In the newest federal data, engineering, computer science and nursing graduates earn the most soon after college: a median of about $73,000 to $88,000 a year one year after graduating, compared with $49,100 across all majors. The lowest early earnings are in the arts and some life sciences, around $26,000 to $36,000. But early pay isn't the whole story. By four years out, earnings in biology, psychology and the humanities rise 40% to 60%, while nursing barely changes.
Where these numbers come from, and how we calculated them
- The source is the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, field-of-study data released October 15, 2026. The earnings come from federal tax records and are adjusted to 2024 dollars.
- "1 year after graduating" is the median earnings of bachelor's graduates from 2020–21 and 2021–22, measured in 2022 and 2023. "4 years after graduating" is a different, earlier group: graduates from 2017–18 and 2018–19, measured in the same years. Both count only graduates who were working and not enrolled in school.
- Who's included: only graduates who received federal grants or loans, about half to two-thirds of students at most colleges. Programs with too few graduates are left out by the Department of Education to protect privacy.
- Which colleges: bachelor's programs at the 395 four-year colleges in Lens's college search (388 of them report earnings for at least one program).
- How we combined them: a major is offered at many colleges, each with its own median. For each major, we took the middle of those college medians, weighting each by its number of graduates with earnings. We list only majors with earnings reported at 20 or more colleges, and we group majors the way the Department of Education does (by four-digit CIP code). The calculations are Lens's own.
- What earnings can't tell you: they reflect who chooses a field, where graduates live and which jobs they take, not only what the major teaches. They say nothing about how satisfying the work is.
Earnings by area of study
| Area of study | 1 year after | 4 years after | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering | $77,500 | $94,500 | +22% |
| Computer Science / Data Science | $77,000 | $103,500 | +34% |
| Health Sciences / Nursing | $75,800 | $75,400 | 0% |
| Economics | $62,400 | $85,400 | +37% |
| Business | $58,300 | $77,500 | +33% |
| Natural Sciences | $47,000 | $66,400 | +41% |
| Education / Teaching | $46,100 | $51,400 | +11% |
| Political Science / Pre-Law | $44,700 | $66,100 | +48% |
| Communications / Media / Journalism | $44,400 | $60,400 | +36% |
| Social Work / Human Services | $42,000 | $54,000 | +29% |
| Humanities | $38,300 | $53,900 | +41% |
| Psychology | $37,300 | $53,400 | +43% |
| Biological & Life Sciences | $37,100 | $59,700 | +61% |
| Arts & Design | $34,600 | $47,500 | +37% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data (October 2026), bachelor's programs at 395 colleges; medians in 2024 dollars, calculated by Lens. Areas are the 14 used in Lens's Major Ideas. The two columns describe different graduating classes, so "Change" is a comparison, not one group's raise.
The highest-paying majors
| Major | 1 year after graduating | 4 years after graduating | Colleges reporting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer engineering | $87,800 | $112,700 | 108 |
| Computer science | $86,000 | $119,700 | 186 |
| Electrical engineering | $83,000 | $101,100 | 164 |
| Nursing | $82,200 | $87,300 | 217 |
| Chemical engineering | $81,100 | $98,600 | 124 |
| Industrial engineering | $80,700 | $99,100 | 65 |
| Construction engineering technology | $79,500 | $95,800 | 35 |
| Aerospace engineering | $79,300 | $97,200 | 55 |
| Materials engineering | $77,700 | $90,800 | 28 |
| Mechanical engineering | $76,700 | $93,000 | 199 |
| Construction management | $76,100 | $93,900 | 29 |
| Computer and information sciences | $75,900 | $100,700 | 188 |
| General engineering | $74,800 | $93,800 | 20 |
| Electrical engineering technology | $74,500 | $87,900 | 20 |
| Civil engineering | $73,400 | $86,800 | 151 |
| Biomedical engineering | $72,800 | $95,700 | 102 |
| Clinical laboratory science | $72,600 | $79,700 | 52 |
| Applied mathematics | $72,300 | $101,100 | 32 |
| Allied health (diagnostic and treatment) | $71,600 | $76,500 | 52 |
| Statistics | $70,900 | $93,400 | 53 |
Source: College Scorecard field-of-study data (October 2026); medians in 2024 dollars, calculated by Lens across bachelor's programs at 395 colleges. Majors with earnings at 20 or more colleges.
A few other common majors, for comparison: finance ($64,700 one year after, $87,700 four years after), accounting ($64,500, $84,700), economics ($62,400, $85,400), business administration ($56,200, $73,700), marketing ($55,000, $73,000), mathematics ($55,000, $76,300), political science ($44,100, $65,900), communication ($44,700, $60,400) and psychology ($37,300, $52,700).
