Anthropology

Social Sciences

Anthropology graduates with a bachelor's typically earned about $45,184, measured a few years after finishing (median across US programs, College Scorecard).
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Median earnings by degree level

Earnings range across schools, by degree levelEach row is a degree level: the bar is the middle half of schools' program medians (25th to 75th percentile) and the dot is the overall median. Bachelor's median $45,184, $40,706 to $51,951; Master's median $50,955, $47,000 to $56,322.$41k$49k$56kBachelor's$45,184Master's$50,955
DegreeMedian earningsTypical rangeSchoolsClear the bar
Bachelor's Degree$45,184$40,706 to $51,95120587%
Master's Degree$50,955$47,000 to $56,3226100%

"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 +4% (2024 to 2034), about 121,600 openings a year across the occupations this field commonly leads to.

OccupationMedian payGrowthOpenings/yr
Managers, All Other$136,550+4.5%106,700
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists$100,590+8.7%9,600
Forensic Science Technicians$67,440+12.8%2,900
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary$84,290+2.4%1,100
Anthropologists and Archeologists$64,910+3.7%800
Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary$95,770+2.7%500

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.

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.