The 170 Highest and Lowest Paying College Majors

student graduating from college

It seems that everyone has an opinion on whether a college degree is a good financial investment or not. Some associate college with massive debt and bad career prospects, while others, as a sure path to a better life.

It turns out, both groups are wrong.

College is not always a good financial investment – the mid-career salary of several majors is about the same as a high school graduate’s, meaning financially at least, the return on investment is negative.

Neither is college always a losing proposition: 37 majors pay more than a $60,000 starting salary, and 58 of them pay more than $100,000 by mid-career.

Clearly, talking about college in general as a financial investment is unhelpful: some degrees pay off and others don’t. (For some reasons why some majors don’t pay off, see this post and this one).

In this article, I break down majors by average starting salary and mid-career salary using public use American Community Survey data collected by the US Census Bureau between 2009-2019. I first break down earnings by field, then rank the majors by starting salary, then by mid-career salary, and last by the average salary growth rate over the career.

For methodological details see the bottom of the post.

Table of Contents

Salary by Field

The table below breaks down the starting and mid-career salary by field.

The average STEM salary out of college is $57,900, followed by Business at $57,500. These are followed by the social sciences ($46,400), health ($45,100), liberal arts ($42,000), and Education ($40,000).

Interestingly, by the mid-career, this order is unchanged: STEM degrees still pay the most, and Education degrees the least. The average STEM major pays a whopping $108,300 by mid-career, with business majors right behind at $107,500.

Field Starting Salary Mid-Career Salary
STEM  $           57,921  $             108,313
Business  $           57,504  $             107,465
Social Sciences  $          46,384  $               83,497
Health  $           45,115  $               75,077
Liberal Arts  $           42,011  $               78,737
Education  $          39,982  $               60,518

Majors Ranked by Starting Salary

This list ranks the majors by their starting salary.

Petroleum Engineering takes the 1st slot at a salary of $108,000, right out of college. Actually, 15 out of the top 25 paying majors are engineering majors – it pays off to major in engineering. The only non-STEM degrees in the top 25 are Economics (#14), Finance (#16), and Business Economics (#21).

The worst paying majors immediately out of school are largely in the Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. With Drama and Theater Arts paying the very least ($35,500).

To keep things in perspective, the average high school graduate (no college degree) earns $29,500 per year for this same age range. 

