Data gathered in 1993 by the Census Bureau as part of the Survey of Income and Program Participation were analyzed to determine the relationship between level and field of training and economic status as of 1993. More than 27% of adults had obtained a degree of some type beyond high school, and the proportion of the adult population without a high school diploma decreased to 19%. Individuals with a degree beyond high school earned substantially more than individuals with either a high school diploma or some college and no degree. Approximately 55% of professional/doctorate degrees were in law and medicine/dentistry, and 28% of all master's degrees were in education. Degrees in law and medicine/dentistry were associated with the highest average monthly earnings, whereas degrees in home economics were associated with the lowest monthly earnings. At the bachelor's degree level, monthly earnings averaged $2,269 and ranged from $1,669 for education majors to $3,189 for engineering majors. At the advanced degree level, monthly earnings averaged $3,331 and ranged from $2,145 for liberal arts majors to $6,125 for medicine/dentistry. Within each degree type, there were fields of study that were highly concentrated in certain occupation categories, and within each field, type of occupation varied across degrees. (MN)