According to an analysis by the Federal Reserve of New York, six college degrees will leave graduates earning a median salary of $40,000 or less, five years after graduation.
The best salaries usually belong to graduates in technology and science fields. Photograph by Barry Austin
The analysis, released in February, took into account the earnings of recent college graduates and explored the labor market based on their college major. Data from the New York Federal Reserve analyzed the median salaries of graduates aged 22 to 27 in 2021.
The New York Federal Reserve found that the six lowest-paying majors are in the social sciences and liberal arts. By comparison, the highest-paying majors are all in the science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM, sectors. Notably, chemical engineers took the top spot in high salaries, with a median salary of $75,000 five years after graduation.
Take a look at the earnings of the lowest-paying majors, according to data from the New York Federal Reserve. Unemployment and underemployment rates – people who work but don’t do as much as they can – are also shared for each.
Entrants are ranked from highest to lowest median salary.