On February 19, a piece by Institute economist Brad Hershbein titled "A college degree is worth less if you are raised poor" appeared as a Brookings Institution Social Mobility Memo. According to Hershbein
"College graduates from families with an income below 185 percent of the federal poverty level (the eligibility threshold for the federal assisted lunch program) earn 91 percent more over their careers than high school graduates from the same income group. By comparison, college graduates from families with incomes above 185 percent of the FPL earned 162 percent more over their careers (between the ages of 25 and 62) than those with just a high school diploma."