One of the biggest decisions new college graduates face after earning their bachelor's is whether to continue their education with a graduate degree, or enter the professional world without one. The Education Data Initiative reports graduate degrees can cost between $30,000 and $120,000 after a bachelor's, so it's important to consider the financial benefits depending on an individual's chosen field of study.

In Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, graduate degree holders earn $16,859 more than they would with just a bachelor's degree, according to a new study by SmartAsset.

The average annual income of a Metroplex resident with a bachelor's degree is $65,694, the study says. Those with graduate degrees make $82,553 per year, SmartAsset says.

A graduate degree holder's salary in Dallas-Fort Worth is much higher than the national average of $72,000 per year. The study further determined that (nationally) a graduate degree nets workers $16,000 more per year than those with a bachelor's.

Those with advanced degrees from one Fort Worth graduate school do particularly well.

"Amid the high expenses of education and ever-changing job markets, it’s important to weigh the opportunity costs of a graduate degree with the additional earning potential," the study's author wrote. "A graduate or professional degree nets an extra $484,000 over a career, on average... This assumes a 30 year career in a medium or large metro area."

SmartAsset's study used 2021 U.S. Census Bureau 1-Year ACS S1501 data to determine the income for individuals aged 25 and older with varying professional degrees in 281 of the biggest metropolitan areas.

The Texas city where a graduate degree nets a resident the most amount of money is Midland, with a massive $24,394 difference between graduate degree and bachelor's holders. Average graduate degree pay in the West Texas city is $90,559 versus $66,165 for an individual with a bachelor's degree.

The metro that landed at the top of the national ranks is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California. A bachelor's degree holder makes an average salary of $102,214 in the area, whereas a graduate degree holder earns more than $48,000 more, totaling $150,281.

The full report and its methodology can be found on smartasset.com.