Skip Navigation
Digest of Education Statistics
2018 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 505.10. Number, percentage distribution, unemployment rates, and median earnings of 25- to 29-year-old bachelor’s degree holders and percentage of degree holders among all 25- to 29-year-olds, by field of study and science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) status of field: 2010 and 2017
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Field of study and STEM status of field 2010 2017
25- to 29-year-old bachelor's degree holders Percent of all 25- to 29-year-olds with degree in specific field 25- to 29-year-old bachelor's degree holders Percent of all 25- to 29-year-olds with degree in specific field
Number, in thousands Percentage distribution Unemployment rate for the civilian labor force Median annual earnings of full-time year-round workers Number, in thousands Percentage distribution Unemployment rate for the civilian labor force Median annual earnings of full-time year-round workers
Current dollars Constant 2017 dollars1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Total, all bachelor's degrees 6,366   (30.5) 100.0   (†) 5.6   (0.13) $43,730   (684) $49,160 (769) 30.5   (0.14) 7,890   (42.2) 100.0   (†) 3.1   (0.08) $50,460   (448) 34.3   (0.18)
Agriculture 59   (2.8) 0.9   (0.04) 3.8   (0.99) 40,150   (424) 45,140 (477) 0.3   (0.01) 75   (3.5) 0.9   (0.04) 1.4 ! (0.45) 45,440   (1,599) 0.3   (0.02)
Architecture 47   (2.5) 0.7   (0.04) 13.8   (2.49) 44,300   (2,686) 49,800 (3,020) 0.2   (0.01) 54   (3.6) 0.7   (0.05) 4.2   (1.19) 50,140   (462) 0.2   (0.02)
Area, ethnic, and civilization studies 28   (1.9) 0.4   (0.03) 5.2 ! (1.61) 41,250   (3,100) 46,380 (3,485) 0.1   (0.01) 31   (2.3) 0.4   (0.03) 3.7 ! (1.40) 41,730   (1,726) 0.1   (0.01)
Arts, fine and commercial 334   (7.0) 5.3   (0.11) 6.8   (0.55) 37,140   (803) 41,750 (873) 1.6   (0.03) 444   (9.7) 5.6   (0.12) 4.1   (0.34) 40,330   (141) 1.9   (0.04)
Fine arts 245   (5.4) 3.8   (0.08) 6.1   (0.69) 36,170   (888) 40,650 (998) 1.2   (0.03) 330   (8.2) 4.2   (0.10) 4.0   (0.42) 40,080   (408) 1.4   (0.04)
Commercial art and graphic design 89   (3.9) 1.4   (0.06) 8.6   (1.09) 38,860   (1,799) 43,680 (2,022) 0.4   (0.02) 113   (3.7) 1.4   (0.05) 4.3   (0.79) 44,420   (1,463) 0.5   (0.02)
                                                                 
Business 1,252   (13.9) 19.7   (0.19) 5.5   (0.24) 47,160   (1,004) 53,010 (1,091) 6.0   (0.07) 1,381   (17.4) 17.5   (0.19) 2.8   (0.19) 52,200   (225) 6.0   (0.08)
Business, general 222   (5.5) 3.5   (0.09) 5.7   (0.66) 45,960   (1,425) 51,670 (1,602) 1.1   (0.03) 261   (8.4) 3.3   (0.11) 3.3   (0.64) 50,440   (41) 1.1   (0.04)
Accounting 194   (5.7) 3.0   (0.09) 5.8   (0.68) 50,100   (141) 56,320 (158) 0.9   (0.03) 223   (6.5) 2.8   (0.08) 2.2   (0.42) 57,660   (1,348) 1.0   (0.03)
Business management and administration 339   (7.2) 5.3   (0.11) 6.5   (0.57) 43,200   (1,200) 48,560 (1,349) 1.6   (0.03) 335   (8.5) 4.2   (0.10) 3.4   (0.40) 50,480   (627) 1.5   (0.04)
Marketing and marketing research 187   (5.5) 2.9   (0.08) 4.6   (0.57) 44,250   (765) 49,740 (860) 0.9   (0.03) 195   (5.9) 2.5   (0.07) 1.6   (0.37) 50,360   (70) 0.8   (0.03)
Finance 170   (5.5) 2.7   (0.09) 4.9   (0.61) 52,620   (1,865) 59,150 (2,097) 0.8   (0.03) 166   (6.0) 2.1   (0.07) 2.9   (0.49) 63,680   (2,125) 0.7   (0.03)
Management information systems and
   statistics
23   (1.6) 0.4   (0.03) 3.4 ! (1.12) 55,020   (1,939) 61,850 (2,180) 0.1   (0.01) 25   (2.0) 0.3   (0.03)   (†) 65,600   (4,674) 0.1   (0.01)
Business, other and medical
   administration
118   (3.7) 1.9   (0.06) 4.5   (0.57) 44,400   (720) 49,920 (810) 0.6   (0.02) 176   (4.9) 2.2   (0.06) 3.2   (0.61) 50,540   (121) 0.8   (0.02)
                                                                 