  1. Petroleum Engineering: $107,954
  2. Naval Architecture And Marine Engineering: $91,562
  3. Nuclear Engineering: $86,112
  4. Computer Engineering: $79,540
  5. Chemical Engineering: $78,322
  6. Computer Science: $77,223
  7. Actuarial Science: $76,528
  8. Electrical Engineering: $75,120
  9. Mechanical Engineering: $73,133
  10. Applied Mathematics: $72,565
  11. Aerospace Engineering: $72,070
  12. Industrial And Manufacturing Engineering: $71,593
  13. Materials Science: $71,467
  14. Economics: $70,590
  15. General Engineering: $69,172
  16. Finance: $68,916
  17. Statistics And Decision Science: $68,213
  18. Materials Engineering And Materials Science: $68,206
  19. Biological Engineering: $67,843
  20. Miscellaneous Engineering: $67,815
  21. Business Economics: $67,790
  22. Biomedical Engineering: $67,239
  23. Management Information Systems And Statistics: $67,232
  24. Construction Services: $67,183
  25. Civil Engineering: $66,658
  26. Architectural Engineering: $64,345
  27. Operations Logistics And E-Commerce: $63,712
  28. Engineering And Industrial Management: $63,266
  29. Public Policy: $63,145
  30. Information Sciences: $63,024
  31. Electrical Engineering Technology: $62,647
  32. Miscellaneous Engineering Technologies: $62,470
  33. Engineering Mechanics Physics And Science: $62,311
  34. Environmental Engineering: $61,170
  35. Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies: $60,869
  36. Mathematics: $60,704
  37. Computer And Information Systems: $60,101
  38. Nursing: $59,569
  39. Accounting: $59,014
  40. Computer Administration Management And Security: $58,943
  41. Physics: $58,623
  42. Nuclear, Industrial Radiology, And Biological Technologies: $58,345
  43. Transportation Sciences And Technologies: $58,018
  44. Industrial Production Technologies: $57,144
  45. General Business: $56,918
  46. Computer Programming And Data Processing: $56,578
  47. Engineering Technologies: $56,556
  48. Miscellaneous Business And Medical Administration: $56,070
  49. Miscellaneous Social Sciences: $55,710
  50. International Business: $55,273
  51. Marketing And Marketing Research: $54,908
  52. Agricultural Economics: $54,696
  53. Food Science: $54,117
  54. International Relations: $53,927
  55. Business Management And Administration: $53,422
  56. Medical Technologies Technicians: $52,910
  57. Computer Networking And Telecommunications: $52,425
  58. Agriculture Production And Management: $52,130
  59. Political Science And Government: $52,064
  60. Pharmacy Pharmaceutical Sciences And Administration: $51,934
  61. Architecture: $51,911
  62. Medical Assisting Services: $51,722
  63. Advertising And Public Relations: $51,656
  64. Electrical, Mechanical, And Precision Technologies And Production: $51,241
  65. Interdisciplinary Social Sciences: $51,171
  66. Cognitive Science And Biopsychology: $50,571
  67. Human Resources And Personnel Management: $50,302
  68. Astronomy And Astrophysics: $49,648
  69. Industrial And Organizational Psychology: $49,521
  70. Multi-Disciplinary Or General Science: $48,838
  71. Chemistry: $48,692
  72. Atmospheric Sciences And Meteorology: $48,626
  73. General Agriculture: $48,568
  74. Miscellaneous Agriculture: $48,483
  75. Communications: $48,087
  76. Pre-Law And Legal Studies: $47,899
  77. Neuroscience: $47,815
  78. Biochemical Sciences: $47,542
  79. Molecular Biology: $47,107
  80. Genetics: $46,795
  81. Geosciences: $46,614
  82. Physical Sciences: $46,421
  83. Microbiology: $46,397
  84. Plant Science And Agronomy: $46,311
  85. Health And Medical Administrative Services: $46,230
  86. Journalism: $46,015
  87. Miscellaneous Education: $45,945
  88. Geography: $45,833
  89. Criminal Justice And Fire Protection: $45,819
  90. Geology And Earth Science: $45,792
  91. Hospitality Management: $45,709
  92. Intercultural And International Studies: $45,357
  93. French German Latin And Other Common Foreign Language Studies: $45,323
  94. Health And Medical Preparatory Programs: $45,317
  95. Soil Science: $45,304
  96. Public Administration: $45,296
  97. Commercial Art And Graphic Design: $45,273
  98. Miscellaneous Biology: $45,251
  99. Other Foreign Languages: $45,028
  100. Criminology: $44,971
  101. Oceanography: $44,952
  102. History: $44,736
  103. Interdisciplinary Social Sciences: $44,639
  104. Philosophy And Religious Studies: $44,629
  105. Forestry: $44,339
  106. Clinical Psychology: $44,336
  107. Sociology: $44,075
  108. Communication Technologies: $43,883
  109. United States History: $43,674
  110. Mass Media: $43,455
  111. Physiology: $43,441
  112. Botany: $43,437
  113. Miscellaneous Fine Arts: $43,407
  114. Area Ethnic And Civilization Studies: $43,295
  115. Treatment Therapy Professions: $43,289
  116. Environmental Science: $43,187
  117. Art History And Criticism: $43,098
  118. Nutrition Sciences: $42,845
  119. Biology: $42,325
  120. Natural Resources Management: $42,053
  121. Liberal Arts: $41,843
  122. Mathematics Teacher Education: $41,767
  123. General Education: $41,528
  124. General Social Sciences: $41,303
  125. Physical Fitness Parks Recreation And Leisure: $41,228
  126. Community And Public Health: $41,224
  127. English Language And Literature: $41,149
  128. Miscellaneous Health Medical Professions: $40,971
  129. Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies: $40,918
  130. Psychology: $40,807
  131. Film Video And Photographic Arts: $40,764
  132. General Medical And Health Services: $40,623
  133. Special Needs Education: $40,464
  134. Physical And Health Education Teaching: $40,178
  135. Secondary Teacher Education: $40,048
  136. Animal Sciences: $40,040
  137. Science And Computer Teacher Education: $39,647
  138. Fine Arts: $39,404
  139. Language And Drama Education: $39,336
  140. Art And Music Education: $38,858
  141. Teacher Education: Multiple Levels: $38,834
  142. Social Science Or History Teacher Education: $38,775
  143. Cosmetology Services And Culinary Arts: $38,654
  144. Linguistics And Comparative Language And Literature: $38,558
  145. Miscellaneous Psychology: $38,273
  146. Family And Consumer Sciences: $38,102
  147. Humanities: $38,006
  148. Educational Psychology: $37,543
  149. Human Services And Community Organization: $37,533
  150. Elementary Education: $37,509
  151. Composition And Rhetoric: $37,287
  152. Anthropology And Archeology: $37,187
  153. Music: $37,092
  154. Communication Disorders Sciences And Services: $37,088
  155. Ecology: $36,862
  156. Social Work: $36,751
  157. Counseling Psychology: $36,672
  158. Theology And Religious Vocations: $36,515
  159. Zoology: $36,325
  160. Early Childhood Education: $36,233
  161. Studio Arts: $35,812
  162. Visual And Performing Arts: $35,787
  163. Drama And Theater Arts: $35,477