Majors with the lowest early earnings
| Major | 1 year after graduating | 4 years after graduating | Colleges reporting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graphic communications | $25,800 | $43,100 | 25 |
| Dance | $27,800 | $44,000 | 34 |
| Film and photography | $31,400 | $49,800 | 84 |
| Theater | $31,600 | $41,900 | 137 |
| Fine and studio art | $31,900 | $44,000 | 193 |
| Linguistics | $32,600 | $53,100 | 59 |
| Visual and performing arts | $33,000 | $47,300 | 27 |
| Communication sciences and disorders | $33,300 | $60,400 | 59 |
| Zoology | $33,400 | $44,200 | 24 |
| Wildlife science | $33,700 | $45,400 | 20 |
| Ecology and evolutionary biology | $34,300 | $49,800 | 50 |
| Physiology | $34,900 | $63,500 | 36 |
| Music | $35,400 | $46,500 | 127 |
| Anthropology | $35,800 | $48,000 | 116 |
| Biology | $36,400 | $59,900 | 328 |
Source: College Scorecard field-of-study data (October 2026); medians in 2024 dollars, calculated by Lens. Majors with earnings at 20 or more colleges.
Lower-paying isn't useless
Searches for "useless majors" are common, and the numbers above can seem to answer them. They don't, for three reasons.
- Many of these fields lead to graduate school. One year out, the data counts only graduates who are working and not in school, so a biology major in medical school, or a communication sciences major finishing the master's degree that speech-language pathologists need, isn't in the first column. By four years out, many have finished, and earnings in those fields rise sharply: biology from $36,400 to $59,900, physiology from $34,900 to $63,500, communication sciences and disorders from $33,300 to $60,400.
- Some fields are paid by public budgets, not markets. Teachers and social workers earn less than engineers, and their pay rises slowly (education grows about 11% between the two columns). That reflects how those jobs are funded, not their value to the people they serve.
- Pay is one part of a working life. Research spanning more than 60 years finds that when people's interests fit their field of study or work, they tend to perform better and stay longer (Nye and colleagues, 2012). A field you care about may serve you better than one chosen for its starting salary.
Early pay isn't the whole story
The largest early salaries often come from programs that train students for a specific job: nursing, engineering, clinical laboratory science. Those graduates start strong, but their earnings grow less in the years that follow; nursing changes by about 6% between the two columns. Broader fields start lower and grow faster.
The economist David Deming has found the same pattern over a longer span. In a 2020 study with Kadeem Noray, he found that graduates in applied science and technology fields start with a large pay advantage that shrinks over their first decade, because the specific skills those jobs require change quickly. See what Deming's research says about college.
How to use these numbers
- Start with what interests you. Use earnings to understand a field, not to choose one on pay alone.
- Look at a specific college's program. The College Scorecard lets you look up earnings for a major at a particular college, where enough graduates report.
- Count the path, not just the degree. If a field usually leads to graduate school, its four-year numbers say more than its one-year numbers.
- Weigh cost too. What you'll pay matters as much as what you'll earn. See what families actually pay at 395 colleges, by income. You may pay less if receiving grants or scholarships.
Lens's Major Ideas suggest areas of study that fit your interests, personality and values, using seven research-backed assessments. Start with Lens →
FAQ
What is the highest-paying major? In the October 2026 College Scorecard data, computer engineering ($87,800) and computer science ($86,000) have the highest median earnings one year after graduating. Four years out, computer science leads at $119,700.
What majors make the most money? Engineering, computer science and nursing have the highest early earnings, followed by economics, finance and accounting.
What are the lowest-paying majors? Arts majors such as graphic communications, dance, theater and fine art, along with some life sciences such as zoology and ecology, have the lowest median earnings one year after graduating, between about $26,000 and $36,000.
Are there useless majors? Earnings alone can't say. Many lower-paying majors lead to graduate school or to public-service careers, and research finds that interest in your field matters for how well you do and how long you stay.
How much do psychology majors make? Psychology graduates earned a median of $37,300 one year after graduating and $52,700 four years after. Many go on to graduate school, which isn't reflected in the first number.
How much do nursing majors make? Nursing graduates earned a median of $82,200 one year after graduating and $87,300 four years after, among the highest early earnings of any major.
Related
- What college should I go to? What the research says matters most
- David Deming on college: elite colleges, skills and majors
- Which students thrive where? Personality and college fit
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Data by Field of Study (released October 15, 2026), and data dictionary.
- Deming, D.J., & Noray, K. (2020). Earnings dynamics, changing job skills, and STEM careers. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 135(4).
- Nye, C.D., Su, R., Rounds, J., & Drasgow, F. (2012). Vocational interests and performance. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 7(4).