Communications and communications
   technologies
373   (8.2) 5.9   (0.12) 6.4   (0.45) 40,260   (18) 45,250 (20) 1.8   (0.04) 427   (7.8) 5.4   (0.10) 3.2   (0.34) 46,510   (978) 1.9   (0.03)
Computer and information systems 249   (6.2) 3.9   (0.10) 5.6   (0.55) 56,320   (1,809) 63,310 (2,034) 1.2   (0.03) 318   (8.6) 4.0   (0.11) 3.7   (0.58) 65,400   (665) 1.4   (0.04)
Construction/electrical/transportation
   technologies
35   (2.6) 0.5   (0.04) 4.8 ! (1.64) 49,720   (1,595) 55,890 (1,793) 0.2   (0.01) 43   (3.2) 0.5   (0.04) 2.8 ! (1.21) 58,700   (1,833) 0.2   (0.01)
Criminal justice and fire protection 140   (4.7) 2.2   (0.07) 6.2   (0.74) 39,300   (1,458) 44,170 (1,639) 0.7   (0.02) 209   (6.4) 2.6   (0.08) 3.5   (0.57) 42,310   (452) 0.9   (0.03)
                                                                 
Education 573   (8.0) 9.0   (0.12) 3.4   (0.31) 38,260   (80) 43,010 (87) 2.7   (0.04) 559   (10.0) 7.1   (0.12) 1.5   (0.25) 40,430   (15) 2.4   (0.04)
General education 151   (5.3) 2.4   (0.09) 4.7   (0.80) 39,350   (1,076) 44,230 (1,210) 0.7   (0.03) 163   (6.5) 2.1   (0.08) 1.0   (0.28) 40,340   (716) 0.7   (0.03)
Early childhood education 32   (2.0) 0.5   (0.03) 1.2 ! (0.58) 36,820   (1,808) 41,390 (2,032) 0.2   (0.01) 41   (2.6) 0.5   (0.03) 2.0 ! (0.92) 37,190   (1,918) 0.2   (0.01)
Elementary education 181   (5.0) 2.8   (0.08) 3.2   (0.53) 38,150   (938) 42,890 (1,055) 0.9   (0.02) 138   (4.6) 1.8   (0.06) 1.6 ! (0.57) 40,380   (23) 0.6   (0.02)
Secondary teacher education 19   (1.4) 0.3   (0.02) 2.5 ! (1.08) 36,140   (976) 40,630 (1,097) 0.1   (0.01) 17   (1.5) 0.2   (0.02)   (†) 42,320   (3,103) 0.1   (0.01)
Education, other 190   (4.8) 3.0   (0.07) 2.9   (0.45) 38,480   (940) 43,260 (1,057) 0.9   (0.02) 199   (5.3) 2.5   (0.07) 1.8   (0.45) 41,930   (912) 0.9   (0.02)
                                                                 