Majors Ranked by Mid-Career Salary

This list ranks the college majors by the average annual earnings during mid-career.

Once again, Petroleum Engineering takes the 1st slot at an average salary of $210,300 in mid-career. This time, 14 out of the top 25 majors are engineering majors. Out of the top 25 highest paying majors, four are non-STEM: Economics (#10), Business Economics (#12), Finance (#14), and Transportation Sciences And Technologies (aka logistics) (#24).

In terms of return on investment, STEM and Business majors are the most profitable.

Looking at the bottom of the list, Library Science ranked lowest at $44,000, which is actually lower than the earnings of the average high school graduate. The average high school graduate (no college degree) earns $45,100 per year during mid-career.

The other majors that pay very little are primarily in Education, though many are in the Liberal Arts and the Social Sciences.

  1. Petroleum Engineering: $210,333
  2. Actuarial Science: $186,179
  3. Mathematics And Computer Science: $146,764
  4. Mining And Mineral Engineering: $142,187
  5. Chemical Engineering: $140,729
  6. Nuclear Engineering: $140,228
  7. Computer Engineering: $138,217
  8. Aerospace Engineering: $135,546
  9. Metallurgical Engineering: $134,134
  10. Economics: $133,748
  11. Electrical Engineering: $133,184
  12. Business Economics: $133,098
  13. Mechanical Engineering: $132,716
  14. Finance: $131,603
  15. Cognitive Science And Biopsychology: $131,532
  16. Biomedical Engineering: $129,772
  17. Engineering And Industrial Management: $125,946
  18. Architectural Engineering: $125,174
  19. Applied Mathematics: $125,157
  20. Materials Science: $124,712
  21. Naval Architecture And Marine Engineering: $124,090
  22. Computer Science: $123,325
  23. Civil Engineering: $122,564
  24. Transportation Sciences And Technologies: $122,200
  25. Physics: $122,149
  26. Pharmacy Pharmaceutical Sciences And Administration: $121,632
  27. Environmental Engineering: $120,904
  28. Industrial And Manufacturing Engineering: $120,833
  29. Construction Services: $120,815
  30. Management Information Systems And Statistics: $117,968
  31. Miscellaneous Engineering: $116,321
  32. General Engineering: $115,695
  33. Molecular Biology: $115,655
  34. Statistics And Decision Science: $115,127
  35. Materials Engineering And Materials Science: $115,106
  36. Genetics: $114,929
  37. Agricultural Economics: $114,335
  38. Public Policy: $113,332
  39. Atmospheric Sciences And Meteorology: $113,120
  40. Mathematics: $112,393
  41. Political Science And Government: $112,073
  42. Engineering Mechanics Physics And Science: $111,309
  43. International Relations: $111,268
  44. Information Sciences: $110,693
  45. International Business: $110,343
  46. Operations Logistics And E-Commerce: $109,771
  47. Geological And Geophysical Engineering: $109,063
  48. General Business: $105,874
  49. Accounting: $105,741
  50. Marketing And Marketing Research: $105,241
  51. Industrial Production Technologies: $104,505
  52. Biochemical Sciences: $103,298
  53. Miscellaneous Engineering Technologies: $103,176
  54. Electrical Engineering Technology: $102,832
  55. Computer And Information Systems: $102,765
  56. Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies: $101,424
  57. Miscellaneous Business And Medical Administration: $100,812
  58. Miscellaneous Social Sciences: $100,455
  59. Engineering Technologies: $99,968
  60. Pharmacology: $99,893
  61. Architecture: $99,654
  62. Biological Engineering: $99,428
  63. Food Science: $99,065
  64. Chemistry: $98,519
  65. United States History: $96,885
  66. Geology And Earth Science: $96,579
  67. Business Management And Administration: $96,015
  68. History: $95,729
  69. Communications: $95,078
  70. Advertising And Public Relations: $94,505
  71. Agriculture Production And Management: $94,071
  72. Physical Sciences: $93,823
  73. Computer Networking And Telecommunications: $93,764
  74. Computer Programming And Data Processing: $92,904
