A line chart showing the earnings premium of college graduates annually from 1980 to 2025. The premium is defined as the percentage that the wages of college grads exceed those of equivalent high school grads. For all workers, the premium rose from 31% in 1980 to a peak of 64% in 2016, before falling to 55% in 2025. For workers ages 22 to 27, it rose from 17% in 1980 to a peak of 51% in 2020, before falling to 40% in 2025.