Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry maps to BLS occupations averaging about $63,776, with roughly 1,903,950 workers nationwide in those roles. Median in-state published tuition is about $4,612; common paths include Sales & Office Occupations and Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs.
Key Statistics
Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry: what the data shows
Common questions about business/office automation/technology/data entry degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a business/office automation/technology/data entry degree?
A Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry program is classified under NCES CIP 52.0407 in the Business Operations Support and Assistant Services field family (52.04).
A program that prepares individuals to support business information operations by using computer equipment to enter, process, and retrieve data for a wide variety of administrative purposes. Includes instruction in using basic business software and hardware, business computer networking, principles of desktop publishing, preparing mass mailings, compiling and editing spreadsheets, list maintenance, preparing tables and graphs, receipt control, and preparing business performance reports
IPEDS counted 33 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of business/office automation/technology/data entry degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 52.04 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science, General (CIP 52.0401)
- Customer Service Support/Call Center/Teleservice Operation (CIP 52.0411)
- Executive Assistant/Executive Secretary (CIP 52.0402)
- General Office Occupations and Clerical Services (CIP 52.0408)
- Parts, Warehousing, and Inventory Management Operations (CIP 52.0409)
- Receptionist (CIP 52.0406)
- Traffic, Customs, and Transportation Clerk/Technician (CIP 52.0410)
How long does it take to get a business/office automation/technology/data entry degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 52.0407 in our file:
- 188 Associate (85.1% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 33 Bachelor's (14.9% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
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%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a business/office automation/technology/data entry degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry 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 business/office automation/technology/data entry degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Business Operations Support and Assistant Services bachelor's program family: median debt $6,740, median earnings $28,311 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.41.
About 47.5% 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 $4,612 and median net price is $8,568.
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 Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$4,612 Median In-State Public
$13,450 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry majors are, on average, $4,612 for in-state public colleges, and $13,450 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 58,267 |
| 2 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 58,267 |
| 3 | Miami Dade College | FL | 46,182 |
| 4 | Lone Star College System | TX | 45,188 |
| 5 | Lone Star College System | TX | 45,188 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barstow Community College | CA | $1,104 |
| 2 | Taft College | CA | $1,108 |
| 3 | Taft College | CA | $1,108 |
| 4 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
| 5 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada College | CA | $32 |
| 2 | Canada College | CA | $32 |
| 3 | New Mexico State University-Grants | NM | $68 |
| 4 | New Mexico State University-Grants | NM | $68 |
| 5 | Fort Peck Community College | MT | $400 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry 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 Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry is in FL (17 completions). That state represents about 51.5% 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 (0.02% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| FL | 17 | 51.5% | 0.01% |
| TX | 6 | 18.2% | 0.00% |
| MO | 5 | 15.2% | 0.01% |
| PR | 5 | 15.2% | 0.02% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 52.04 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science, General CIP 52.0401
- Customer Service Support/Call Center/Teleservice Operation CIP 52.0411
- Executive Assistant/Executive Secretary CIP 52.0402
- General Office Occupations and Clerical Services CIP 52.0408
- Parts, Warehousing, and Inventory Management Operations CIP 52.0409
- Receptionist CIP 52.0406
- Traffic, Customs, and Transportation Clerk/Technician CIP 52.0410
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 52.0407 in the survey year used in our extract (221 total across levels below).
- 188 Associate (85.1% of IPEDS total)
- 33 Bachelor's (14.9% 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 Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry 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 Business Operations Support and Assistant Services CIP family (1 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry graduate.
- $6,740 median federal loan debt among completers
- $28,311 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 0.41 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 47.5% 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 Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry majors is $63,776.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry majors.
Occupations by Share
1,903,950 2023 Workforce
The number of Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry.
Age distribution for Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
33 Total Degrees Awarded
18 Male (54.55%)
15 Female (45.45%)
Gender distribution of Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
16 White (48.48%)
7 Black or African American (21.21%)
6 Hispanic or Latino (18.18%)
3 Two or More Races (9.09%)
1 Asian (3.03%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry 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 Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry majors.
About
A program that prepares individuals to support business information operations by using computer equipment to enter, process, and retrieve data for a wide variety of administrative purposes. Includes instruction in using basic business software and hardware, business computer networking, principles of desktop publishing, preparing mass mailings, compiling and editing spreadsheets, list maintenance, preparing tables and graphs, receipt control, and preparing business performance reports
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry.
CIP Code
52.0407 - Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $6,740 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $28,311, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.41. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry graduate.
About 47.5% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians. That is a program-level mobility signal, not a national underemployment rate.
Women earned 65.0% of 1,964 Business/Office Automation/Technology/Data Entry 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 $4,612 in-state at public colleges and $13,450 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.