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(NEXSTAR) – The cost of attending college has more young people (and their financially stressed parents) questioning whether it’s even worth it to pursue a degree. The answer, it turns out, could largely depend on what you study.
Not every degree will provide the same return on investment, with some having higher unemployment rates and lower income prospects post-graduation.
A database updated this year by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York allows people to explore which college majors tend earn the most – and the least – after students get their diploma.
The lowest wages right after graduation go to foreign language majors, who earn a median of $40,000. Those who study social sciences and performing arts don’t fare too much better, the analysis found.
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Over time, education majors seem to have the lowest income ceiling. Those who studied early childhood education, elementary education, special education and other related fields not only had low early-career wages, but those wages stayed relatively low even in mid-career.
Anthropology majors, meanwhile, found themselves with the highest unemployment rate at 9.4%.
| Major | Unemployment rate | Underemployment rate | Median early-career wage | Median mid-career wage | Share with graduate degree |
| Foreign Language | 4.0% | 51.1% | $40,000 | $70,000 | 50.5% |
| General Social Sciences | 3.3% | 54.1% | $41,000 | $75,000 | 40.3% |
| Performing Arts | 2.7% | 62.3% | $41,900 | $70,000 | 37.3% |
| Anthropology | 9.4% | 55.9% | $42,000 | $70,000 | 46.7% |
| Early Childhood Education | 1.3% | 22.1% | $42,000 | $49,000 | 43.1% |
| Family and Consumer Sciences | 2.7% | 39.8% | $42,000 | $62,000 | 36.1% |
| General Education | 3.3% | 22.8% | $42,000 | $55,000 | 52.0% |
| Miscellaneous Biological Science | 3.1% | 49.0% | $42,000 | $75,000 | 60.0% |
| Social Services | 1.7% | 31.8% | $42,000 | $54,000 | 51.9% |
| Theology and Religion | 3.1% | 42.9% | $42,000 | $60,000 | 45.6% |
The U.S. Census Bureau hasn’t released updated data yet in 2025, but the latest available data from the Bureau showed similar findings. Those with a bachelor’s degree in visual and performing arts, education, psychology, multidisciplinary studies, and literature and languages had the lowest median income.
Low wages can add insult to injury if a recent graduate finds themselves weighed down by hefty student loans. As student loan collections have restarted in the U.S., millions are having trouble keeping up with payments and getting hit with credit score penalties. In March, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York estimated about 25% of people with student loan accounts were more than 3 months behind on payments.
The average cost of attending college in the U.S. is $38,000 per year when you account for tuition, supplies and living expenses, according to the Education Data Initiative.
On the other side of the spectrum from education and the arts are the students who majored in engineering, computer science, physics, finance and math. Those fields of study tend to have the highest early- and mid-career earnings.
