Answer: $20.37 or about $42,000 per year

Questions:

• What has been the trend in hourly wages over the past 6 years? 
• How much do you think hourly wages vary for young college graduates? What might influence these differences in wages?
•  Your friend says that wages for young college grads are a sure thing and will always increase in the future. Agree or disagree with your friend by analyzing the data from the past 30 years.  

Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

Beyond the numbers (Marketplace.org):

The adjusted average hourly wage for young college graduates with bachelor's degrees, ages 21 to 24, stood at $20.37 this February, the most recent data available from the Economic Policy Institute. 

Back in 2007, it was $19.26 — just below the $19.38 rate it was in December 2000. The Great Recession ended up compounding the country's lackluster wage growth. After it hit, "young college graduates experienced the loss in wages felt throughout the economy," EPI says. 

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Wonder how career earnings vary by college major? Check out this interactive from the NGPF Interactive Library! 

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.