How Much Do College Graduates Earn? Salary by Major Report

"Will this degree be worth it?" is the most common question students ask before committing four years and tens of thousands of dollars. The honest answer: it depends entirely on what you study.

A petroleum engineering graduate earns $146,000 at mid-career. An early childhood education graduate earns $39,000. Same four years, same diploma format, completely different financial lives.

But salary is only half the story. This report also covers who actually lands a job in their field, how gender shapes your paycheck even with the same degree, and what happens five years after you walk across that stage. Every number below comes from verified federal data with linked sources.

The College Premium: Still Very Real

First, the big picture. According to Georgetown CEW's "The Major Payoff" (October 2025):

• Bachelor's degree holders (ages 25-54): $81,000 median

• High school diploma only: $47,600 median

• The premium: 70% more earnings with a bachelor's degree

• Unemployment: 2.9% for bachelor's vs 6.2% for high school

The BLS (Q1 2025) confirms this with weekly data: bachelor's holders earn $1,754/week vs $953 for high school grads.

So yes, college still pays off. But here is what the "college premium" hides: that $81,000 is a median across all majors. Half of all graduates earn less. Depending on your field, you might earn barely more than someone who skipped college entirely.

Education majors earn $58,000 at the median. Subtract four years of lost income plus student loan payments, and the financial case gets thin. The premium is real, but it is not automatic. Your major is the switch that turns it on or off.

The Earnings Spectrum: $39K to $146K

Georgetown CEW analyzed 152 majors for prime-age workers (25-54). The range is staggering:

Source: Georgetown CEW, The Major Payoff, October 2025. Figures are for prime-age workers (25-54).

The surprise here is humanities. "English majors work at Starbucks" is a tired joke that does not match the data. 14 of 19 humanities majors pay above $65,000 at mid-career. Critical thinking and writing skills compound over time in ways that salary tables at age 22 do not capture.

The real concern is education. Teachers are essential. But a starting salary of $42,000 with $30,000 in student loans creates a math problem that passion alone cannot solve.

The Highest Paying Specific Majors

Within those broad fields, individual majors tell a more detailed story:

Nursing deserves special attention. At $93,600, it outearns most business majors and many STEM fields. It has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the entire economy and a 9.7% underemployment rate, the lowest of any major tracked by the NY Fed.

If you want stability plus strong pay, nursing is the most underrated path in higher education. It is practically recession-proof, in demand in every city, and does not require a graduate degree to earn well.

The Lowest Paying Majors

Some of the most important jobs in society pay the least. From Georgetown CEW:

Every single one of the 10 lowest-paying majors is in education, social services, or the arts. These are not "bad" choices. They are underfunded choices. The people who teach your children, counsel families in crisis, and keep communities running earn less than entry-level IT workers.

If you are passionate about these fields, the most important question is not "should I pursue this?" It is "how much debt should I take on to get here?" A $15,000 loan for an education degree from a state school is manageable. A $60,000 loan from a private university for the same degree is a financial trap that follows you for decades.

The Gender Gap: Same Major, Different Paycheck

Even when women and men graduate with the same degree and work in the same occupation, women earn only 92 cents for every dollar men earn, according to Georgetown CEW. This is not about "different career choices." This is about unequal pay for equal work.

The gap starts immediately. According to a 2024 study published in Studies in Higher Education, women already earn over 20% less than their male classmates within the first year after graduation, even in the same STEM fields.

The gap varies by field, and it is widening in some areas:

Source: StaffingHub / Dice Tech Salary Report, March 2024 data.

The lifetime cost is massive. For social science majors with a graduate degree, the gender wage gap adds up to $1.8 million in lost earnings over a career. That is not a rounding error. That is a house.

What can you do about it? Negotiate your first salary. Research shows that men are four times more likely to negotiate starting offers than women. That first number sets the baseline for every raise and promotion that follows. Know the market rate for your field before you accept any offer.

Underemployment: The Hidden Crisis

Landing a job is not the same as landing a relevant job. According to the Burning Glass Institute and Strada Education (2024), 52% of recent four-year graduates are underemployed within their first year. That means working in a job that does not require a college degree.

The scariest part? It sticks. 73% of graduates who start in an underemployed position are still underemployed a decade later. Your first job after college is not just a stepping stone. For most people, it sets the trajectory for the next ten years.

The NY Fed (Q4 2025) reports the overall underemployment rate for recent graduates hit 42.5%, the highest since 2020. But the rates vary wildly by major:

Source: NY Fed and St. Louis Fed, 2024-2025 data.

The pattern is clear. Occupation-specific majors (nursing, engineering, accounting) have dramatically lower underemployment than general degrees (criminal justice, liberal arts, general business). A degree that trains you for a specific role protects you from the underemployment trap.

If you are choosing a general major, internships are not optional. They are a survival strategy. The Burning Glass data shows that your first job after graduation largely determines your career trajectory for the next decade. One relevant internship can be the difference between the 52% who struggle and the 48% who launch.