  75. Oceanography: $92,870
  76. Intercultural And International Studies: $92,824
  77. Geosciences: $92,511
  78. Health And Medical Preparatory Programs: $92,060
  79. Computer Administration Management And Security: $91,609
  80. Soil Science: $91,600
  81. Public Administration: $91,577
  82. Journalism: $91,365
  83. Interdisciplinary Social Sciences: $91,135
  84. Microbiology: $90,774
  85. Film Video And Photographic Arts: $90,432
  86. Environmental Science: $90,315
  87. Multi-Disciplinary Or General Science: $90,276
  88. Geography: $90,215
  89. Biology: $90,068
  90. Industrial And Organizational Psychology: $90,063
  91. Nuclear, Industrial Radiology, And Biological Technologies: $89,797
  92. Philosophy And Religious Studies: $89,224
  93. Forestry: $88,568
  94. Area Ethnic And Civilization Studies: $88,181
  95. Communication Technologies: $87,525
  96. Human Resources And Personnel Management: $87,497
  97. Miscellaneous Biology: $85,610
  98. Physiology: $85,512
  99. English Language And Literature: $85,100
  100. Criminal Justice And Fire Protection: $84,507
  101. Mass Media: $84,310
  102. Plant Science And Agronomy: $84,260
  103. Criminology: $83,795
  104. Composition And Rhetoric: $83,167
  105. French German Latin And Other Common Foreign Language Studies: $83,150
  106. Animal Sciences: $82,273
  107. Medical Technologies Technicians: $82,201
  108. Art History And Criticism: $82,057
  109. Natural Resources Management: $82,016
  110. Nursing: $81,713
  111. Ecology: $81,425
  112. Hospitality Management: $81,389
  113. Liberal Arts: $81,022
  114. General Medical And Health Services: $80,370
  115. General Agriculture: $79,481
  116. Anthropology And Archeology: $79,464
  117. Electrical, Mechanical, And Precision Technologies And Production: $78,896
  118. Physical Fitness Parks Recreation And Leisure: $78,689
  119. Commercial Art And Graphic Design: $78,518
  120. Health And Medical Administrative Services: $78,427
  121. Treatment Therapy Professions: $78,025
  122. Other Foreign Languages: $77,667
  123. Community And Public Health: $77,043
  124. Pre-Law And Legal Studies: $76,928
  125. Sociology: $76,709
  126. Linguistics And Comparative Language And Literature: $76,624
  127. Social Psychology: $75,892
  128. Zoology: $75,855
  129. Psychology: $75,320
  130. Botany: $75,116
  131. Miscellaneous Fine Arts: $74,744
  132. General Social Sciences: $74,163
  133. Fine Arts: $73,471
  134. Miscellaneous Agriculture: $73,311
  135. Music: $73,218
  136. Cosmetology Services And Culinary Arts: $72,852
  137. Drama And Theater Arts: $72,625
  138. Interdisciplinary Social Sciences: $71,884
  139. Miscellaneous Psychology: $70,541
  140. Miscellaneous Education: $70,466
  141. Court Reporting: $70,445
  142. Educational Administration And Supervision: $70,100
  143. Humanities: $69,680
  144. Clinical Psychology: $69,453
  145. Nutrition Sciences: $69,023
  146. Physical And Health Education Teaching: $68,893
  147. Medical Assisting Services: $68,871
  148. Social Science Or History Teacher Education: $66,071
  149. Science And Computer Teacher Education: $65,882
  150. Theology And Religious Vocations: $64,724
  151. Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies: $64,546
  152. Studio Arts: $63,079
  153. Mathematics Teacher Education: $62,654
  154. Secondary Teacher Education: $62,272
  155. Visual And Performing Arts: $61,415
  156. Communication Disorders Sciences And Services: $61,011
  157. Family And Consumer Sciences: $59,455
  158. General Education: $59,186
  159. Art And Music Education: $58,204
  160. Miscellaneous Health Medical Professions: $58,170
  161. Language And Drama Education: $57,339
  162. Counseling Psychology: $55,706
  163. Human Services And Community Organization: $55,462
  164. Social Work: $54,421
  165. Special Needs Education: $53,768
  166. Educational Psychology: $52,853
  167. Teacher Education: Multiple Levels: $52,735
  168. Elementary Education: $50,283
  169. Early Childhood Education: $46,225
  170. Library Science: $43,948

