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Economics Salary (US)
US Bachelor’s graduates who studied Economics had a median income of $52,801 about one year after completing their degree — ranked #31 of 120 fields, above the $47,260 all-field median. A median, not a guarantee. Real U.S. Dept of Education College Scorecard data (public domain).
What do US Economics graduates typically earn after a Bachelor’s degree?
US Bachelor’s graduates who studied Economics had a median income of $52,801 about one year after completing their degree — ranking #31 of 120 fields and above the $47,260 all-field median. This is the typical (median) completer: half earned more, half earned less. It is not a guarantee. Source: U.S. Dept of Education College Scorecard (public domain).
This page shows the typical (median) early-career income of US graduates who studied Economics at Bachelor’s level, from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard field-of-study data. The median is the middle completer who was working and not enrolled in further study — half earned more and half earned less — so it describes a typical outcome about one year after completion rather than a promise. Earnings usually rise with experience.
Economics graduate earnings — the numbers
| Measure | Economics | All fields |
|---|---|---|
| Median income, ~1 year after completion | $52,801 | $47,260 |
| Rank by median earnings | #31 of 120 | — |
| Institution-level program medians rolled up | 360 | 25,739 |
| Working, non-enrolled completers | 29,348 | 2,523,626 |
Based on 29,348 working, non-enrolled completers across 360 institution- level program medians (2018-19 & 2019-20 award-year cohorts (about one year after completion)). College Scorecard measures earnings only about one year after completion; pay typically rises with experience beyond this point.
What this means
A median of $52,801 places Economics at #31 of 120 fields, $5,541 above the $47,260 all-field median. Because this is the typical completer one year out, the field you study is only one of many factors — institution, region, role and experience all shape what an individual actually earns, and earnings generally rise across a career.
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Pick a field of study to compare its typical (median) early-career earnings against the all-field median. Every figure is a real published College Scorecard median — not a guarantee.
Median early-career income
$52,801
Rank (of 120)
#31
Completers behind it
29,348
The $52,801 median for Economics is $5,541 above the $47,260 all-field median. It rolls up 360 published institution-level program medians.
Medians, not guarantees or averages. Figures are completer-count-weighted medians of real published College Scorecard institution-level program medians for Bachelor’s completers who were working and not enrolled, measured about one year after completion. Individual earnings vary by institution, region, role and experience. Nothing here is modelled or interpolated.
Economics salary — FAQ
- What is the typical salary for US Economics graduates?
- The median income for US Bachelor’s graduates who studied Economics was $52,801 about one year after completing their degree (2018-19 & 2019-20 award-year cohorts (about one year after completion)). The median is the typical completer who was working and not enrolled in further study — half earned more and half earned less. This figure rolls up 360 published institution-level program medians covering 29,348 completers. Source: U.S. Dept of Education College Scorecard (public domain).
- Where does Economics rank among US fields of study for earnings?
- By median early-career earnings, Economics ranks #31 of 120 Bachelor’s fields in this College Scorecard rollup. Its $52,801 median is above the $47,260 all-field median. Rankings reflect typical outcomes by field, not the earning potential of any one graduate. Source: U.S. Dept of Education College Scorecard (public domain).
- Is a Economics graduate guaranteed to earn $52,801?
- No. $52,801 is the median — the typical completer, not a guarantee or an average. Half of Economics graduates earned less and half earned more, and individual earnings vary widely by institution, region, role and person. The figure also measures earnings only about one year after completion; pay typically rises with experience. Source: U.S. Dept of Education College Scorecard (public domain).
- How is this earnings figure calculated?
- College Scorecard publishes one median per institution per program and suppresses small cells for privacy, so there is no single official national median per field. The figure here is the completer-count-weighted median of the published per-institution program medians for Economics at Bachelor’s level (W-2 wages plus positive self-employment income from IRS records, for completers who were working and not enrolled). It is a transparent rollup of real published medians — not an official Department of Education figure and not an average.
- Is this real government data?
- Yes. Every input is a published U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard "Field of Study" median (release updated 2026-06-10), in the U.S. Government public domain. No figure is modelled, estimated, or interpolated — only real published institution-level medians are rolled up.
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Source: U.S. Department of Education — College Scorecard, Field of Study (Bachelor’s). Figures are from the College Scorecard Field of Study release (updated 2026-06-10), covering US Bachelor’s completers who were working and not enrolled in further study, measured about one year after completion (W-2 wages plus positive self-employment income, IRS records). U.S. Government public domain. The $52,801 headline is a completer-count-weighted median of real published institution-level program medians — the typical graduate, not an average and not a guarantee. Last refreshed 2026-06-27. No figure is modelled or interpolated.