Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay
U.S. workers feel their jobs are secure and few are seeking a job change. But only half are highly satisfied with their job overall.
Richard Fry is a senior researcher at Pew Research Center. He is an expert on school and college enrollment in the United States, as well as the returns to education in the labor market and marriage market, and its connection to household economic well-being such as net worth. Fry’s analyses are largely empirical, as he has extensive expertise analyzing U.S. Census Bureau and other federal data collections. Before joining Pew Research Center in 2002, he was a senior economist at the Educational Testing Service. Fry received his doctorate in economics from the University of Michigan. Fry regularly documents U.S. educational and enrollment milestones, the economic well-being of the nation’s young adults, the role of student debt in financing college education, and the changing relationship between education and marriage and cohabitation.
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Among unmarried adults, women without children have as much wealth as single men
In 2022, single women without children had a median wealth of $87,200, while the typical single man had $82,100.
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5 facts about student loans
One-in-four U.S. adults under 40 have student loan debt. And how much borrowers owe on student loans varies widely by education level.
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Are you in the American middle class? Find out with our income calculator
About half of U.S. adults (52%) lived in middle-income households in 2022, according to our new analysis of government data.
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A growing share of U.S. husbands and wives are roughly the same age
On average, husbands and wives were 2.2 years apart in age in 2022, down from 2.4 years in 2000 and 4.9 years in 1880.
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Among young U.S. workers without a college degree, men and women hold very different types of jobs
Among the 10 largest occupations held by young adults without a college degree, large numbers are employed as retail salespersons and first-line supervisors of sales workers.
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Is College Worth It?
Americans have mixed views on the importance of having a degree. 47% say the cost is worth it only if someone doesn’t have to take out loans.
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Fewer young men are in college, especially at 4-year schools
College enrollment among young Americans has been declining over the past decade, and it’s mostly due to fewer young men pursuing degrees.
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Older Workers Are Growing in Number and Earning Higher Wages
Roughly one-in-five Americans ages 65 and older were employed in 2023 – nearly double the share of those who were working 35 years ago.
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Women have gained ground in the nation’s highest-paying occupations, but still lag behind men
Women now make up 35% of workers in the United States’ 10 highest-paying occupations – up from 13% in 1980.
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