[geebee]

"Maybe it's just me but I don't know I agree with the assumption that two individuals, one with a college degree and the other without, are really in the same peer group when it comes to salary."

I agree, the word "peer" is used very loosely here when comparing salaries. In fact, I wouldn't even say two individuals with the same "degree level" are necessarily in the same "peer group" when it comes to salary. A nurse practitioner has an MS, typically. So (often) does a social worker. Someone might have an MS in engineering or creative writing. No real point in grouping these all together.