  urlLink The Economic Outcomes of Community College Attendance. ERIC Digest. This ERIC Digest is by Alyssa Bryant. It examines the money befefits that community college attendees often experience. From the ERIC Digest: Relative to high school graduates, those who attain associate degrees or complete some college (at least 30 units) earn more money (Grubb, 1999).
Overall, high school graduates earned a mean salary of $22,895 in 1997 compared to $26,235 for students with some college or an associate degree; this represents almost a fifteen percent increase from one level to the next (Phillippe & Patton, 2000). Grubb (1999) makes the following points: * Clearly there are returns for students who complete associate degrees, though the rate of return for certificate or credential completers is less clear because the data are not always available. * The economic benefits of completing twelve credits or less at the community college are insignificant. * Economic benefits may take a few years beyond program completion to materialize. Overall, the data indicate that the community college offers economic advancement over and above the high school diploma. 
