Utah College Grads Out-Earn High School Peers
Utah college credential holders typically earn double what high school graduates make, according to new HEA Group data.
Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Financial Aid
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Alums of Utah's college programs typically earn $74,202 four years after finishing, compared with $37,112 for high school graduates in the state. The HEA Group analysis places Utah second nationally in the median earnings gap between college credential earners and high school diploma earners.
Why it matters
The data arrives as the U.S. Department of Education ties federal loan eligibility to graduate earnings under a new accountability framework. For Utah families weighing whether a certificate or degree pays off, the earnings gap offers a concrete benchmark.
Bachelor's degree graduates in Utah's computer/information technology administration, business administration, and health and medical administrative services program typically earned $127,178 four years after graduating. The figures cover only students who completed credentials in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
The players
HEA Group
HEA Group is a higher education analytics firm that produced the state-by-state earnings comparison using federal College Scorecard data.
U.S. Department of Education
The U.S. Department of Education oversees federal student aid and maintains the College Scorecard database that supplied the earnings figures.
The details
The HEA Group measured the high school benchmark as each state's median earnings for high school graduates aged 25-34 who never attended college. The analysis drew on the Department of Education's College Scorecard and identified the most profitable higher education programs by earnings.
Timeline
Students in the dataset completed their credentials in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
In June 2025, the Department of Education announced its post-secondary accountability framework.
Earnings data was released November 1, 2026.
Roadmap
The HEA data lands as the Department of Education's accountability framework makes graduate earnings a condition of federal loan eligibility. Utah's earnings premium sits just behind Delaware's, which signals how much state-level earnings outcomes may shape future federal student aid decisions.
Utah families comparing a certificate, associate's degree, or bachelor's degree can use four-year earnings data to weigh program costs. Students considering a specific program can check its median earnings before committing to federal loans.
The takeaway
Earnings after graduation are becoming a central measure of college value, so reviewing program-level outcomes before borrowing can clarify expected returns. Utah's data shows the financial gap between credentials and a high school diploma is wide, but results vary by field of study.
Further reading
Explore how loan eligibility rules affect families in the Utah Financial Aid section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KSL.
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