Early Career vs. Mid-Career: The Trajectory Matters

Starting salary is not the whole story. Georgetown CEW's early-career data (ages 22-27) shows:

• Overall early-career median: $56,000

• Lowest early career: $34,000 (communication disorders)

• Highest early career: $86,000 (computer science)

STEM and business graduates start high and keep climbing. Education and arts graduates start lower and grow slower. But some fields will surprise you.

Humanities majors range from $58,000 to $73,000 at mid-career, with 14 of 19 majors above $65,000. The English major who earns $40,000 at 23 may earn $70,000 at 40. Critical thinking and communication skills appreciate over time in ways that starting salary tables cannot capture.

Health is the biggest sleeper. A bachelor's in health/medical prep earns $70,000 at the median. Add a graduate degree, and that becomes $152,000. No other field more than doubles its earnings with additional education. If you are willing to invest 6-8 years total, health sciences offer the highest ceiling in the entire economy.

The Computer Science Paradox

CS is the highest-paying early-career major at $86,000. But there is a catch that the salary number alone does not tell you.

Georgetown CEW found that CS early-career unemployment jumped from 4.3% in 2013-15 to 7.2% in 2021-23. That is the highest unemployment rate in all of STEM. The BLS reports CS unemployment at 6.1% for recent graduates, confirming the trend.

What happened? Tech companies overhired during the pandemic boom of 2020-2021. Then came aggressive layoffs across 2022-2024. Entry-level roles shrank as companies reserved even "junior" positions for candidates with 3+ years of experience.

CS is still one of the best financial bets overall. The underemployment rate is just 16.5%, far below the 42.5% national average. But "just learn to code" is no longer a guaranteed path to a six-figure salary.

What separates CS grads who land $86K jobs from those who do not? Three things:

1. Internship experience (ideally two or more, starting sophomore year)

2. A portfolio of real projects (not just coursework, but deployed applications or open-source contributions)

3. Networking that starts early (career fairs, LinkedIn, alumni connections, not just mass-applying online)

The degree alone is the starting point, not the finish line.

What Should You Do With This Data?

1. Do not pick a major based on salary alone. The highest-paying major is worthless if you drop out because you hate the coursework. Completion rates vary wildly by field. Find the intersection of interest, ability, and market value.

2. Match your debt to your expected salary. A $40,000 loan for an engineering degree is manageable. A $40,000 loan for an early childhood education degree is a decade of struggle. The rule of thumb: never borrow more than your expected first-year salary.

3. Internships are non-negotiable. 52% of graduates are underemployed, and 73% of those who start underemployed stay that way. One or two relevant internships can change your trajectory entirely. Start by sophomore year.

4. Negotiate your first salary. This matters even more for women, who face a 92-cents-on-the-dollar gap from day one. Research market rates on the College Scorecard and Glassdoor before accepting any offer. Your starting salary sets the baseline for every raise that follows.

5. Consider the graduate degree multiplier. Health goes from $70K to $152K. Psychology jumps significantly with a PhD. But a master's in humanities rarely moves the needle enough to justify the cost. Calculate the ROI before enrolling.

6. Think about geography. California graduates earn a $23,732 premium over the average worker. Georgia, New York, and Texas follow with $18,000-$19,000 premiums. But factor in cost of living: a $70,000 salary in Austin goes further than $90,000 in San Francisco.

7. Check your specific school's outcomes. The College Scorecard shows median earnings by program at every school. A CS degree from MIT and a CS degree from a for-profit college produce very different results.

Sources

All figures link to their original source:

1. Georgetown CEW, "The Major Payoff" (October 2025) : earnings by major field ($58K-$98K), 152 majors analyzed, prime-age and early-career data

2. Georgetown CEW Blog: Early-Career Earnings Analysis : CS $86K early career, 7.2% unemployment, $34K-$86K range

3. Georgetown CEW, "Women Can't Win" : gender pay gap by major, 92 cents on the dollar, $1.8M lifetime gap in social sciences

4. BLS, Median Weekly Earnings by Education, Q1 2025 : bachelor's $1,754/week vs HS $953/week

5. BLS Occupational Outlook: Registered Nurses : $93,600 median (May 2024)

6. BLS Occupational Outlook: Petroleum Engineers : $141,280 median (May 2024)

7. Burning Glass Institute & Strada, "Talent Disrupted" (2024) : 52% underemployment, 73% persistence rate, outcomes by major

8. Federal Reserve Bank of New York, College Labor Market : 42.5% underemployment (Q4 2025), rates by major

9. Studies in Higher Education, "Gender Pay Gaps across STEM" (2024) : 20%+ gap in first year post-graduation

10. U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard : school-level earnings by program

Georgetown CEW data covers prime-age workers (25-54) and early-career workers (22-27), published October 2025. BLS occupational data from May 2024. BLS weekly earnings from Q1 2025. Burning Glass/Strada data from February 2024. NY Fed data from Q4 2025. Gender gap data from 2024 studies. All links verified April 2026.