Linking Education to Employment
The Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) Program, a part of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Center for Economic Studies, provides public information on employers and employees. As part of that program, the Postsecondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) data provide earnings and employment outcomes for college graduates by degree level, major, and institution.
The PSEO Coalition collaborates with LEHD at the U.S. Census to link postsecondary education data with national unemployment insurance wage data.
The Inputs
PSEO Coalition members submit comprehensive graduation data to the U.S. Census Bureau on every student who earns a degree or credential, including:
- Date of birth
- Graduation year
- Social security number
- Degree, credential, or certification earned
- Major or discipline
The U.S. Census Bureau separately collects Quarterly Workforce Indicators and Unemployment Insurance.
The Outputs
The U.S. Census Bureau compares and combines the datasets to identify postsecondary earnings levels. The combined datasets provide direct links between what students study, where they study, when they graduate or earn their certification, and what the earnings have been of graduates of the same programs.
Trends are sortable and searchable within the PSEO Explorer tool, including:
- Earnings 1, 5, and 10 years post-graduation
- Earnings levels for the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile
- Type of industry of employment 1, 5, and 10 years post-graduation
- Geographic locations where graduates work
Student information is completely anonymous. Student privacy is rigorously protected by removing all identifying information and instead applying a unique identifier.
Curious to dive deeper into how our data shapes insights? Learn about the robust methodologies and safeguards that make our outcomes valuable and secure.
