History graduates earn $50,680 four years out. The middle 50% of earners fall between $36,330 and $66,736. Where you land depends on specialization, employer, and how far you advance in the field.
This page covers History as a course of study: what it costs, where it is taught, and what graduates go on to earn. It sits inside the wider field of History and how it pays overall, which is the better comparison if you are still choosing between subjects.
History is a specialized field of study. Pick this and you can expect to earn around $50,680 four years out, a solid return for a focused credential. You will not have trouble finding it: 1,474 colleges offer this program, from community colleges to research universities. About 31,255 students complete it each year, most walking away with a bachelor's. The focus is on writing, analysis, and communication that transfer across industries.
Median Earnings · 1yr
$31,215
Median Earnings · 4yr
$50,680
Colleges Offering
1,474
Graduates / Year
31,255
Avg Net Price / yr
$17,074
How Much Do History Graduates Earn?
Four years after finishing History, a typical graduate earns $50,680, below average for bachelor's degree holders. Half of earners land somewhere between $36,330 and $66,736, so where you end up depends on the job and the employer. Do not judge the field on a starting paycheck alone: pay tends to jump in the first few years, climbing from $31,215 at one year out to $50,680 by year four. Source: College Scorecard.
Starting salaries only. Earnings in this field grow substantially in the first 3 to 5 years.
$50,680
4-Year National Median
Below average for bachelor's degree holders.
$50,591
4-Year Institutional Median
Median of per-school medians. Each reporting college counts equally, regardless of size.
Earnings Range
Not every History graduate ends up in the same place. Earnings spread out a moderate amount, so know what pushes people to one end or the other. Career path divergence explains most of the range. Law, consulting, and tech-adjacent roles pull the top end up; writing, education, and nonprofit roles tend to sit near the bottom.
$36,33025th pct.
$50,680Median
$66,73675th pct.
A Solid Financial Return
Solid ROI. At median 4-year earnings of $50,680 and an estimated $68,296 four-year net cost, the typical graduate reaches earnings breakeven in roughly 3.3 years.
Based on outcomes from 1,267 schools.
Colleges with fewer than 30 graduates are excluded from national averages.
Who Studies This? Credential Breakdown
Of the 31,255 students who complete History programs each year, the majority (77%) earn a bachelor's degree.
The breakdown below shows the full credential distribution.
77%
Bachelor's77%
Master's12%
Associate's8%
What Can You Do With a History Degree?
This degree does not lock you into one job. History graduates show up in 6 different occupations, and Natural Sciences Managers pay the most at $167,220/yr median. Expand any card below to see daily responsibilities, in-demand skills, and 10-year growth projections.
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, statistics, and research and development in these fields.
Hire, supervise, or evaluate engineers, technicians, researchers, or other staff.
Design or coordinate successive phases of problem analysis, solution proposals, or testing.
Plan or direct research, development, or production activities.
Teach courses in human history and historiography. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as ancient history, postwar civilizations, and the history of third-world countries.
Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
Appraise, edit, and direct safekeeping of permanent records and historically valuable documents. Participate in research activities based on archival materials.
Organize archival records and develop classification systems to facilitate access to archival materials.
Provide reference services and assistance for users needing archival materials.
Prepare archival records, such as document descriptions, to allow easy access to information.
Administer collections, such as artwork, collectibles, historic items, or scientific specimens of museums or other institutions. May conduct instructional, research, or public service activities of institution.
Plan and organize the acquisition, storage, and exhibition of collections and related materials, including the selection of exhibition themes and designs, and develop or install exhibit materials.
Develop and maintain an institution's registration, cataloging, and basic record-keeping systems, using computer databases.
Plan and conduct special research projects in area of interest or expertise.
Active ListeningReading ComprehensionSpeakingCritical ThinkingWriting
Day-to-day responsibilities
Restore, maintain, or prepare objects in museum collections for storage, research, or exhibit. May work with specimens such as fossils, skeletal parts, or botanicals; or artifacts, textiles, or art. May identify and record objects or install and arrange them in exhibits. Includes book or document conservators.
Install, arrange, assemble, and prepare artifacts for exhibition, ensuring the artifacts' safety, reporting their status and condition, and identifying and correcting any problems with the set up.
Repair, restore, and reassemble artifacts, designing and fabricating missing or broken parts, to restore them to their original appearance and prevent deterioration.
Clean objects, such as paper, textiles, wood, metal, glass, rock, pottery, and furniture, using cleansers, solvents, soap solutions, and polishes.
Top Colleges for History
Not sure where to study History? These 20 colleges graduate the most students in it each year. Scroll right to compare acceptance rate, net price, and median earnings side by side.
