Skill Durability Trade Vs 4 Year Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Data and analysis for skill durability trade vs 4 year degrees
Key Facts
- Data analysis based on College Scorecard 2024 data.
Download the data
Downloads reflect the processed dataset used to generate this page’s charts and tables.
FAQ
What does the Skill Durability Trade Vs 4 Year Degrees (2026 stats) dataset measure?
It summarizes the metrics shown on this page (charts and tables) using the sources listed in the Data Sources section, with national aggregates and breakdowns where available.
What is the primary data source?
College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education). Some pages also incorporate Census ACS context where noted.
How often is this page updated?
Pages update when the underlying processed datasets are refreshed and the HTML is regenerated; the Last updated date reflects the most recent build.
Analysis & insights
The charts summarize skill durability trade vs 4 year degrees (2026 stats) from EDsmart files and the cited sources; they describe historical records, not future outcomes. National aggregates flatten real variation—Ohio, Georgia, and Washington can look like different worlds. Skewed distributions split the median and the mean into different stories. Program, year, and campus still matter more than any single national line.
STEM and technology wages vary sharply by role, metro, and degree level. Health occupations face licensing barriers that many tech roles skip—same broad label, different labor market. AI exposure scores describe which tasks look automatable; they do not measure job quality or working conditions. Seattle, Austin, and Boston appear often because employers cluster there, not because outcomes are uniform. Bureau of Labor Statistics detail and program accreditation add what these charts abbreviate.
Data Sources
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and enrollment data
- Data year: 2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Census ACS - U.S. Census Bureau
- Demographic and workforce data
- Data year: 2023
- Source: census.gov