The 10 worst-paying college majors, five years after graduation

College graduates who studied wide arts oregon acquisition aren't apt to marque a batch of wealth successful their careers, but a grade successful theology results successful the lowest payout of all majors close aft college, caller information reveals.

Graduates who large successful theology and religion gain median salaries of $36,000 5 years aft college, according to a New York Federal Reserve analysis. As an hourly wage for full-time work, that comes retired to conscionable implicit $17 per hour.

That's followed by household and user science, societal service, psychology, performing arts and leisure and hospitality majors, who each marque little than $40,000 5 years aft graduation.

Here's a look astatine however overmuch graduates with the lowest-paying majors gain aboriginal successful their careers:

Median wage for each of the majors connected the database is astatine slightest $6,500 little than the median wage for each majors, which is $46,500. 

While teachers thin to person bully occupation security, summers disconnected and pensions, they're mostly paid by authorities governments, which haven't kept wages successful enactment with ostentation implicit the years. Likewise, theology majors often enactment successful acquisition roles that don't typically wage well.

In contrast, the highest-paying majors are each successful STEM fields, an acronym for science, technology, engineering and math. STEM jobs are successful precocious request since they are expected to turn doubly arsenic accelerated arsenic non-STEM jobs through 2031. The 10 best-paid majors 5 years aft assemblage are mostly subsets of engineering. Chemical engineers took the No. 1 spot with a median wage of $75,000.

Later connected successful their careers, the wage disparity astir doubles, arsenic graduates with the lowest-paying majors gain median salaries little than $60,000 portion graduates with the highest-paying majors marque implicit six figures.

Here's a look astatine the rankings for mid-career graduates:

Data for this survey was compiled from U.S. Census reports from 2021, the astir caller available. Specifically, the information is based connected assemblage graduates who enactment full-time, person a bachelor's grade lone and are ages 22 to 27. Data for mid-career graduates is based connected those aged 35 to 45 who person earned a bachelor's grade oregon higher.

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