worked full time for a full year earned $48,260 in 2000, up 9.3% from 1980. This was the largest increase in earnings recorded for all education groups for both genders. From 1980 to 2000, earnings for women with less than a high school education rose 4.1% to $36,193.