By Brennan, B.S. Engineering · Published · Updated · Data: 2024, released February 2026
Finance and accounting are the best business majors if you judge them on pay and job prospects. In New York Fed data on recent graduates, they pair high pay with the lowest unemployment and below-average underemployment, so fewer of their graduates end up in jobs that don't need a degree. Business analytics pays the most right out of college, but its graduates had a higher unemployment rate.
From what I've seen working in the chemical industry, finance is the business major I'd recommend most, because it leads to so many different career paths.
What are the best business majors?
Here are the seven business majors the New York Fed tracks, ranked by early-career pay. Pay is the median for full-time workers with a bachelor's degree only. Unemployment and underemployment are for recent graduates ages 22 to 27, and underemployment means working in a job that typically doesn't require a college degree.
| Business major | Early career (22-27) | Mid-career (35-45) | Unemployment | Underemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Business analytics | $72,000 | $109,000 | 5.0% | 28.7% |
| 2. Finance | $70,000 | $112,000 | 2.8% | 27.8% |
| 3. Accounting | $68,000 | $97,000 | 2.6% | 21.2% |
| 4. Information systems and management | $67,000 | $100,000 | 6.0% | 25.6% |
| 5. Marketing | $60,000 | $100,000 | 4.4% | 49.3% |
| 6. General business | $60,000 | $90,000 | 4.3% | 50.4% |
| 7. Business management | $56,000 | $82,000 | 3.8% | 52.6% |
| All majors | $58,000 | $87,000 | 4.2% | 39.4% |
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York, The Labor Market for Recent College Graduates (2024 American Community Survey data, released February 2026). Marketing and general business tie on early-career pay; marketing ranks higher on mid-career pay.
When I compare the data, finance and accounting stand out on more than pay. Both had unemployment under 3%, the lowest of the group, and underemployment well below the 39.4% rate for all majors, while about half of recent marketing, general business and business management graduates worked in jobs that don't require a degree.
Highest paying business majors
Business analytics graduates had the highest early-career pay ($72,000), and finance led at mid-career ($112,000). Business management was lowest of the seven at both stages ($56,000 and $82,000), and its early-career pay was below the $58,000 median for all majors. If you're also weighing economics, it paid $72,000 early and $115,000 at mid-career, and a lot of the project managers I work with studied it. To compare business with every other field, see our list of the highest paying college majors.
Types of business majors
Business schools offer many majors. Here's what each of the seven above leads to, plus two common majors the New York Fed doesn't report separately. For the full list of jobs with pay and growth, see what you can do with a business degree.
Other business majors include international business and entrepreneurship. For how the workload compares from one business major to the next, see is business a hard major?
Finance
Early career: $70,000 · Mid-career: $112,000 · Unemployment: 2.8%
Finance leads most directly to jobs like financial analyst, which BLS says usually calls for a bachelor's degree in finance or a related field such as business. Financial analysts earned a median of $103,570 in 2025, with 7% job growth projected through 2035, and many financial managers ($166,570) start out in roles like it.
That matches what I've seen. Most of the finance grads I know work in accounting jobs or as financial analysts. Some work as data analysts in the finance sector, and others are junior accountants, controllers and project controllers at big names in chemical manufacturing. Their major gave them an advantage: they already knew many of the financial concepts those jobs use when they started.
Accounting
Early career: $68,000 · Mid-career: $97,000 · Unemployment: 2.6%
Accounting had the lowest unemployment and underemployment of any business major in the data. Accountant and auditor jobs typically require a bachelor's degree in accounting or a related field, paid a median of $83,680 in 2025, and some accountants go on to earn the CPA license to improve their job prospects. For the full picture, read is accounting a good major? Torn between the two? See accounting vs. finance degree.
Business analytics
Early career: $72,000 · Mid-career: $109,000 · Unemployment: 5.0%
Business analytics pays the most of any business major right out of college, and it stays near the top at mid-career. The trade-off in this data is a higher unemployment rate than finance or accounting.
Data skills matter a lot right now, especially if you can work with big data. In my own work in chemical manufacturing, from production to process development, we use big data sets for feasibility studies and to manage chemical processes, so understanding data and having the analytic skills to see what's going on is very important. That carries over to any business degree. Weighing the major itself? Read is business analytics a good major?
Information systems and management
Early career: $67,000 · Mid-career: $100,000 · Unemployment: 6.0%
Information systems and management (often called MIS) pays well and had low underemployment (25.6%), but the highest unemployment of the business majors here.
