Income and Careers benchmarks
78 benchmarks entries in the Income and Careers area of our Personal Financial Literacy study dataset.
| Code | Benchmark |
|---|---|
| 4-1a | Enumerate various job categories |
| 4-1b | Discuss the knowledge, skills, interests, and experience needed for different occupations |
| 4-2a | Give examples showing how an individual’s background and abilities can influence their potential earnings |
| 4-2b | Brainstorm strategies for enhancing one’s capacity to generate income |
| 4-3a | Explain why employers compensate employees for their work |
| 4-3b | Differentiate between wages, salaries, commissions, and gratuities |
| 4-3c | Compare typical compensation methods for a food server, a teacher, and a real estate agent |
| 4-4a | List several types of businesses one might choose to start as an entrepreneur |
| 4-4b | Identify well-known entrepreneurs and their ventures, and theorize reasons for their success or failure |
| 4-4c | Estimate potential earnings from a youth-run enterprise (e.g., lawn care or lemonade stand) |
| 4-5a | Provide examples of ways people can earn income by lending money or leasing property |
| 4-5b | Identify types of property (e.g., apartments, vehicles, tools) that can generate rental income |
| 4-6a | Explain motivations behind giving money as a gift |
| 4-6b | Discuss advantages and disadvantages of parents giving children a weekly allowance |
| 4-7a | Describe examples of public goods and services funded by taxes |
| 4-7b | Explain why individuals must contribute to funding fire protection, law enforcement, public libraries, and schools |
| 8-1a | Discuss pros and cons of staying in the same occupation for many years |
| 8-1b | Compare educational and training prerequisites for at least two professions |
| 8-1c | Interview someone in a chosen career, then create a timeline showing their education, training, and job history |
| 8-2a | Compare education, training, earnings potential, and main responsibilities of at least two jobs available to high school students |
| 8-2b | Research a specific career field and describe possible education and job decisions over a lifetime, including how these choices impact earnings and opportunities |
| 8-2c | Evaluate personal strengths and interests and align them with various career paths |
| 8-3a | Investigate training options that could help a student secure higher-paying jobs while still in high school |
| 8-3b | Explain why individuals with a college degree often earn more than those whose education ends with high school |
| 8-3c | Discuss how specialized training can boost a young person’s skills, productivity, and earning potential |
| 8-3d | Collect data on average wages or salaries for various positions and explain how they vary by education level, skill set, or experience |
| 8-4a | Describe the opportunity costs of enrolling in a babysitting, lifeguarding, or first-aid training course |
| 8-4b | Compare the cost of postsecondary education with the potential income increase from chosen careers |
| 8-4c | Explain why families might choose to finance education and training for younger relatives |
| 8-5a | Distinguish between gross earnings and net pay |
| 8-5b | Identify typical payroll deductions |
| 8-5c | Explain how taxes affect take-home pay |
| 8-6a | Identify groups eligible for Social Security benefits |
| 8-6b | Research Social Security tax rates for self-employed individuals versus employees |
| 8-6c | Calculate the Social Security tax contributions for both employee and employer, given income and current rates |
| 8-6d | Investigate retirement benefits at full retirement age for individuals at different income levels |
| 8-7a | Illustrate how income level correlates with income tax owed |
| 8-7b | Describe how tip income is taxed |
| 8-7c | Research penalties for failing to file or pay income taxes |
| 8-8a | Explain the financial issues addressed by Medicaid and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) |
| 8-8b | Provide examples of circumstances that qualify individuals for governmental income support |
| 8-9a | Explore reasons why people choose self-employment or gig work |
| 8-9b | Discuss why launching a new business can carry more risk than other career options |
| 8-9c | Research common causes of new business failures |
| 12-1a | Research potential salaries and benefits packages offered by different employers, government entities, and nonprofits |
| 12-1b | Explain why job seekers should assess benefits as well as wages when comparing opportunities |
| 12-1c | Differentiate between employee benefits that require contributions and those fully funded by the employer |
| 12-1d | Examine advantages of participating in employer-sponsored retirement and health savings plans |
| 12-2a | Give examples of intangible job perks |
| 12-2b | Explain how non-monetary benefits can influence career choices and earnings |
| 12-2c | Evaluate trade-offs between salary and non-salary factors when selecting a job or career |
| 12-3a | Analyze costs and benefits of investing in additional education or training |
| 12-3b | Explain how individuals’ life circumstances influence their ability and willingness to pursue further education |
| 12-3c | Compare earnings and unemployment rates by education and training level |
| 12-4a | Identify occupations where wages and salaries depend on productivity and skill level |
| 12-4b | Explain why wages differ across and within job categories |
| 12-4c | Discuss possible reasons race and gender pay gaps persist |
| 12-5a | Evaluate how economic and labor market conditions affect earnings, career opportunities, and employment status |
| 12-5b | Assess how technological change impacts job availability and income |
| 12-5c | Discuss how an economic downturn influences job prospects for people with different education, experience, job types, ethnicity, or gender |
| 12-6a | Calculate estimated tax liability using information about income and expenditures |
| 12-6b | Identify which government levels (federal, state, local) receive revenue from income, payroll, property, and sales taxes |
| 12-6c | Describe benefits received now or in the future from taxes collected by governments |
| 12-7a | Research federal and state tax rates for different income sources |
| 12-7b | Compare sales tax rates on various goods in one’s state and for online purchases |
| 12-7c | Distinguish between gross income, net income, and taxable income |
| 12-7d | Explain why some earnings appear on Form W-2 and others on Form 1099, and how that affects taxes |
| 12-8a | Differentiate between earned versus unearned income |
| 12-8b | Compare tax rates on wages, interest, and capital gains |
| 12-9a | Complete IRS Form W-4 |
| 12-9b | Explain differences between tax credits and tax deductions |
| 12-9c | Identify examples of refundable and non-refundable tax credits, and groups who benefit most |
| 12-10a | Identify various potential retirement income streams |
| 12-10b | Describe why having multiple retirement income sources (Social Security, employer plans, personal investments) is important |
| 12-10c | Explain the importance of contributing enough to employer retirement plans to secure the full employer match |
| 12-10d | Report the current average Social Security benefit for a retiree |
| 12-11a | Evaluate pros and cons of gig work (e.g., driving for rideshare or delivery services) |
| 12-11b | Discuss advantages and disadvantages of owning a small business as one’s main income source |
More Personal Financial Literacy areas
About this study catalogue
This reference uses DecA(I)de's bundled deca-pis.json and
decaidevocab.json study datasets. Counts are entries, not unique
indicators or terms; the same item can appear in multiple groups. Code punctuation
and display formatting are normalized.
Personal Financial Literacy uses benchmark-style codes such as 4-1a,
distinct from business performance-indicator codes such as BL:003.
The bundled files do not include an edition, source-document citation or licensing
record. We have not verified every entry against current official wording.
Consult DECA's competitive-event resources
and your advisor for the current requirements for your event.
Found a discrepancy? Contact DecA(I)de support with the page URL and the relevant source document.
Practise against these indicators, not just read them. DecA(I)de generates roleplays and practice exams scored using its study catalogue. AI feedback is for practice, not an official score. Free during early access; chapter and account approval may be required.
Get started free Chapter advisor? Ask about setup