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History Salary (US)
US Bachelor’s graduates who studied History had a median income of $31,852 about one year after completing their degree — ranked #100 of 120 fields, below 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 History graduates typically earn after a Bachelor’s degree?
US Bachelor’s graduates who studied History had a median income of $31,852 about one year after completing their degree — ranking #100 of 120 fields and below 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 History 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.
History graduate earnings — the numbers
| Measure | History | All fields |
|---|---|---|
| Median income, ~1 year after completion | $31,852 | $47,260 |
| Rank by median earnings | #100 of 120 | — |
| Institution-level program medians rolled up | 399 | 25,739 |
| Working, non-enrolled completers | 17,835 | 2,523,626 |
Based on 17,835 working, non-enrolled completers across 399 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 $31,852 places History at #100 of 120 fields, $15,408 below 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.
US college salary comparator
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
$31,852
Rank (of 120)
#100
Completers behind it
17,835
The $31,852 median for History is $15,408 below the $47,260 all-field median. It rolls up 399 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.
History salary — FAQ
- What is the typical salary for US History graduates?
- The median income for US Bachelor’s graduates who studied History was $31,852 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 399 published institution-level program medians covering 17,835 completers. Source: U.S. Dept of Education College Scorecard (public domain).
- Where does History rank among US fields of study for earnings?
- By median early-career earnings, History ranks #100 of 120 Bachelor’s fields in this College Scorecard rollup. Its $31,852 median is below 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 History graduate guaranteed to earn $31,852?
- No. $31,852 is the median — the typical completer, not a guarantee or an average. Half of History 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 History 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.
Compare with similar-earning fields
- Psychology, General$32,276
- Computer Software and Media Applications$32,159
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management$32,065
- Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General$32,008
- Design and Applied Arts$31,459
- Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness$31,167
- Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies$31,140
- Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences$29,884
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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 $31,852 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.