The Economic Value of Education by Race and Ethnicity

Using data from the U.S. Census and the National Longitudinal Surveys, the authors find little evidence of differences in the economic value of education across racial and ethnic groups, even with attempts to control for ability and measurement error biases. As a result, they argue, policies that increase education among the low-skilled, who are disproportionately African American and Hispanic, have a good possibility of increasing their economic well-being and reducing inequality