"Despite mounting public skepticism about the value of a college degree, the data is still clear: Over all, college graduates have much higher earning potential than their peers without a bachelor's degree. But the limits of those boosted earnings are often decided by a student's major. American workers with a four-year degree ages 25 to 54 earn a median annual salary of $81,000-70 percent more than their peers with a high school diploma alone."
"However, the salary range for workers with a bachelor's degree can span anywhere from $45,000 a year for graduates of education and public service to $141,000 for STEM majors. And even within those fields, salary levels have a big range. Humanities majors in the prime of their careers earn between $48,000 and $105,000 a year, with a median salary of $69,000. Meanwhile, business and communications majors earn between $58,000 and $129,000 a year, with a median salary of $86,000."
Workers ages 25 to 54 with a four-year degree earn a median annual salary of $81,000, about 70 percent more than peers with only a high school diploma. Salary outcomes vary widely by major, ranging roughly from $45,000 for education and public service graduates to $141,000 for STEM majors. Humanities majors earn between $48,000 and $105,000 with a median of $69,000, while business and communications majors earn between $58,000 and $129,000 with a median of $86,000. Unemployment among recent college graduates has risen: in 2008 recent graduates had 6.8 percent unemployment versus 9.8 percent for all workers, and since 2022 recent graduates have faced higher unemployment than all workers. The underlying data span 2009–2023.
Read at Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs
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