Analyzing the Determinants of College Graduates’ Salaries in the US: A Data Analytics Approach

In this project, we will explore a range of factors that influence the salaries of US college graduates. Demographic variables such as gender, race, and ethnicity; educational variables such as fields of study; and professional variables, including job and employer characteristics, will be examined to understand their impact on salaries. Our research will extend to a spatial and temporal analysis, offering a deeper understanding of how these factors vary across different states and over time, revealing critical disparities linked to gender, race, and ethnicity. The study will provide valuable insights that can help individuals make well-informed decisions regarding their career trajectory, assist advocates for workplace equality in their efforts to promote fairness, and guide employers towards addressing wage gaps to ensure equal pay for equal work. The project will leverage the extensive dataset provided by the National Survey of College Graduates (NSCG), a biennial survey that has been gathering detailed information on college graduates since the 1970s. The NSCG is sponsored by the National Science Foundation and conducted by the Census Bureau. The project will embrace the principles of the Teacher-Scholar model, offering a hands-on learning experience for student researchers. Through active engagement in data collection, processing, and analysis, along with the utilization of advanced statistical and data analytical techniques, students will gain both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. To translate our findings into actionable insights for decision-makers, policy analysts, and the general public, we will create an interactive dashboard using Tableau/PowerBI. This tool will offer a dynamic and user-friendly interface for the exploration and interpretation of our research findings.