Engineering and engineering-related fields 474   (8.8) 7.4   (0.13) 5.0   (0.41) 60,580   (748) 68,090 (813) 2.3   (0.04) 679   (9.9) 8.6   (0.12) 3.5   (0.31) 69,980   (523) 2.9   (0.04)
General engineering 63   (3.0) 1.0   (0.05) 4.3 ! (1.44) 60,100   (324) 67,560 (364) 0.3   (0.01) 74   (3.8) 0.9   (0.05) 3.9 ! (1.43) 62,140   (3,245) 0.3   (0.02)
Chemical engineering 28   (2.2) 0.4   (0.03) 4.4 ! (1.42) 65,580   (3,098) 73,710 (3,482) 0.1   (0.01) 50   (3.1) 0.6   (0.04) 2.6 ! (0.96) 69,240   (3,332) 0.2   (0.01)
Civil engineering 46   (2.9) 0.7   (0.05) 6.6   (1.69) 58,910   (1,276) 66,220 (1,434) 0.2   (0.01) 67   (3.2) 0.9   (0.04) 2.6 ! (1.00) 62,660   (2,804) 0.3   (0.01)
Computer engineering 45   (2.8) 0.7   (0.04) 7.1   (1.50) 65,320   (842) 73,430 (947) 0.2   (0.01) 61   (3.4) 0.8   (0.04) 4.0   (1.12) 75,430   (1,921) 0.3   (0.01)
Electrical engineering 86   (4.3) 1.3   (0.07) 5.1   (1.13) 65,060   (685) 73,130 (770) 0.4   (0.02) 115   (4.7) 1.5   (0.06) 3.0   (0.70) 72,630   (2,458) 0.5   (0.02)
Mechanical engineering 86   (3.9) 1.3   (0.06) 3.7   (0.77) 61,620   (1,428) 69,270 (1,605) 0.4   (0.02) 136   (4.7) 1.7   (0.06) 3.8   (0.77) 71,580   (1,011) 0.6   (0.02)
Engineering, other 78   (3.6) 1.2   (0.06) 4.9   (1.01) 59,850   (600) 67,280 (674) 0.4   (0.02) 122   (4.1) 1.6   (0.05) 3.7   (0.82) 69,780   (1,990) 0.5   (0.02)
Engineering technologies 42   (2.5) 0.7   (0.04) 4.7   (1.17) 55,890   (2,180) 62,820 (2,451) 0.2   (0.01) 52   (3.1) 0.7   (0.04) 3.6   (1.06) 60,270   (711) 0.2   (0.01)
                                                                 
English language and literature 194   (5.2) 3.0   (0.08) 7.6   (0.73) 38,100   (1,100) 42,820 (1,236) 0.9   (0.02) 217   (6.2) 2.8   (0.08) 3.4   (0.46) 40,420   (651) 0.9   (0.03)
Family and consumer sciences 55   (3.1) 0.9   (0.05) 3.9   (0.97) 36,060   (1,375) 40,530 (1,545) 0.3   (0.01) 69   (3.5) 0.9   (0.04) 3.7 ! (1.24) 38,040   (2,736) 0.3   (0.02)
Health professions 378   (8.2) 5.9   (0.12) 3.3   (0.39) 50,330   (20) 56,580 (21) 1.8   (0.04) 618   (8.2) 7.8   (0.10) 1.7   (0.23) 53,780   (1,085) 2.7   (0.04)
General medical and health services 200   (6.5) 3.1   (0.10) 3.6   (0.54) 46,290   (1,500) 52,040 (1,686) 1.0   (0.03) 312   (6.5) 4.0   (0.08) 1.8   (0.33) 50,190   (110) 1.4   (0.03)
Nursing 179   (5.5) 2.8   (0.08) 3.0   (0.57) 53,350   (1,366) 59,970 (1,535) 0.9   (0.03) 305   (6.9) 3.9   (0.08) 1.6   (0.32) 57,310   (1,117) 1.3   (0.03)
History 138   (4.5) 2.2   (0.07) 8.4   (0.77) 41,060   (1,385) 46,150 (1,557) 0.7   (0.02) 155   (4.7) 2.0   (0.06) 3.8   (0.58) 41,720   (944) 0.7   (0.02)
Liberal arts and humanities 76   (3.4) 1.2   (0.05) 7.2   (1.19) 40,130   (1,161) 45,110 (1,305) 0.4   (0.02) 85   (3.6) 1.1   (0.05) 5.8   (1.21) 38,960   (2,621) 0.4   (0.02)
Linguistics and comparative language and
   literature
68   (3.5) 1.1   (0.05) 8.6   (1.73) 38,130   (1,373) 42,860 (1,544) 0.3   (0.02) 75   (2.8) 1.0   (0.04) 2.2   (0.64) 44,670   (953) 0.3   (0.01)
                                                                 
