Best & Worst College Majors in the U.S. for High-Paying & Stable Jobs

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Selecting a college major is a momentous decision that can significantly shape your future career prospects and financial well-being.

Early Career Money-Makers

In the initial stages of your career, your choice of major can have a substantial impact on your earnings.

According to the Labor Market for Recent College Graduates, a report based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (IPUMS), here are the top-paying majors and their median wage at early career:

Chemical Engineering: Early-career median wage is $75,000.
Computer Engineering: $74,000.
Computer Science: $73,000.
Aerospace Engineering: $72,000.
Electrical Engineering: $70,000.
Mechanical Engineering: $70,000.
Industrial Engineering: $70,000.
Miscellaneous Engineering: $68,000.
Business Analytics: $66,000.
Civil Engineering: $65,000.

Best College Majors for High-Paying and Stable Jobs

Major	Unemployment Rate	Underemployment Rate	Median Wage Early Career	Median Wage Mid-Career	Share with Graduate Degree
Agriculture	2.40%	52.10%	$45,000	$70,000	21.00%
Animal and Plant Sciences	4.40%	52.50%	$42,000	$67,000	34.70%
Environmental Studies	5.10%	50.20%	$45,000	$68,000	32.50%
Architecture	2.10%	29.10%	$50,000	$85,000	38.70%
Ethnic Studies	4.40%	53.70%	$45,000	$66,000	49.70%
Communications	5.80%	52.70%	$47,000	$75,000	24.20%
Journalism	6.50%	47.70%	$45,000	$75,000	27.00%
Mass Media	8.40%	51.70%	$40,000	$75,000	21.20%
Advertising and Public Relations	4.60%	39.20%	$50,000	$80,000	19.00%
Information Systems & Management	6.40%	24.70%	$54,000	$90,000	25.60%
Computer Science	4.80%	19.10%	$73,000	$105,000	31.80%
General Education	1.80%	22.90%	$40,200	$51,000	50.10%
Early Childhood Education	3.10%	24.50%	$40,000	$43,000	40.80%
Elementary Education	1.80%	15.20%	$40,000	$48,000	49.00%
Secondary Education	2.60%	27.00%	$40,400	$52,000	51.20%
Special Education	2.70%	17.70%	$40,000	$52,000	60.70%
Miscellaneous Education	0.60%	16.70%	$40,000	$56,000	56.60%
General Engineering	5.90%	25.30%	$60,000	$100,000	37.00%
Aerospace Engineering	6.60%	27.70%	$72,000	$112,000	49.40%
Chemical Engineering	4.10%	19.60%	$75,000	$120,000	47.40%
Civil Engineering	3.40%	15.10%	$65,000	$100,000	38.60%
Computer Engineering	3.70%	17.80%	$74,000	$114,000	40.00%
Electrical Engineering	3.20%	15.40%	$70,000	$109,000	47.70%
Industrial Engineering	4.60%	18.30%	$70,000	$100,000	36.90%
Mechanical Engineering	5.30%	15.80%	$70,000	$105,000	39.20%
Miscellaneous Engineering	3.40%	22.90%	$68,000	$100,000	45.80%
Foreign Language	7.80%	50.10%	$43,000	$65,000	50.50%
Family and Consumer Sciences	8.90%	47.90%	$37,000	$60,000	32.90%
English Language	6.30%	48.70%	$40,000	$65,000	47.50%
Liberal Arts	6.20%	55.20%	$40,000	$63,000	30.00%
Biology	4.70%	46.80%	$40,000	$75,000	62.90%
Biochemistry	4.70%	37.40%	$45,000	$85,000	70.30%
Miscellaneous Biological Science	6.30%	48.60%	$42,000	$70,000	60.90%
Mathematics	5.80%	30.70%	$59,000	$88,000	52.40%
Interdisciplinary Studies	4.80%	46.30%	$41,800	$70,000	37.70%
Nutrition Sciences	1.80%	45.00%	$45,000	$60,000	46.30%
Leisure and Hospitality	5.30%	58.60%	$38,000	$60,000	34.10%
Philosophy	9.10%	57.10%	$42,000	$68,000	56.50%
Theology and Religion	3.60%	35.50%	$36,000	$52,000	44.90%
Chemistry	3.40%	39.50%	$47,000	$85,000	65.40%
Earth Sciences	3.60%	38.80%	$40,000	$70,000	43.80%
Physics	6.10%	34.90%	$53,000	$80,000	69.80%
Miscellaneous Physical Sciences	5.50%	23.20%	$52,000	$104,000	57.10%
Psychology	4.70%	47.60%	$37,400	$65,000	51.00%
Criminal Justice	4.50%	71.30%	$43,900	$70,000	24.10%
Public Policy and Law	7.40%	49.40%	$45,000	$70,000	46.10%
Social Services	3.00%	27.70%	$37,000	$52,000	52.40%
Anthropology	6.50%	53.30%	$40,000	$65,000	46.30%
Economics	5.50%	35.30%	$60,000	$100,000	42.60%
Geography	4.40%	44.50%	$48,000	$75,000	32.60%
Political Science	6.90%	49.20%	$50,000	$80,000	53.60%
Sociology	9.00%	51.30%	$40,000	$61,000	38.30%
General Social Sciences	5.40%	50.60%	$43,000	$65,000	38.50%
Construction Services	1.40%	17.70%	$60,000	$100,000	9.90%
Art History	5.30%	48.80%	$48,000	$64,000	41.80%
Fine Arts	12.10%	55.40%	$40,000	$65,000	23.20%
Performing Arts	7.60%	64.00%	$39,000	$62,000	38.50%
Commercial Art & Graphic Design	7.90%	33.50%	$43,000	$70,000	11.80%
Health Services	5.20%	45.60%	$40,000	$60,000	51.80%
Medical Technicians	5.80%	59.50%	$51,000	$71,000	24.60%
Nursing	1.30%	10.10%	$55,000	$75,000	29.30%
Pharmacy	4.80%	14.70%	$55,000	$100,000	65.10%
Treatment Theraphy	5.70%	41.30%	$48,000	$69,000	50.70%
General Business	5.30%	52.40%	$50,000	$80,000	25.20%
Accounting	3.30%	22.60%	$54,000	$80,000	31.10%
Business Management	5.00%	55.10%	$46,000	$75,000	24.60%
Business Analytics	2.20%	24.80%	$66,000	$99,000	24.70%
Marketing	6.60%	52.00%	$50,000	$85,000	18.60%
Finance	4.10%	28.70%	$60,000	$100,000	30.60%
International Affairs	7.10%	49.30%	$50,000	$86,000	45.60%
History	5.80%	49.10%	$50,000	$70,000	50.20%
Engineering Technologies	7.10%	39.60%	$62,000	$90,000	24.30%
Miscellaneous Technologies	5.90%	48.40%	$48,000	$80,000	18.50%
Overall	5.10%	39.80%	$50,000	$75,000	38.70%