Marketing
Early career: $60,000 · Mid-career: $100,000 · Unemployment: 4.4%
Marketing starts lower but grows to $100,000 by mid-career. It leads to jobs like market research analyst ($78,760 median, 7% growth) and, with experience, marketing manager ($166,790). Nearly half of recent marketing graduates (49.3%) worked in jobs that don't require a degree. A lot of the salespeople I work with studied marketing, and some studied general business. For more, see is marketing a good major?
General business
Early career: $60,000 · Mid-career: $90,000 · Unemployment: 4.3%
General business is broad, which keeps options open, but about half of recent graduates (50.4%) were underemployed.
Business management and administration
Early career: $56,000 · Mid-career: $82,000 · Unemployment: 3.8%
Business management and administration is the most common business major: 28% of business degree holders studied it, according to the BLS. In the New York Fed data, business management had the lowest pay of the seven and the highest underemployment (52.6%).
Supply chain management
The New York Fed doesn't report supply chain management separately, but it leads to some of the fastest-growing business jobs. Logisticians, whose degrees may be in logistics and supply chain management or business, earned a median of $82,320 in 2025, and the job is projected to grow 18% through 2035, much faster than average.
Most of the supply chain people I work with studied economics or a business management degree.
Human resources
Human resources isn't in the New York Fed data either. Human resources specialists usually have a bachelor's degree in human resources, business or a related field, and they earned a median of $75,940 in 2025, with 6% growth projected.
What is the best business degree to get?
It depends on what you want from it. If you want the most direct path into a job that needs your degree, accounting and finance have the strongest numbers. If you're drawn to data, business analytics pays the most early on. General business and business management are the broadest on paper, but about half of their recent graduates were underemployed, so plan on internships and experience to stand out.
In my opinion, no single undergraduate business degree is in demand above all others, though finance and marketing are definitely big ones. In my industry, moving up into higher management roles with profit-and-loss (P&L) responsibility often comes with an emphasis on a master's degree in business, such as an MBA.
Business majors in college: which are most common?
Among workers with a business degree, the most common majors are business management and administration (28%), general business (19%), accounting (17%), finance (12%) and marketing (12%), according to the BLS. Looking at these numbers, the most common majors aren't the best-paying ones: finance and accounting together make up 29% of business degree holders but rank near the top on pay and have the lowest unemployment.
Best business majors for the future
BLS job projections for 2025 to 2035 point to a few business paths with strong growth: logisticians in supply chain (18%), financial managers (10%), management analysts (10%) and financial analysts (7%). Insurance underwriters (down 4%) and cost estimators (down 3%) are expected to shrink.
What business major should I choose?
Ask yourself:
- Do you like numbers and clear rules? Accounting and finance fit, and they had the strongest job numbers.
- Do you like working with data and tools? Look at business analytics or information systems.
- Are you drawn to people, persuasion or brands? Marketing and human resources fit, but plan on internships.
- Do you like operations and keeping things moving? Supply chain management leads to fast-growing jobs.
If a student asked me, I'd say finance, for sure. It opens up a lot of career paths with good salaries, so you're not limited to just a few jobs. Wondering how much work it takes? See is business a hard major?
Can't pick between these? Take the free quiz and see which business majors come up for you. Accounting, finance, marketing, information systems and supply chain are all in there.
Questions about business majors
What business major makes the most money?
Business analytics had the highest early-career median pay ($72,000) among business majors in New York Fed data, and finance had the highest mid-career median ($112,000).
Which business major has the lowest unemployment?
Accounting, at 2.6% for recent graduates ages 22 to 27, followed by finance at 2.8%, according to the New York Fed.
Do you need a specific business major to get a business job?
Not always. Many business jobs, such as financial analyst or management analyst, accept a degree in business or a related field. Some, like accountant, typically require a degree in accounting or a related field.
More on business majors
See the jobs each major leads to in what you can do with a business degree, or compare all fields in our list of the highest paying college majors. Want business alongside another major? Read about minors.
Sources
The pay and job rankings come from the New York Fed's 2024 data and the BLS, and each number was checked against the original source. Where I talk about people I know at work, that's my own experience.
- Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The Labor Market for Recent College Graduates (outcomes by major, 2024 American Community Survey data). newyorkfed.org
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Field of Degree: Business (2024 Census Bureau data; last modified October 29, 2026). bls.gov
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025 median pay, 2025-35 projections): financial analysts, financial managers, accountants and auditors, market research analysts, advertising, promotions, and marketing managers, logisticians, human resources specialists, management analysts, insurance underwriters, cost estimators.