Mathematics 78   (3.8) 1.2   (0.06) 4.6   (1.04) 50,120   (781) 56,350 (878) 0.4   (0.02) 107   (3.9) 1.4   (0.05) 3.9   (0.98) 55,230   (1,713) 0.5   (0.02)
Multi/interdisciplinary studies 55   (2.6) 0.9   (0.04) 5.4   (0.96) 39,770   (922) 44,700 (1,037) 0.3   (0.01) 93   (3.7) 1.2   (0.05) 2.9   (0.81) 45,000   (1,031) 0.4   (0.02)
Natural sciences 586   (9.2) 9.2   (0.14) 5.2   (0.38) 42,300   (787) 47,560 (856) 2.8   (0.04) 791   (13.3) 10.0   (0.15) 3.0   (0.32) 48,460   (655) 3.4   (0.06)
Biology 364   (8.1) 5.7   (0.13) 4.9   (0.50) 43,300   (927) 48,680 (1,042) 1.7   (0.04) 507   (10.1) 6.4   (0.12) 2.6   (0.33) 49,450   (1,563) 2.2   (0.04)
Environmental science 42   (2.8) 0.7   (0.04) 9.7   (1.98) 39,960   (1,549) 44,920 (1,741) 0.2   (0.01) 66   (3.2) 0.8   (0.04) 3.6   (0.79) 45,340   (842) 0.3   (0.01)
Physical sciences 180   (4.8) 2.8   (0.08) 4.7   (0.76) 42,210   (1,545) 47,450 (1,737) 0.9   (0.02) 218   (6.9) 2.8   (0.09) 3.7   (0.68) 48,280   (1,337) 0.9   (0.03)
                                                                 
Physical fitness, parks, recreation and
   leisure
101   (3.6) 1.6   (0.06) 3.5   (0.68) 40,250   (27) 45,240 (30) 0.5   (0.02) 169   (5.5) 2.1   (0.07) 3.7   (0.63) 42,320   (1,762) 0.7   (0.02)
Philosophy and religious studies 53   (2.3) 0.8   (0.04) 7.8   (1.56) 40,280   (1,419) 45,280 (1,595) 0.3   (0.01) 51   (2.8) 0.6   (0.04) 4.9   (1.35) 41,970   (3,354) 0.2   (0.01)
Psychology 378   (7.9) 5.9   (0.12) 5.9   (0.48) 37,240   (532) 41,860 (598) 1.8   (0.04) 482   (8.9) 6.1   (0.11) 3.5   (0.36) 40,320   (68) 2.1   (0.04)
Public administration and public policy 12   (1.6) 0.2   (0.02)   (†) 50,090   (6,667) 56,300 (7,494) 0.1   (0.01) 16   (1.7) 0.2   (0.02)   (†) 45,450   (5,270) 0.1   (0.01)
                                                                 
