Graduate Salary by Degree Field
See the salary outlook and related occupations for a degree field.
Source: US BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics; BLS Employment Projections · May 2024 wages; 2025-35 projections — US only · last verified 2026-09-13
Source: US BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics · May 2024 — state all-occupations median relative to the national median · last verified 2026-09-13
How this is calculated
Each degree field maps to a representative occupation with national median, 25th and 75th percentile salaries and a 10-year growth outlook. Your years of experience and optional state selection scale the baseline figures to give a more personalized estimate.
This current-year salary snapshot pairs well with the Lifetime Earnings calculator, which projects a similar baseline forward across your full remaining career rather than a single point in time. If you're preparing to negotiate an offer using figures like these, see the Salary Negotiation Brief.
Frequently asked questions
- How is years of experience factored in?
- A career-progression multiplier scales the national baseline salary based on typical entry-to-senior wage growth: roughly 0.72x at 0-2 years, rising to 1.4x at 25+ years.
- Why is the state optional?
- Leave it unselected for the national baseline, or pick a state to apply a regional salary index for a handful of major states.
- How do earnings vary by experience level?
- Earnings typically follow a career-progression curve — entry-level pay starts below the field baseline, then rises through mid-career and peaks in senior years. This calculator applies a multiplier ranging from roughly 0.72× at 0–2 years of experience up to 1.4× at 25+ years.
- Which degree fields have the highest earnings?
- Fields tied to engineering, computer science, and certain specialised professional degrees (medicine, law) consistently post the highest median salaries in published labour statistics, while fields in the arts, humanities, and some social sciences tend to post lower median salaries — though individual outcomes vary widely within any field.
- How quickly do earnings typically grow?
- Growth is generally fastest in the first decade of a career as workers move from entry-level to mid-level roles, then slows in later career stages as it approaches a plateau — the 0.72× to 1.4× experience multiplier used here reflects that typical shape.
- Does location affect the salary figures?
- Yes — the optional US state selection applies a regional salary index for a handful of major states, since cost of living and local labour market conditions can meaningfully shift salaries away from the national baseline for the same field and experience level.