WASHINGTON – A study finds that people that did well in math class when they were 10 years old go on to earn more money by the time they are 30.

It has long been known that people with college degrees generally achieve higher lifetime earnings than those with high school diplomas.

Now, research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies shows a particularly strong link between math skills as a young child and future pay.

The study found that children good at math at age 10 went to earn 7 percent more 20 years later.

The BBC reports that researchers looked at children featured in the British Cohort Study, a large group of people born in April 1970.

The researchers also looked at other skills, but math showed the highest link.

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