Hindus in America: Rich, smart, and pious

[caption id=“attachment_10815” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Data shows that 84 percent of  American Hindus have some kind of college degree and 80 percent are high income earners. Photo by Harold R”]  [/caption] Intriguing stat of the day: According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, Hindus in the United States rank second—behind Reform Jews—as the best at degree-earning and money-making. David Leonhardt of The New York Times recently looked at data on income and education by religion — gathered in 2007 but confirmed by more recent figures — and reported that while 31% of the US population made more than $75,000 a year, 67% of Reform Jewish households and 65% of Hindu families had reached that income bracket. You can see a really neat visual breakdown of the stats  here. When those categories are adjusted slightly, the data revealed that 84% of Hindus have “at least some college” degree (compared to 50% of all Americans) and 80% have a family income that exceeds $50,000 a year (compared to 48% of all Americans). [caption id=“attachment_10822” align=“alignleft” width=“620” caption=“Screengrab from NewYork  Times.”]  [/caption] Clearly, no one’s saying that practising certain faiths results in automatic financial and educational rewards. Indeed, there are likely numerous social and cultural factors that affect these findings. Buddhists and Orthodox Christians, for example, had higher-than-average educational attainment, but their salaries didn’t reflect their level of schooling. So it’s possible that some religions encourage their followers to pursue altruistic but lower-paying jobs. And since some religions are associated with certain racial or ethnic groups, job discrimination could also impact the income findings. According to Leonhardt: Some of the income differences probably stem from culture. Some faiths place great importance on formal education. But the differences are also self-reinforcing. People who make more money can send their children to better schools, exacerbating the many advantages they have over poorer children. What do you think about the potential connects between religion, salary and education? Is it about culture or economics? Has your faith—or lack thereof—influenced your schooling and your career?