Choosing a College Major
How much your major really matters for earnings, which fields and categories pay the most, and how to choose without chasing salary alone.
By the Numbers
Some fields pay far more than others
Average median earnings four years out, by major category
| # | Major | Category | Median earnings | Job growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Engineering Tech | STEM | $93,843 | +1.9% |
| 2 | Computer Science | STEM | $92,374 | +10% |
| 3 | Construction | Trades | $90,924 | +4.7% |
| 4 | Engineering | STEM | $86,517 | +4% |
| 5 | Transportation | Trades | $85,825 | +2.7% |
| 6 | Mechanics & Repair | Trades | $80,809 | +3.5% |
| 7 | Military Tech | Trades | $75,390 | +2.3% |
| 8 | Mathematics | STEM | $69,562 | +10.5% |
| 9 | Science Tech | STEM | $68,416 | -0.2% |
| 10 | Business | Business | $68,257 | +4.7% |
How Much Does Your Major Matter?
More than almost any other college decision. Across 38 fields of study, median earnings four years out run from about 94,000 dollars at the top, engineering technology, down to under 37,000 at the bottom, library science. That spread, more than 50,000 dollars a year between the highest and lowest fields, dwarfs the earnings difference between most colleges. It is the central fact of choosing a major: the field you pick moves your earnings more than the name on your diploma ever will. That makes the major decision the highest-leverage one in college, and the one most worth making with real data in front of you.
The Six Major Categories, by Pay
Step back from individual majors and the categories tell a clear story. STEM pays the most, averaging about 77,500 dollars four years out, but the skilled trades are a close and surprising second near 67,000. Business follows around 61,000 and health near 58,000, both anchored by steady demand. Social studies averages about 54,000, and humanities, the largest category with 12 fields, pays the least at around 49,000. None of this makes a category good or bad, but it does set expectations: some fields start high, others start modest and depend more on what you do after graduation.
How to Choose a Major Without Chasing Only Salary
Earnings should inform the choice, not dictate it. The best major is one you can actually finish, in work you will accept doing, at a cost you can repay, and the data helps most as a tie-breaker between fields you are already drawn to. A high-paying major you abandon is worth nothing; a moderate-paying one you complete and build a career on is worth a great deal. Start from genuine interest and aptitude, narrow to fields with acceptable demand and pay, then keep the net price low so even a modest starting salary produces a strong return.
The Findings on This Topic
Original data analyses built from the same federal sources. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
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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
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The Best Major Out-Earns the Worst by 2.5 to 1
The top-paying major returns $93,843 a decade out. The bottom returns $36,949. The gap is 2.5x, and the two ends share almost nothing in common.
- Major earnings
- Engineering tech
- Library science
- Earnings gap
- Field of study
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The Most Common Majors vs the Most Lucrative
The five most-awarded majors graduate 2.9 million students a year, yet only one of them cracks the top five by pay. Popularity and paychecks barely overlap.
- Most common majors
- Major earnings
- Completions
- Popular degrees
- Major pay gap
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The Sweet Spot: Majors With High Pay and High Growth
Only 12 of 38 college majors clear both an above-median salary and above-median job growth. Two of them, math and computer science, stand alone with double-digit growth.
- Job growth
- Major earnings
- Computer science
- Mathematics
- STEM majors
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The Majors Where Your Salary Is a Coin Flip
In a handful of fields, the top quarter of graduates out-earn the bottom quarter by more than 100,000 dollars. The same degree pays wildly differently.
- Earnings range
- Major pay
- Salary spread
- Program earnings
- Income risk
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Is More School Always Worth It? The Full Pay Ladder
Average pay rises with each degree level until the top two rungs, where a master's pays slightly less than a bachelor's and the ladder stops climbing.
- Entry education
- Median wage
- Degree premium
- Pay ladder
- Career earnings
Tools for This Topic
What This Means for You
Choose a major you can finish and that leads to work you will accept, then use the earnings data to break ties, not to override genuine fit. The widest earnings gaps are between fields, so a clear-eyed choice of major is the highest-leverage decision you make in college.
Career Path Explorer →Questions you might still have
Does your major affect how much you earn?
Enormously. Across 38 fields, median earnings four years out range from about 94,000 dollars for the highest-paying to under 37,000 for the lowest. The choice of major affects earnings more than the choice of college does.
What is the highest-paying college major?
Engineering technology leads at about 94,000 dollars four years after graduation, followed closely by computer science. STEM and skilled-trade fields dominate the top of the earnings table.
What is the lowest-paying college major?
Library science is the lowest-paying field at about 37,000 dollars four years out, with several arts and humanities fields close behind. Lower starting pay does not make a degree worthless, but it raises the importance of keeping costs down.
Which category of majors pays the most?
STEM pays the most on average, around 77,500 dollars four years out, with the skilled trades a surprising second near 67,000. Business and health follow, and humanities pays the least on average.
Should I choose a major based on salary?
Use salary to inform the decision, not to make it alone. The earnings gaps between fields are large enough to matter, but a high-paying major you dislike or cannot finish is a worse outcome than a moderate-paying one you complete and enjoy.
Does the major matter more than the college?
Yes. Earnings vary far more across majors than across colleges, so two graduates from the same school in different fields often earn very different salaries. The field of study is the higher-leverage choice.
Related Topics
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STEM Majors
What STEM majors earn on the federal data, why the category leads on pay, the spread within it, and which fields pair top salaries with fast job growth.
- STEM majors
- Engineering
- Computer science
- STEM earnings
- Best STEM major
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Earnings and Salary Outcomes
What college graduates actually earn on the federal data: typical salaries a decade out, how earnings grow with time, and why your major matters more than your school.
- College earnings
- Salary
- Graduate outcomes
- Earnings by major
- Return on degree
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College Value and ROI
What a degree is really worth, on the federal data: net price, 10-year earnings, and the colleges that return the most for every dollar paid.
- College ROI
- College value
- Net price
- Earnings
- Is college worth it
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