Certificates have become the fastest-growing postsecondary credential in the U.S., increasing from 6% of awards in 1980 to 22% today. Certificates provide affordable and short-term training options that often lead to high-paying jobs and allow 20% of recipients to continue their education. While certificates are common in fields like healthcare and IT, the highest earnings are seen in those who work in high-demand certificate fields and regions like the South and West.

1. Certificates:
Gateway to Gainful Employment and College Degrees
Anthony P. Carnevale, Stephen J. Rose, and Andrew R. Hanson
June 5, 2012

2. Overview
• Certificates are the fastest-growing postsecondary
credential in the U.S., increasing from six percent of
postsecondary awards in 1980 to 22 percent of awards
today.
• Certificates have grown because they are affordable,
usually take less than a year to complete, and often
yield high returns in the job market.
• Certificates have become a stepping stone to college
degrees.Twenty percent of certificate holders go on to
get two-year degrees, and an additional 13 percent
ultimately get a Bachelor’s degrees.

3. Certificates can outperform two-year
and four-year degrees
• Male certificate holders earn more than 40 percent of
men with Associate’s degrees and 24 percent of men
with Bachelor’s degrees.
• Female certificate holders earn more than 34 percent
of the women with Associate’s degrees and 24 percent
of women with Bachelor’s degrees.

4. A certificate’s value is tied to being in
the right field and working in that field
• On average, certificate holders who work in field earn
37 percent more than those who work out of field.
• The highest earners are those who work in field and
in high-demand careers.

5. On average, certificate holders earn roughly the same as
workers with some college, but no degree
Source: Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP).

6. Certificate-holders commonly work in allied
health, office support, blue-collar, and
cosmetology career fields
• Blue-collar, office support, and IT certificates yield
the highest returns in the labor market.

7. Short-term certificates do not guarantee low pay, while
medium-term certificates do not guarantee high or
average pay
Source: Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) and Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.

8. Certificates provide more bang for the
buck for men than women
• Men who earn certificates earn 27 percent more than
high school-educated men.
• Women with a certificate, by comparison, only
command a 16 percent earnings premium over
women with a high school diploma.

9. Certificates provide higher economic
payoff for those with less educational
preparation
• Students who enroll in certificate programs and have
lower standardized test scores receive similar wages as
workers with some college but no degree.

10. Certificates are more common in the
southern and western U.S.
• Growth of certificates is strongest in the South and
West. Kentucky, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, and
Florida produce the most certificates among states
per population.
• In Oklahoma, 18 percent of workers have certificates
as their highest level of education; in Nebraska, only 6
percent.

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