Humanities Majors
What humanities majors earn, why the largest major category pays the least on average, and how to make a humanities degree pay off.
By the Numbers
The highest-paying Humanities majors
Median earnings four years after graduation, nationally
| # | Major | Median earnings | Job growth | Colleges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Communication | $56,359 | +2.2% | 1,697 |
| 2 | Interdisciplinary Studies | $55,693 | +5.9% | 1,866 |
| 3 | Philosophy & Religion | $54,455 | +1.4% | 1,277 |
| 4 | Liberal Arts | $53,072 | +1.8% | 2,214 |
| 5 | Cultural Studies | $51,710 | +2.4% | 832 |
| 6 | History | $50,680 | +3.5% | 1,474 |
| 7 | Languages | $49,984 | +0.4% | 1,304 |
| 8 | English | $48,590 | +1.4% | 1,684 |
| 9 | Communications Tech | $44,889 | -5.7% | 652 |
| 10 | Theology | $44,533 | +1.9% | 621 |
| 11 | Visual & Performing Arts | $41,367 | +2.5% | 2,221 |
| 12 | Library Science | $36,949 | +2.8% | 127 |
What Humanities Majors Earn
Humanities is the largest major category, spanning 12 fields from English and history to communication and the arts, and on average it pays the least, about 49,000 dollars four years out. Within it the range is wide: communication and interdisciplinary studies lead near 56,000, while library science sits at the bottom of all majors around 37,000. The honest summary is that humanities trades starting pay for breadth. These are not worthless degrees, the skills they build are genuinely valuable, but the earnings data is clear that they start lower than most other categories, which changes how the value math has to work.
Why the Category Pays Less
Humanities pays less at the start largely because its skills are general rather than vocational. A nursing or engineering degree maps to a specific, well-paid role; an English or philosophy degree builds writing, analysis, and reasoning that apply everywhere and therefore command no single premium. That generality is a strength over a long career, as communication and critical thinking compound, but it means graduates rarely walk into a high-paying job named after their major. The gap with other fields is real early on and narrows over time, yet the early years are when low pay and student debt collide most painfully, which is why cost matters more here than anywhere.
Making a Humanities Degree Pay Off
Because starting pay is modest, the value of a humanities degree depends almost entirely on two choices: cost and direction. Keep the net price low, ideally well under the first-year salary, so even modest earnings produce a positive return and debt stays manageable. Then be deliberate about direction: build a marketable skill alongside the degree, seek internships, and target a specific career rather than assuming one will appear. The transferable skills are real and valuable, but converting them into earnings takes intention that vocational majors do not demand. Chosen at a low cost with a clear plan, a humanities degree can absolutely pay off.
The Findings on This Topic
Original data analyses built from the same federal sources. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
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The Lowest-Paying Degrees, and Whether They Are Worth It
The lowest-paying college program pays a median of $28,311 four years out. Only 11 of 314 programs land below the high-school benchmark. Here is the floor.
- Lowest-paying degrees
- Program earnings
- Worth it
- Net price
- Major choice
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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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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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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 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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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
Humanities pays less at the start, so the value math depends on keeping costs down and turning broad skills into a specific career path. Choose it for genuine interest and aptitude, attend at a low net price, and be deliberate about the work it leads to.
Career Path Explorer →Questions you might still have
Are humanities majors worth it?
They can be, but the math is tighter. Humanities pays the least on average, about 49,000 dollars four years out, so the value depends on keeping the net price low and turning the degree's broad skills into a specific career. For the right student at the right cost, it pays off.
Which humanities major pays the most?
Communication leads the category at about 56,000 dollars four years out, with interdisciplinary studies close behind. These applied, skills-focused fields tend to out-earn the more traditional arts and letters within the category.
What is the lowest-paying major?
Library science is the lowest-paying field overall at about 37,000 dollars four years out, and it sits within the humanities. Several arts fields are close behind. Low pay does not make these degrees worthless, but it raises the importance of low cost.
Do humanities degrees lead to jobs?
Yes, but less directly than vocational fields. Humanities builds writing, analysis, and communication skills that transfer across many roles, so graduates often find work in fields not named after their major. The path requires more deliberate career planning.
Is an English degree worth it?
It can be, at the right price. English pays about 49,000 dollars four years out, near the category average, and its writing and analytical skills transfer widely. The key is a low net price and a clear plan to convert the degree into a specific career.
How can I make a humanities degree pay off?
Keep the net price low, build a marketable skill alongside the degree, and target a specific career rather than waiting for one to appear. The transferable skills are real, but turning them into earnings takes intention that vocational majors do not require.
Related Topics
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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.
- Choosing a major
- Best college majors
- Major earnings
- College major
- Field of study
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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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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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