The U.S. Census Bureau’s Center for Economic Studies has the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) program which provides public information on employers and employees. As part of that program, the Postsecondary Employment Outcomes 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 higher education data with national unemployment insurance wages.

The Inputs

The 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. This highlights direct links between what
students study, where they study, when they graduate or earn their certification — and what they’re projected to earn over the next decade.

Trends are sortable and searchable within the PSEO Explorer, including:

  • Earnings 1, 5, and 10 years post-graduation
  • Earnings levels for the 25th, 50th, and
    75th percentile
  • Type of industry of employment post-graduation
  • Geographic locations where students work
    post-graduation

Student information is completely anonymous.
Student privacy is rigorously protected by removing all identifying information and instead applying a unique identifier.