Health Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Health maps to BLS occupations averaging about $108,631, with roughly 21,750 workers nationwide in those roles. About 16,490 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; median in-state published tuition is about $6,022.
Key Statistics
Health: what the data shows
Common questions about health degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a health degree?
A Health program is classified under NCES CIP 51.0000 in the Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General field family (51.00).
A general, introductory, undifferentiated, or joint program in health services occupations that prepares individuals for either entry into specialized training programs or for a variety of concentrations in the allied health area. Includes instruction in the basic sciences, research and clinical procedures, and aspects of the subject matter related to various health occupations.
IPEDS counted 253,795 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
How long does it take to get a health degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 51.0000 in our file:
- 10,717 Associate (38.1% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 16,490 Bachelor's (58.6% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 902 Master's (3.2% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 12 Doctorate (0.0% 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 health?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, Active Learning, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Genetic Counselors (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 51.0000, 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 health degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Health 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Genetic Counselors | 3,510 | $98,910 |
| Audiologists | 14,730 | $92,120 |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists | — | — |
| Biochemists and Biophysicists | 34,520 | $103,650 |
| Dietitians and Nutritionists | 76,570 | $73,850 |
| Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary | 74,250 | $79,940 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a health degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General bachelor's program family: median debt $25,619, median earnings $61,296 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.73.
About 5.1% 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 $6,022 and median net price is $14,621.
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 Health and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$6,022 Median In-State Public
$34,227 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Health majors are, on average, $6,022 for in-state public colleges, and $34,227 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Health programs.
Institutions awarding the most Health degrees
| # | Institution | State | Completions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of South Florida | FL | 1,092 |
| 2 | University of Central Florida | FL | 1,050 |
| 3 | Pasadena City College | CA | 785 |
| 4 | California State University-Sacramento | CA | 632 |
| 5 | Sierra College | CA | 616 |
| 6 | University of Missouri-Columbia | MO | 502 |
| 7 | Fresno City College | CA | 470 |
| 8 | Stony Brook University | NY | 451 |
| 9 | University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College | AR | 440 |
| 10 | Arkansas State University-Newport | AR | 388 |
IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), all award levels for this CIP in our extract.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
253,795 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Health from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Health.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 2 | Western Governors University | UT | 155,088 |
| 3 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | 73,371 |
| 4 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 5 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Health programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barstow Community College | CA | $1,104 |
| 2 | Taft College | CA | $1,108 |
| 3 | El Camino Community College District | CA | $1,144 |
| 4 | Lassen Community College | CA | $1,144 |
| 5 | Imperial Valley College | CA | $1,148 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Health programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada College | CA | $32 |
| 2 | New Mexico State University-Grants | NM | $68 |
| 3 | College of San Mateo | CA | $536 |
| 4 | Imperial Valley College | CA | $1,115 |
| 5 | Macomb Community College | MI | $1,618 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Health programs.
Graduation Rates
54.95% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
54.49% Average Graduation Rate
712 Institutions Reporting
43.12% - 66.94% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Health 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 Health is in FL (4,151 completions). That state represents about 25.2% 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 FL (1.81% 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 | 4,151 | 25.2% | 1.81% |
| CA | 1,790 | 10.9% | 0.40% |
| NY | 1,311 | 8.0% | 0.48% |
| TX | 1,043 | 6.3% | 0.36% |
| PA | 847 | 5.1% | 0.50% |
| MO | 765 | 4.6% | 1.07% |
| NJ | 652 | 4.0% | 0.76% |
| IL | 597 | 3.6% | 0.43% |
| GA | 582 | 3.5% | 0.51% |
| MA | 537 | 3.3% | 0.42% |
| NH | 477 | 2.9% | 0.75% |
| OH | 329 | 2.0% | 0.24% |
| KY | 296 | 1.8% | 0.57% |
| VA | 247 | 1.5% | 0.20% |
| DE | 227 | 1.4% | 1.63% |
| LA | 220 | 1.3% | 0.47% |
| MS | 192 | 1.2% | 0.63% |
| MN | 187 | 1.1% | 0.22% |
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 51.0000 in the survey year used in our extract (28,121 total across levels below).
- 10,717 Associate (38.1% of IPEDS total)
- 16,490 Bachelor's (58.6% of IPEDS total)
- 902 Master's (3.2% of IPEDS total)
- 12 Doctorate (0.0% 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 $108,631. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Health graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Genetic Counselors | $143,815 | 3,510 |
| Audiologists | $123,159 | 14,730 |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists | — | — |
| Biochemists and Biophysicists | $133,564 | 34,520 |
| Dietitians and Nutritionists | $96,955 | 76,570 |
| Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary | $104,536 | 74,250 |
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 Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General CIP family (73 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Health graduate.
- $25,619 median federal loan debt among completers
- $61,296 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 0.73 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 5.1% 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
$108,739 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Health majors is $108,739.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Health majors.
Occupations by Share
21,750 2023 Workforce
The number of Health graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Health by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Health in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Health.
Age distribution for Health degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
16,490 Total Degrees Awarded
3,331 Male (20.20%)
13,159 Female (79.80%)
Gender distribution of Health degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
7,463 White (45.26%)
3,310 Hispanic or Latino (20.07%)
2,489 Black or African American (15.09%)
1,867 Asian (11.32%)
637 Two or More Races (3.86%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Health degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Health are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Health.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Health field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Health majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Health 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 Health majors.
About
A general, introductory, undifferentiated, or joint program in health services occupations that prepares individuals for either entry into specialized training programs or for a variety of concentrations in the allied health area. Includes instruction in the basic sciences, research and clinical procedures, and aspects of the subject matter related to various health occupations.
In 2023, 253,795 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Health.
CIP Code
51.0000 - Health
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $25,619 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $61,296, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.73. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Health graduate.
Women earned 80.8% of 32,590 Health completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $108,631. The largest mapped role by headcount is Genetic Counselors (3,510 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $6,022 in-state at public colleges and $34,227 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.