Accounting and Business/Management Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Accounting and Business/Management maps to BLS occupations averaging about $63,776, with roughly 1,903,950 workers nationwide in those roles. About 567 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; median in-state published tuition is about $5,800.
Key Statistics
Accounting and Business/Management: what the data shows
Common questions about accounting and business/management degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a accounting and business/management degree?
A Accounting and Business/Management program is classified under NCES CIP 52.0305 in the Accounting and Related Services field family (52.03).
An integrated or combined program in accounting and business administration/management that prepares individuals to function as accountants and business managers
IPEDS counted 567 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of accounting and business/management degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 52.03 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Accounting (CIP 52.0301)
- Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping (CIP 52.0302)
- Accounting and Finance (CIP 52.0304)
- Auditing (CIP 52.0303)
How long does it take to get a accounting and business/management degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 52.0305 in our file:
- 218 Associate (20.3% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 567 Bachelor's (52.8% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 289 Master's (26.9% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What degree do you need?
For Sales & Office Occupations (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%). Bachelor's awards account for a majority of IPEDS completions for CIP 52.0305, but occupation data show multiple pathways.
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a accounting and business/management degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Accounting and Business/Management to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Sales & Office Occupations | 1,441,580 | — |
| Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs | 156,260 | $51,500 |
| Psychiatric Aides | 34,900 | $41,590 |
| Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers | 205,230 | $54,660 |
| Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers | 12,460 | $65,480 |
| Brickmasons and Blockmasons | 53,520 | $60,800 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a accounting and business/management degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Accounting and Related Services bachelor's program family: median debt $26,737, median earnings $76,194 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.50.
About 3.2% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $5,800 and median net price is $14,260.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Accounting and Business/Management and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$5,800 Median In-State Public
$33,595 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Accounting and Business/Management majors are, on average, $5,800 for in-state public colleges, and $33,595 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Accounting and Business/Management programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Accounting and Business/Management from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Accounting and Business/Management.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 2 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 3 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 4 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 5 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Accounting and Business/Management programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute | NM | $1,095 |
| 2 | Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute | NM | $1,095 |
| 3 | Barstow Community College | CA | $1,104 |
| 4 | Barstow Community College | CA | $1,104 |
| 5 | Taft College | CA | $1,108 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Accounting and Business/Management programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada College | CA | $32 |
| 2 | Canada College | CA | $32 |
| 3 | Fort Peck Community College | MT | $400 |
| 4 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
| 5 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Accounting and Business/Management programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Accounting and Business/Management programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Accounting and Business/Management is in PR (125 completions). That state represents about 22.1% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is PR (0.42% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| PR | 125 | 22.1% | 0.42% |
| VA | 65 | 11.5% | 0.05% |
| PA | 60 | 10.6% | 0.04% |
| DC | 45 | 7.9% | 0.20% |
| CA | 42 | 7.4% | 0.01% |
| NC | 31 | 5.5% | 0.03% |
| SD | 22 | 3.9% | 0.18% |
| GA | 19 | 3.4% | 0.02% |
| ID | 19 | 3.4% | 0.07% |
| TN | 17 | 3.0% | 0.02% |
| NY | 12 | 2.1% | 0.00% |
| TX | 12 | 2.1% | 0.00% |
| KY | 11 | 1.9% | 0.02% |
| MD | 11 | 1.9% | 0.01% |
| MI | 11 | 1.9% | 0.01% |
| SC | 11 | 1.9% | 0.02% |
| AL | 9 | 1.6% | 0.01% |
| FL | 8 | 1.4% | 0.00% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 52.03 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Accounting CIP 52.0301
- Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping CIP 52.0302
- Accounting and Finance CIP 52.0304
- Auditing CIP 52.0303
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 52.0305 in the survey year used in our extract (1,074 total across levels below).
- 218 Associate (20.3% of IPEDS total)
- 567 Bachelor's (52.8% of IPEDS total)
- 289 Master's (26.9% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $63,776. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Accounting and Business/Management graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Sales & Office Occupations | $62,097 | 1,441,580 |
| Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs | $64,234 | 156,260 |
| Psychiatric Aides | $51,699 | 34,900 |
| Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers | $74,559 | 205,230 |
| Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers | $62,247 | 12,460 |
| Brickmasons and Blockmasons | $74,538 | 53,520 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Accounting and Related Services CIP family (202 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Accounting and Business/Management graduate.
- $26,737 median federal loan debt among completers
- $76,194 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 0.50 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 3.2% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$63,776 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Accounting and Business/Management majors is $63,776.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Accounting and Business/Management majors.
Occupations by Share
1,903,950 2023 Workforce
The number of Accounting and Business/Management graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Accounting and Business/Management by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Accounting and Business/Management in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Accounting and Business/Management.
Age distribution for Accounting and Business/Management degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
567 Total Degrees Awarded
193 Male (34.04%)
374 Female (65.96%)
Gender distribution of Accounting and Business/Management degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
235 White (41.45%)
161 Hispanic or Latino (28.40%)
76 Black or African American (13.40%)
34 Asian (6.00%)
20 Two or More Races (3.53%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Accounting and Business/Management degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Accounting and Business/Management are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Accounting and Business/Management.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Accounting and Business/Management field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Accounting and Business/Management majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Accounting and Business/Management majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Accounting and Business/Management majors.
About
An integrated or combined program in accounting and business administration/management that prepares individuals to function as accountants and business managers
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Accounting and Business/Management.
CIP Code
52.0305 - Accounting and Business/Management
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $26,737 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $76,194, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.50. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Accounting and Business/Management graduate.
Women earned 63.1% of 1,270 Accounting and Business/Management completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $63,776. The largest mapped role by headcount is Sales & Office Occupations (1,441,580 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $5,800 in-state at public colleges and $33,595 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.