Economics
Social Sciences
Median earnings by degree level
| Degree | Median earnings | Typical range | Schools | Clear the bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | $76,648 | $67,465 to $91,352 | 378 | 100% |
| Master's Degree | $98,682 | $74,146 to $110,632 | 28 | 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 280,700 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 |
| Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | $78,760 | +7% | 82,000 |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $72,040 | -0.2% | 63,500 |
| Data Scientists | $120,230 | +34.6% | 24,800 |
| Social Science Research Assistants | $61,990 | +5% | 4,900 |
| Statisticians | $105,650 | +11% | 1,900 |
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 economics program, of 822 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 California-Berkeley
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- University of Chicago
- New York University
- University of California-Santa Barbara
- University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
- Columbia University in the City of New York
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.