Ranked by History graduate volume. Scroll right to compare key stats.
Read our methodology →
Related Humanities Programs
History stands alone in its major group, so there is nothing narrower to compare it to. The 11 programs below come from the broader Humanities field instead. Line up their 4-year median earnings against History to see how it fits.
Decide with data, not guesswork. These tools turn the numbers on this page
into a personal plan. Estimate the real cost of a History program, compare colleges side-by-side, weigh the long-term payoff, and find
schools that match your profile.
The data on History shows 4 measurable strengths and 4 real trade-offs. All points are sourced from College Scorecard earnings, BLS projections, and IPEDS graduate counts.
PROS
Strong salary growthMedian earnings climb from $31,215 at graduation to $50,680 four years later, a clear sign of career momentum in this field.
Fast-growing fieldRelated careers are projected to grow up to +8.2% over the next decade, with Natural Sciences Managers among the fastest-growing roles.
Strong hiring volumeRelated occupations generate more than 78,500 job openings per year combined, creating consistent demand for graduates.
Wide availabilityOffered at 1,474 colleges nationwide, with options at every price point and institution type.
CONS
Modest median earningsFour-year median of $50,680 lags STEM and business fields, affecting ROI at higher-cost programs.
Advanced degree often expectedTop roles in this field typically expect a master's degree or higher. A bachelor's may be a starting point rather than a terminal credential for the most competitive positions.
Declining roles in some areas1 related career show negative 10-year employment projections. Research specific roles before committing.
High earnings varianceGap between 25th ($36,330) and 75th ($66,736) percentile is wide. Where you land depends heavily on employer, role, and location.
History Degree: Frequently Asked Questions
How much do History graduates earn?
$50,680 four years after finishing the program. Half of graduates land between $36,330 and $66,736, so employer, role, and location move that number more than the degree itself. Source: College Scorecard.
What is the starting salary for a History degree?
$31,215 in the first year out. That grows to $50,680 by year four, so do not judge this field on the entry-level number alone. Most of the gain shows up once you clear the first few years and move past entry-level roles. Source: College Scorecard.
What jobs can you get with a History degree?
Natural Sciences Managers are one path, and it pays a median of $167,220 a year. It is not the only one: the Career Paths section below lists every occupation graduates actually go into, with wages and 10-year growth for each.
How long does a History program take?
Four years of full-time study for a History bachelor's degree, the standard timeline for this field. If you want a faster route into the workforce, community colleges offer a two-year associate option instead.
How many colleges offer History?
1,474 colleges and universities, so you are not short on options. That range runs from community colleges granting certificates and associate degrees to research universities with full doctoral tracks. Source: IPEDS.
Is a History degree worth it?
$50,680 median earnings four years out against $17,074 a year in average net price. That is a reasonable payback window, best at lower-cost schools and in high-demand roles. Use the Top Colleges section below to compare specific schools before deciding. Source: College Scorecard.
What skills do employers look for in History graduates?
Coursework alone will not get you hired. Employers hiring History graduates consistently look for writing, critical analysis, and cross-cultural communication. Employers value the ability to synthesize complex information clearly, skills that transfer into communications, law, consulting, and content roles. Build those into your coursework and internships now, and the job search later gets easier.
What is the job outlook for History graduates?
Outlook is moderate overall: related occupations average +3.3% projected job growth over the next 10 years. Natural Sciences Managers are among the strongest-growth roles at +8.2%. That average hides real differences by role and location, so check the Career Paths section below for the projection on each specific occupation before you count on any single number.
Related Guides
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Choose a Major Pillar
A decision framework for picking a college major using your interests, aptitudes, and federal earnings data to reach a defensible choice before applying.
Yes, most schools allow it, but the schedule math rarely works without either overlapping requirements or extra time. Here's when it actually fits in four years.
The real cost of a second major, when it pays back and when it doesn't, and why a focused single major with a relevant minor often beats a double major.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
All 38 Majors, Ranked by What Graduates Earn
The highest-earning college major out-pays the lowest by a factor of two and a half. The full ranking of all 38 fields by median graduate earnings, with job growth alongside.
Major earnings
Highest paying majors
Job growth
STEM
Field of study
Does Engineering Tech Out-Earn Engineering? The Data Says No
A popular claim holds that the applied engineering-tech degree pays more than the theoretical one. Across every program, engineering wins by about $10,000.
Engineering tech
Engineering
Program earnings
Applied degree
Technician careers
STEM Is Not One Thing: The Pay Gap Within STEM
Across 88 STEM programs the top one out-earns the bottom by $65,000 a year. Operations research pays $122,531; environmental design pays $57,461.
STEM earnings
Engineering pay
Computer science
Program earnings
Major choice
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
