Economics Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Economics maps to BLS occupations averaging about $150,013, with roughly 74,640 workers nationwide in those roles. About 134,637 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; median program completion runs near 56%.
Key Statistics
Economics: what the data shows
Common questions about economics degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a economics degree?
A Economics program is classified under NCES CIP 45.4506 in the 45.0045 field family (45.45).
IPEDS counted 134,637 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
How long does it take to get a economics degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 45.4506 in our file:
- 22,814 Associate (13.0% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 134,637 Bachelor's (76.5% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 18,456 Master's (10.5% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 118 Doctorate (0.1% 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 economics?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Writing, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Personal Financial Advisors (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 45.4506, 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 economics degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Economics 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Financial Advisors | 270,480 | $102,140 |
| Financial Analysts | 340,580 | $101,350 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a economics degree worth it?
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $8,825 and median net price is $18,833.
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 Economics and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$8,825 Median In-State Public
$44,890 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Economics majors are, on average, $8,825 for in-state public colleges, and $44,890 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Economics programs.
Institutions awarding the most Economics degrees
| # | Institution | State | Completions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Los Angeles | CA | 2,753 |
| 2 | University of Chicago | IL | 2,074 |
| 3 | University of California-Santa Barbara | CA | 1,927 |
| 4 | Johns Hopkins University | MD | 1,818 |
| 5 | University of California-Berkeley | CA | 1,725 |
| 6 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | WI | 1,706 |
| 7 | New York University | NY | 1,658 |
| 8 | University of California-Irvine | CA | 1,628 |
| 9 | Florida State University | FL | 1,577 |
| 10 | Columbia University in the City of New York | NY | 1,557 |
IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), all award levels for this CIP in our extract.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
134,637 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Economics from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Economics.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 156,755 |
| 2 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,398 |
| 3 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,099 |
| 4 | University of Central Florida | FL | 59,095 |
| 5 | Arizona State University Digital Immersion | AZ | 49,000 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Economics programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taft College | CA | $1,108 |
| 2 | Copper Mountain Community College | CA | $1,114 |
| 3 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
| 4 | Woodland Community College | CA | $1,124 |
| 5 | Imperial Valley College | CA | $1,126 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Economics programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada College | CA | $10 |
| 2 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $29 |
| 3 | Coahoma Community College | MS | $560 |
| 4 | Oxnard College | CA | $659 |
| 5 | Cerritos College | CA | $693 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Economics programs.
Graduation Rates
55.68% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
57.29% Average Graduation Rate
173 Institutions Reporting
45.49% - 70.80% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Economics 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 Economics is in CA (23,061 completions). That state represents about 17.1% 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 DC (12.74% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA | 23,061 | 17.1% | 5.13% |
| NY | 12,179 | 9.1% | 4.42% |
| FL | 6,981 | 5.2% | 3.05% |
| TX | 6,477 | 4.8% | 2.21% |
| MA | 6,053 | 4.5% | 4.75% |
| PA | 5,627 | 4.2% | 3.30% |
| VA | 4,726 | 3.5% | 3.85% |
| NC | 4,659 | 3.5% | 3.77% |
| IL | 4,371 | 3.2% | 3.15% |
| OH | 3,629 | 2.7% | 2.62% |
| MI | 3,229 | 2.4% | 2.82% |
| MD | 3,124 | 2.3% | 4.24% |
| GA | 3,006 | 2.2% | 2.62% |
| WA | 2,951 | 2.2% | 4.29% |
| DC | 2,795 | 2.1% | 12.74% |
| CT | 2,566 | 1.9% | 5.24% |
| CO | 2,391 | 1.8% | 3.34% |
| WI | 2,388 | 1.8% | 3.14% |
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 45.4506 in the survey year used in our extract (176,025 total across levels below).
- 22,814 Associate (13.0% of IPEDS total)
- 134,637 Bachelor's (76.5% of IPEDS total)
- 18,456 Master's (10.5% of IPEDS total)
- 118 Doctorate (0.1% 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 $150,013. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Economics graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Financial Advisors | $173,641 | 270,480 |
| Financial Analysts | $131,249 | 340,580 |
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
$150,599 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Economics majors is $150,599.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Economics majors.
Occupations by Share
74,640 2023 Workforce
The number of Economics graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Economics by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Economics in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Economics.
Age distribution for Economics degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
134,637 Total Degrees Awarded
59,332 Male (44.07%)
75,305 Female (55.93%)
Gender distribution of Economics degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
65,243 White (48.46%)
26,086 Hispanic or Latino (19.38%)
11,510 Black or African American (8.55%)
11,413 Asian (8.48%)
6,689 Two or More Races (4.97%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Economics degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Economics are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Economics.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Economics field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Economics majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Economics 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 Economics majors.
About
Economics
In 2023, 134,637 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Economics.
CIP Code
45.4506 - Economics
What the data shows
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $150,013. The largest mapped role by headcount is Personal Financial Advisors (270,480 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $8,825 in-state at public colleges and $44,890 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.