Statistics Regarding Catholic University Class of 2013 Released

By Duane Paul Murphy

A new study highlights a correlation between higher education and family household income. The study was conducted by Stanford University’s Equality of Opportunity Project.
The Upshot, a New York Times website which generates analysis and data about politics, policy, economics, and social issues, published the study in January of 2017 about the correlations between higher education and familial income. The study particularly focused on institutions that have more students that come from families in the top 1 percent of economic earnings than students who come from families in the bottom 60 percent which consists of the low income households.
The research was based on millions of anonymous tax records and school tuition records. The research is also based on information from the class of 2013. The findings show that at the Catholic University of America the yearly median family income of an average student is $161,800. In comparison to the national household yearly median income is about $56,516 based on 2015 data and research from the United States Census Bureau.
The Upshot’s study also showed that 72% of Catholic University students come from the top 20% of the average income percentile, 32% come from the top 5%, 7% come from the top 1%, less that 1% come from the top 0.1%. Compared to the 1.3% that come from the bottom 20% of yearly median family income.
The study also stated that less than 1% of students at the Catholic University of America came from a poor or low-income earning family later become a rich or higher-income earner. The median single income at age 34 for Catholic University graduates is about $57,000. For men it is approximately $66,000; for women it is about $49,700.
Compared to other universities in the Greater Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area, Catholic University is not alone when it comes to correlations between education and income inequalities. At George Washington University the yearly median family income of a undergraduate is more that $182,000 and 70% of the students come from the top 20% of the average income percentiles. About 2.2% of students at George Washington University who come from low-income families will have higher incomes as adults. Tuition at George Washington University for next academic 2017/2018 academic school year is set at $53,435. Catholic University’s tuition for the next academic year is set at about $43,300.

Many undergraduate students from various backgrounds on Catholic University’s campus had strong reactions to the data analysis and research provided by the publication’s study.

“This article was intriguing and coherent,” said sophomore architecture major Nevin Martin, who is the son of a naval officer. “It was intriguing and considerable to recognize a probable pattern of segregating privileges. The article identifies a coherent idea: individuals of wealthy backgrounds enter wealthy schools allowing them wealthy outcomes like creating wealthy families, continuing the privilege fueled cycle of economic segregation.”

“Honestly, this is not surprising,” said sophomore politics major Katie Hodgdon, who says that her family household would not be in the top half at Catholic University. “However, it is good to see that our investment ends up working out for us, where we are able to get well-paying jobs and possibly move up economically.”