Anthropology
Social Sciences
Median earnings by degree level
| Degree | Median earnings | Typical range | Schools | Clear the bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | $44,738 | $40,530 to $51,859 | 191 | 86% |
| Master's Degree | $50,955 | $47,000 to $56,322 | 6 | 100% |
"Clear the bar" is the share of programs whose graduates out-earn a typical high-school graduate (the federal earnings-premium test). Typical range is the 25th to 75th percentile of program medians.
Job outlook
Projected employment growth +5% (2025 to 2035), about 116,400 openings a year across the occupations this field commonly leads to.
| Occupation | Median pay | Growth | Openings/yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Managers, All Other | $141,900 | +4.9% | 100,900 |
| Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists | $103,410 | +12.6% | 10,500 |
| Forensic Science Technicians | $72,060 | +13.3% | 2,800 |
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | $85,020 | +2.7% | 1,000 |
| Anthropologists and Archeologists | $70,770 | +6% | 800 |
| Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary | $99,650 | +2.6% | 400 |
Occupation pay and outlook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wages, Employment Projections). A field maps to several occupations, and the same occupations serve many majors, so these are the jobs this major commonly leads to, not positions reserved for its graduates; the openings should not be added up across majors.
Where this is studied
The 8 colleges where the most students complete a anthropology program, of 551 that report one. Ordered by number of completions only: this is where people study it, not a judgement about where to.
- University of California-Los Angeles
- University of Florida
- Arizona State University Digital Immersion
- Arizona State University Campus Immersion
- University of California-Santa Barbara
- University of California-Santa Cruz
- University of California-Davis
- University of Central Florida
Earnings source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (release 2026-06-10), median earnings of graduates measured up to four years after completing. Figures describe past graduates and are never a promise. Method: methodology. Report an error.