Majors Ranked by Salary Growth Rate

Looking at the starting salary versus mid-career pay, it’s clear that some degrees go on to earn much more later on, while others don’t grow their salary as much. For example, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineerings starts with one of the highest salaries at $91,600, but 20 years later, it only pays $124,100 – a very slow growth rate, actually the 5th worst salary growth rate of all majors. What this means, is over time, this major becomes less and less well paying, as other majors grow their salaries at a faster rate.

On the other hand, Biology, a STEM major (in)famous for its low starting salary ($42,300) will go on to earn over $90,000 20 years later, more than doubling its salary. This is a growth rate of 4.1%, one of the highest of all majors. This growth in salary takes Biology from being ranked 119th in starting salary to being ranked a more respectable 89th by mid-career.

The list below ranks the majors by their average annual growth in salary. For example, Biology’s 3.8% growth rate means that each year, the biology majors’ salary increases by 3.8%, on average (on top of inflation).

Overall, the Liberal Arts field has the highest growth rate at 3.4% per year, followed by Business and STEM at 3.3%. The high growth rate for Liberal Arts makes sense since these majors have some of the lowest starting salaries of all majors, and really can only go up.

The high growth rate of Business and STEM majors is surprising, considering that they have the highest starting salary of all fields. This means that over the course of the career STEM and Business will continue to have higher salaries than other fields.

Education has the very lowest salary growth rate at just a 2.1% increase per year. This is especially troubling since Education has the lowest starting salary to begin with. The low growth rate means that Education majors fall behind all other majors in pay even more over time.