Social sciences 519   (8.6) 8.2   (0.13) 6.9   (0.43) 45,160   (528) 50,770 (574) 2.5   (0.04) 588   (10.6) 7.4   (0.12) 3.7   (0.31) 50,410   (35) 2.6   (0.05)
Anthropology and archeology 33   (2.0) 0.5   (0.03) 4.5   (1.14) 37,950   (2,738) 42,660 (3,078) 0.2   (0.01) 48   (2.8) 0.6   (0.04) 5.9   (1.49) 40,500   (1,589) 0.2   (0.01)
Economics 126   (4.4) 2.0   (0.07) 8.2   (1.00) 52,380   (2,049) 58,880 (2,304) 0.6   (0.02) 157   (5.6) 2.0   (0.07) 4.1   (0.68) 65,050   (1,287) 0.7   (0.02)
Geography 15   (1.7) 0.2   (0.03) 9.2 ! (3.53) 43,580   (2,973) 48,990 (3,342) 0.1   (0.01) 24   (1.9) 0.3   (0.02) 6.9 ! (2.43) 47,620   (3,066) 0.1   (0.01)
International relations 23   (2.0) 0.4   (0.03) 7.1 ! (2.75) 49,080   (1,756) 55,170 (1,974) 0.1   (0.01) 33   (2.3) 0.4   (0.03) 4.0 ! (1.50) 50,000   (2,196) 0.1   (0.01)
Political science and government 173   (4.8) 2.7   (0.08) 5.9   (0.70) 45,220   (108) 50,830 (121) 0.8   (0.02) 169   (5.2) 2.1   (0.06) 2.7   (0.45) 50,400   (346) 0.7   (0.02)
Sociology 116   (4.3) 1.8   (0.07) 7.6   (1.15) 38,200   (1,253) 42,940 (1,408) 0.6   (0.02) 119   (4.3) 1.5   (0.05) 3.8   (0.76) 42,110   (976) 0.5   (0.02)
Miscellaneous social sciences 32   (2.0) 0.5   (0.03) 5.3   (1.38) 40,250   (798) 45,250 (897) 0.2   (0.01) 39   (2.9) 0.5   (0.04) 1.9 ! (0.86) 42,110   (2,411) 0.2   (0.01)
                                                                 
Social work and human services 59   (2.8) 0.9   (0.04) 5.6   (1.38) 35,020   (138) 39,370 (155) 0.3   (0.01) 100   (4.3) 1.3   (0.06) 1.6   (0.34) 38,400   (588) 0.4   (0.02)
Theology and religious vocations 28   (2.0) 0.4   (0.03) 3.9 ! (1.88) 32,790   (1,349) 36,870 (1,516) 0.1   (0.01) 31   (2.1) 0.4   (0.03)   (†) 34,950   (513) 0.1   (0.01)
Other fields 26   (2.0) 0.4   (0.03) 9.0   (2.31) 36,660   (2,542) 41,210 (2,858) 0.1   (0.01) 26   (2.0) 0.3   (0.03) 5.6 ! (1.87) 40,150   (2,094) 0.1   (0.01)
                                                                 
STEM status of field2                                                                
STEM field 1,345   (13.7) 21.1   (0.21) 5.0   (0.26) 53,150   (967) 59,750 (1,087) 6.4   (0.07) 1,828   (19.2) 23.2   (0.21) 3.3   (0.19) 60,490   (35) 7.9   (0.08)
Non-STEM field 5,021   (29.4) 78.9   (0.21) 5.7   (0.14) 41,660   (692) 46,830 (778) 24.0   (0.14) 6,063   (35.9) 76.8   (0.21) 3.0   (0.10) 46,430   (562) 26.3   (0.15)
†Not applicable.
!Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
‡Reporting standards not met. Either there are too few cases for a reliable estimate or the coefficient of variation (CV) is 50 percent or greater.
1 Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index, prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor.
2 STEM fields include biological and biomedical sciences, computer and information sciences, engineering and engineering technologies, mathematics and statistics, and physical sciences and science technologies.
NOTE: The first bachelor’s degree major reported by respondents was used to classify their field of study, even though they were able to report a second bachelor’s degree major and may possess advanced degrees in other fields. Median earnings are for full-time employees working 35 or more hours per week. Data are based on sample surveys of the entire population residing within the United States, including both noninstitutionalized persons (e.g., those living in households, college housing, or military housing located within the United States) and institutionalized persons (e.g., those living in prisons, nursing facilities, or other healthcare facilities). Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Some data have been revised from previously published figures.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, 2010 and 2017 American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) data. (This table was prepared October 2018.)

2018 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest