The Sacramento Bee reports new Census figures illustrate the economic importance of going to college:

The statewide unemployment rate for those with just a high school diploma was 12.2 percent during 2009, compared with 6 percent for those with a bachelor’s degree, census figures show.

It’s particularly important in Sacramento, the article says:

The median earnings of local residents without a high school diploma fell to $18,394 during 2009, an 11 percent drop from 2008, new census figures show. High school dropouts made 65 cents for each dollar earned by graduates, a decline of 3 cents from the previous year.

And those with only a high school diploma earned just 54 cents for each dollar earned by those with a bachelor’s degree, down 5 cents from the prior year.

A college graduate in Sacramento now generally earns as much in four months as a high school dropout earns in a year.

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