Mid-Career High Earners

If you’re thinking long-term, consider these majors that yield substantial incomes in mid-career:

Chemical Engineering: Mid-career median wage is $120,000.
Computer Engineering: $114,000.
Aerospace Engineering: $112,000.
Electrical Engineering: $109,000.
Computer Science: $105,000.
Mechanical Engineering: $105,000.
Miscellaneous Physical Sciences: $104,000.

Job Security Is Important

For those concerned about job security, these majors have some of the lowest unemployment rates:

Miscellaneous Education: Unemployment rate is just 0.60%.
Nursing: 1.30%.
Construction Services: 1.40%.
Nutrition Sciences: 1.80%.
General Education: 1.80%.
Elementary Education: 1.80%.

Avoiding Underemployment

If you wish to ensure full-time employment rather than part-time work, consider these majors with the lowest underemployment rates (ie. more people work full time rather than part time):

Nursing: Underemployment rate is only 10.10%.
Pharmacy: 14.70%.
Civil Engineering: 15.10%.
Elementary Education: 15.20%.
Electrical Engineering: 15.40%.

Keeping It Simple

For those who prefer not to pursue a graduate degree, these majors have very low rates of graduate degree attainment:

Construction Services: Only 9.90% of workforce have a graduate degree.
Commercial Art & Graphic Design: 11.80%.
Miscellaneous Technologies: 18.50%.
Marketing: 18.60%.
Advertising and Public Relations: 19.00%.

And here’s a gem for those who may not consider themselves academically inclined — Construction Services stands out as a compelling major:

It offers respectable pay with an early career median wage of $60,000 (ranked #12) and a mid-career median wage of $100,000 (ranked #8).
Job security is solid, with an unemployment rate of just 1.40% (ranked 3rd lowest) and an underemployment rate of 17.70% (ranked #8), which is still quite favorable.
Moreover, only 9.90% of graduates pursue a master’s degree in this field, making it highly competitive even without an advanced degree.

Fields to Avoid

If you aspire to live a financially secure life through your salary, without relying on financial windfalls, such as those from your parents, it’s important to carefully consider and maybe avoid these college majors:

Fine Arts: Unemployment rate as high as 12.10%, with a mid-career median annual salary of only $65,000.
Philosophy: Unemployment rate as high as 9.10%, with a mid-career median annual salary of $68,000.
Sociology: Unemployment rate is 9.00%, mid-career median annual salary is $61,000.
Family and Consumer Sciences: Unemployment rate is 8.90%, mid-career median annual salary is $60,000.
Mass Media: Unemployment rate is 8.40%, mid-career median annual salary is $75,000.

It’s a shame that early childhood and elementary school teachers have the lowest post-college incomes in America

Additionally, while these majors may not have high unemployment rates, their income levels are quite low, especially in the field of education:

Early Childhood Education: Although the unemployment rate is only 3.10%, the mid-career median annual salary is only $43,000, which is much lower than many other industries’ starting salaries.
Elementary Education: The unemployment rate is only 1.80%, and many places in the country have a shortage of elementary school teachers, but the mid-career median annual salary is only $48,000 (that probably explains the shortage).
General Education: Unemployment rate is 1.80%, but mid-career median annual salary is only $51,000.
Theology and Religious Studies: Unemployment rate is 3.60%, but mid-career median annual salary is only $52,000.
Social Services: Unemployment rate is 3.00%, mid-career median annual salary is $52,000.
Special Education: Unemployment rate is 2.70%, mid-career median annual salary is $52,000.
Secondary Education: Unemployment rate is 2.60%, mid-career median annual salary is $52,000.

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When choosing a major, remember that it’s not just about the numbers; your interests and passion should guide your decision. However, these insights can help you make a well-informed choice that aligns with your goals and aspirations.

1 references

[1]. Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Labor Market Outcomes of College Graduates by Major. Accessed Oct 22, 2023.

Derek Yang

I'm an immigrant living with my family in a small town on the East Coast. I love classical music, enjoy a good cup of coffee, and have a soft spot for BMWs. I believe in lifelong learning and look forward to connecting with you to share our life experiences. Twitter @mrderekyang.

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