Creative Writing Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Creative Writing maps to BLS occupations averaging about N/A, with roughly 52,200 workers nationwide in those roles. Median program completion runs near 61%; common paths include Floral Designers and Set and Exhibit Designers.
Key Statistics
Creative Writing: what the data shows
Common questions about creative writing degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a creative writing degree?
A Creative Writing program is classified under NCES CIP 00.2305 in the 00.0023 field family (00.23).
Types of creative writing degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 00.23 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Literature (CIP 00.2314)
- Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (CIP 00.2313)
What do you learn in creative writing?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Active Listening, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Critical Thinking, Time Management, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Floral Designers (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 creative writing degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Creative Writing 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Floral Designers | 40,160 | $36,120 |
| Set and Exhibit Designers | 10,850 | $66,280 |
| Fashion Designers | 20,910 | $80,690 |
| Graphic Designers | 214,260 | $61,300 |
| Interior Designers | 69,580 | $63,490 |
| Designers, All Other | 9,680 | $66,220 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Creative Writing and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$N/A Median In-State Public
$22,690 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Creative Writing majors are, on average, $N/A for in-state public colleges, and $22,690 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Creative Writing programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
N/A Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Creative Writing from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Creative Writing.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lee University | TN | 2,712 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Creative Writing programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lee University | TN | $22,690 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Creative Writing programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lee University | TN | $20,399 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Creative Writing programs.
Graduation Rates
61.44% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
61.34% Average Graduation Rate
124 Institutions Reporting
51.18% - 72.20% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Creative Writing programs across institutions.
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 00.23 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Literature CIP 00.2314
- Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies CIP 00.2313
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 N/A. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Creative Writing graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Floral Designers | $49,284 | 40,160 |
| Set and Exhibit Designers | $105,707 | 10,850 |
| Fashion Designers | — | 20,910 |
| Graphic Designers | $94,254 | 214,260 |
| Interior Designers | $87,978 | 69,580 |
| Designers, All Other | $98,753 | 9,680 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
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
$N/A Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Creative Writing majors is $N/A.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Creative Writing majors.
Occupations by Share
52,200 2023 Workforce
The number of Creative Writing graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Creative Writing by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Creative Writing in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Creative Writing.
Age distribution for Creative Writing degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Gender distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Gender distribution of Creative Writing degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Race and ethnicity distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Racial and ethnic distribution of Creative Writing degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Creative Writing are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Creative Writing.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Creative Writing field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Creative Writing majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Creative Writing 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 Creative Writing majors.
About
Creative Writing
In 2023, N/A degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Creative Writing.
CIP Code
00.2305 - Creative Writing
What the data shows
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about N/A. The largest mapped role by headcount is Floral Designers (40,160 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
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.