The educational attainment of the adult population is examined, along with the fields in which adults received degrees, and their earnings in those fields. Figures from the Survey of Income and Program Participation are compared for 1984 and 1987. More adults (78%) had high school diplomas in 1987, and about 23% had earned a postsecondary degree. Earnings varied with educational attainment and increased as one moved up the degree ladder. Mean monthly earnings for those without a high school diploma were $452, while those with professional degrees had mean monthly earnings of $4,003. Those with more education saw a much greater increase in earnings in the period from 1984 to 1987. Degree holders were most likely to have degrees in business and education. Earnings differed among demographic groups, and the earnings of those with bachelor's degrees differed among degree fields. Financially lucrative areas included economics, engineering, mathematics or statistics, and business and management. Two graphs are provided. (SLD)