Data Processing Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Data Processing maps to BLS occupations averaging about $93,123, with roughly 102,830 workers nationwide in those roles. Median program completion runs near 62%; modeled 10-year ROI is about 525% on median net price.
Key Statistics
Data Processing: what the data shows
Common questions about data processing degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a data processing degree?
A Data Processing program is classified under NCES CIP 00.1103 in the Food Science and Technology field family (00.11).
IPEDS counted 84 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of data processing degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 00.11 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Computer Programming (CIP 00.1102)
- Computer Science (CIP 00.1107)
- Computer Software and Media Applications (CIP 00.1108)
- Computer Systems Analysis (CIP 00.1105)
- Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications (CIP 00.1109)
- Data Entry/Microcomputer Applications (CIP 00.1106)
- Information Science/Studies (CIP 00.1104)
How long does it take to get a data processing degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 00.1103 in our file:
- 50 Bachelor's (5.8% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 769 Master's (88.7% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 48 Doctorate (5.5% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What do you learn in data processing?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Monitoring, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Time Management, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators (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 data processing degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Data Processing 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators | 111,930 | $56,530 |
| Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks | 229,070 | $48,450 |
| Data Entry Keyers | 135,280 | $39,850 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 75,710 | $155,020 |
| Brickmasons and Blockmasons | 53,520 | $60,800 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | 293,930 | $100,070 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a data processing degree worth it?
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $13,014 and median net price is $15,360.
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 Data Processing and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$13,014 Median In-State Public
$16,480 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Data Processing majors are, on average, $13,014 for in-state public colleges, and $16,480 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Data Processing programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
84 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Data Processing from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Data Processing.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas College | TX | 41,815 |
| 2 | American Public University System | WV | 38,976 |
| 3 | Connecticut State Community College | CT | 32,292 |
| 4 | Purdue University Global | IN | 31,502 |
| 5 | College of Southern Nevada | NV | 27,790 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Data Processing programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southeast New Mexico College | NM | $1,176 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Trade Technical College | CA | $1,238 |
| 3 | Diablo Valley College | CA | $1,312 |
| 4 | Coalinga College | CA | $1,384 |
| 5 | Lemoore College | CA | $1,384 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Data Processing programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coastal Pines Technical College | GA | $124 |
| 2 | Oconee Fall Line Technical College | GA | $294 |
| 3 | Florence-Darlington Technical College | SC | $598 |
| 4 | Fort Scott Community College | KS | $665 |
| 5 | South Georgia Technical College | GA | $1,026 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Data Processing programs.
Graduation Rates
61.74% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
59.65% Average Graduation Rate
123 Institutions Reporting
46.86% - 72.86% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Data Processing programs across institutions.
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 00.11 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Computer Programming CIP 00.1102
- Computer Science CIP 00.1107
- Computer Software and Media Applications CIP 00.1108
- Computer Systems Analysis CIP 00.1105
- Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications CIP 00.1109
- Data Entry/Microcomputer Applications CIP 00.1106
- Information Science/Studies CIP 00.1104
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 00.1103 in the survey year used in our extract (867 total across levels below).
- 50 Bachelor's (5.8% of IPEDS total)
- 769 Master's (88.7% of IPEDS total)
- 48 Doctorate (5.5% 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 $93,123. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Data Processing graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators | $61,088 | 111,930 |
| Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks | $58,299 | 229,070 |
| Data Entry Keyers | $48,227 | 135,280 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | $188,333 | 75,710 |
| Brickmasons and Blockmasons | $74,538 | 53,520 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | $131,986 | 293,930 |
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
$105,882 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Data Processing majors is $105,882.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Data Processing majors.
Occupations by Share
102,830 2023 Workforce
The number of Data Processing graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Data Processing by share of the total number of graduates.
Return on Investment & Value
Debt and earnings fields below come from College Scorecard where present in our degree extract.
Financial value (extract)
$24,736 Median Student Debt
$38,427 Median Annual Earnings (10 years after enrollment)
64.37% Debt-to-Earnings Ratio
Debt exceeds 60% of reported ten-year earnings in this extract.
6.4 years Estimated Payback Period (assuming 10% of income)
525.44% Return on Investment (10-year earnings vs 4-year cost)
Ten-year earnings in this extract exceed four years of median net price.
$61,440 Estimated Total Cost (4 years at median net price)
Financial value comparison for Data Processing degree.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Data Processing in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Data Processing.
Age distribution for Data Processing degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Gender distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Gender distribution of Data Processing degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Race and ethnicity distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Racial and ethnic distribution of Data Processing degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Data Processing are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Data Processing.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Data Processing field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Data Processing majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Data Processing 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 Data Processing majors.
About
Data Processing
In 2023, 84 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Data Processing.
CIP Code
00.1103 - Data Processing
What the data shows
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $93,123. The largest mapped role by headcount is Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators (111,930 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $13,014 in-state at public colleges and $16,480 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.