  1. Cognitive Science And Biopsychology: 5.2%
  2. Genetics: 4.8%
  3. Molecular Biology: 4.8%
  4. Actuarial Science: 4.8%
  5. Pharmacy Pharmaceutical Sciences And Administration: 4.6%
  6. Atmospheric Sciences And Meteorology: 4.5%
  7. Composition And Rhetoric: 4.3%
  8. Film Video And Photographic Arts: 4.3%
  9. United States History: 4.3%
  10. Ecology: 4.3%
  11. Biochemical Sciences: 4.2%
  12. Political Science And Government: 4.1%
  13. History: 4.1%
  14. Anthropology And Archeology: 4.1%
  15. Biology: 4.1%
  16. Geology And Earth Science: 4.0%
  17. Transportation Sciences And Technologies: 4.0%
  18. Environmental Science: 4.0%
  19. Agricultural Economics: 4.0%
  20. Zoology: 4.0%
  21. Physics: 3.9%
  22. English Language And Literature: 3.9%
  23. Oceanography: 3.9%
  24. International Relations: 3.9%
  25. Animal Sciences: 3.9%
  26. Drama And Theater Arts: 3.8%
  27. Intercultural And International Studies: 3.8%
  28. Area Ethnic And Civilization Studies: 3.8%
  29. Health And Medical Preparatory Programs: 3.8%
  30. Chemistry: 3.8%
  31. Soil Science: 3.8%
  32. Public Administration: 3.8%
  33. Physical Sciences: 3.8%
  34. Philosophy And Religious Studies: 3.7%
  35. Forestry: 3.7%
  36. International Business: 3.7%
  37. Communication Technologies: 3.7%
  38. Engineering And Industrial Management: 3.7%
  39. Linguistics And Comparative Language And Literature: 3.7%
  40. Journalism: 3.7%
  41. Geosciences: 3.7%
  42. General Medical And Health Services: 3.7%
  43. Communications: 3.7%
  44. Environmental Engineering: 3.7%
  45. Music: 3.6%
  46. Physiology: 3.6%
  47. Geography: 3.6%
  48. Business Economics: 3.6%
  49. Microbiology: 3.6%
  50. Natural Resources Management: 3.6%
  51. Petroleum Engineering: 3.6%
  52. Architectural Engineering: 3.6%
  53. Mass Media: 3.5%
  54. Liberal Arts: 3.5%
  55. Biomedical Engineering: 3.5%
  56. Architecture: 3.5%
  57. Marketing And Marketing Research: 3.5%
  58. Finance: 3.5%
  59. Physical Fitness Parks Recreation And Leisure: 3.5%
  60. Art History And Criticism: 3.4%
  61. Economics: 3.4%
  62. Miscellaneous Biology: 3.4%
  63. Cosmetology Services And Culinary Arts: 3.4%
  64. Aerospace Engineering: 3.4%
  65. Community And Public Health: 3.3%
  66. Fine Arts: 3.3%
  67. Criminology: 3.3%
  68. General Business: 3.3%
  69. Mathematics: 3.3%
  70. Multi-Disciplinary Or General Science: 3.3%
  71. Psychology: 3.3%
  72. Criminal Justice And Fire Protection: 3.3%
  73. Miscellaneous Psychology: 3.3%
  74. Civil Engineering: 3.3%
  75. French German Latin And Other Common Foreign Language Studies: 3.2%
  76. Humanities: 3.2%
  77. Food Science: 3.2%
  78. Advertising And Public Relations: 3.2%
  79. Industrial Production Technologies: 3.2%
  80. Plant Science And Agronomy: 3.2%
  81. Industrial And Organizational Psychology: 3.2%
  82. Mechanical Engineering: 3.2%
  83. Agriculture Production And Management: 3.2%
  84. Miscellaneous Social Sciences: 3.2%
  85. Treatment Therapy Professions: 3.1%
  86. Construction Services: 3.1%
  87. Miscellaneous Business And Medical Administration: 3.1%
  88. Business Management And Administration: 3.1%
  89. Chemical Engineering: 3.1%
  90. General Social Sciences: 3.1%
  91. Public Policy: 3.1%
  92. Accounting: 3.1%
  93. Computer Networking And Telecommunications: 3.1%
  94. Engineering Mechanics Physics And Science: 3.1%
  95. Interdisciplinary Social Sciences: 3.1%
  96. Hospitality Management: 3.1%
  97. Electrical Engineering: 3.1%
  98. Theology And Religious Vocations: 3.1%
