Charting the geography of the American jobs market

The average cost of a four-year college degree in the US is $102,000. Such an investment writes James Pressley in his review of Enrico Moretti’s The New Geography of Jobs, might just be worth it to help the country’s cities prosper

TIME for a brainteaser. You’re a patriotic American with a 17-year-old daughter, and you just won $102,000 (€81,000) in a lottery. One catch: The rules say the money must be spent for the public good.

You could give Uncle Sam the cash to repair roads. It turns out, though, $102,000 is the total average cost of a four-year college degree. Can you justify investing the money in your goth child?