  99. Engineering Technologies: 3.0%
  100. Studio Arts: 3.0%
  101. Information Sciences: 3.0%
  102. Management Information Systems And Statistics: 3.0%
  103. Materials Science: 3.0%
  104. Sociology: 3.0%
  105. Human Resources And Personnel Management: 3.0%
  106. Computer Engineering: 3.0%
  107. Commercial Art And Graphic Design: 2.9%
  108. Botany: 2.9%
  109. Other Foreign Languages: 2.9%
  110. Applied Mathematics: 2.9%
  111. Operations Logistics And E-Commerce: 2.9%
  112. Miscellaneous Fine Arts: 2.9%
  113. Visual And Performing Arts: 2.9%
  114. Miscellaneous Engineering: 2.9%
  115. Physical And Health Education Teaching: 2.9%
  116. Computer And Information Systems: 2.9%
  117. Social Science Or History Teacher Education: 2.8%
  118. Health And Medical Administrative Services: 2.8%
  119. Industrial And Manufacturing Engineering: 2.8%
  120. Statistics And Decision Science: 2.8%
  121. Materials Engineering And Materials Science: 2.8%
  122. General Engineering: 2.7%
  123. Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies: 2.7%
  124. Science And Computer Teacher Education: 2.7%
  125. Miscellaneous Engineering Technologies: 2.7%
  126. Communication Disorders Sciences And Services: 2.7%
  127. Computer Programming And Data Processing: 2.6%
  128. Electrical Engineering Technology: 2.6%
  129. General Agriculture: 2.6%
  130. Nuclear Engineering: 2.6%
  131. Nutrition Sciences: 2.5%
  132. Interdisciplinary Social Sciences: 2.5%
  133. Pre-Law And Legal Studies: 2.5%
  134. Computer Science: 2.5%
  135. Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies: 2.4%
  136. Clinical Psychology: 2.4%
  137. Family And Consumer Sciences: 2.4%
  138. Secondary Teacher Education: 2.4%
  139. Computer Administration Management And Security: 2.3%
  140. Medical Technologies Technicians: 2.3%
  141. Electrical, Mechanical, And Precision Technologies And Production: 2.3%
  142. Nuclear, Industrial Radiology, And Biological Technologies: 2.3%
  143. Miscellaneous Education: 2.3%
  144. Counseling Psychology: 2.2%
  145. Miscellaneous Agriculture: 2.2%
  146. Mathematics Teacher Education: 2.2%
  147. Art And Music Education: 2.1%
  148. Social Work: 2.1%
  149. Human Services And Community Organization: 2.1%
  150. Biological Engineering: 2.0%
  151. Language And Drama Education: 2.0%
  152. General Education: 1.9%
  153. Miscellaneous Health Medical Professions: 1.9%
  154. Educational Psychology: 1.8%
  155. Nursing: 1.7%
  156. Teacher Education: Multiple Levels: 1.6%
  157. Naval Architecture And Marine Engineering: 1.6%
  158. Elementary Education: 1.6%
  159. Medical Assisting Services: 1.5%
  160. Special Needs Education: 1.5%
  161. Early Childhood Education: 1.3%
 

Methodology

 
These averages were compiled by the author using public use American Community Survey microdata between 2009-2019. All dollar values were converted into 2022 dollars. Only those respondents with a bachelor’s degree as the highest credential were retained (those with graduate degrees were excluded). I retained only those respondents who had a positive income. For respondents with two majors, one was selected at random. The calculations used person weights. Starting salary is the average earnings of respondents aged 23-29; mid-career salary is the average earnings of respondents aged 40-49. For those respondents earning more than 1-percentile, income was set to the 1-percentile. There are a minimum of 75 respondents per major in each age-group.

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Last updated on June 24, 2022