By Brennan, B.S. Engineering · Published · Updated · Data: 2024, released February 2026
Engineering and computing are the highest paying college majors and degrees. Together they hold the top seven spots for early-career pay. Here are the 10 highest paying majors for graduates ages 22 to 27, with median yearly pay:
- Computer Engineering: $90,000
- Computer Science: $87,000
- Chemical Engineering: $85,000
- Aerospace Engineering: $85,000
- Industrial Engineering: $83,000
- Electrical Engineering: $82,000
- Mechanical Engineering: $80,000
- Construction Services: $75,000
- Civil Engineering: $75,000
- General Engineering: $75,000
Miscellaneous Engineering also had $75,000; ties are ordered by mid-career pay.
Pay mattered a lot when I chose chemical engineering. I wanted a strong salary out of college and room to grow as I moved into new roles. Below you'll find every major the New York Fed tracks, and how I'd weigh pay against everything else.
All 73 majors ranked by salary
Search for your major to see its median salary, or tap a column to sort. Ranks are by early-career pay. The top 20 show first.
| 1. Computer Engineering | $90,000 | $131,000 | 7.8% |
| 2. Computer Science | $87,000 | $120,000 | 7.0% |
| 3. Chemical Engineering | $85,000 | $135,000 | 4.7% |
| 4. Aerospace Engineering | $85,000 | $130,000 | 2.2% |
| 5. Industrial Engineering | $83,000 | $100,000 | 4.2% |
| 6. Electrical Engineering | $82,000 | $123,000 | 3.2% |
| 7. Mechanical Engineering | $80,000 | $120,000 | 4.4% |
| 8. Construction Services | $75,000 | $120,000 | 2.2% |
| 9. Civil Engineering | $75,000 | $115,000 | 2.3% |
| 10. General Engineering | $75,000 | $105,000 | 4.5% |
| 11. Miscellaneous Engineering | $75,000 | $105,000 | 3.7% |
| 12. Economics | $72,000 | $115,000 | 3.5% |
| 13. Business Analytics | $72,000 | $109,000 | 5.0% |
| 14. Finance | $70,000 | $112,000 | 2.8% |
| 15. Mathematics | $70,000 | $100,000 | 5.8% |
| 16. Nursing | $70,000 | $87,000 | 2.1% |
| 17. Accounting | $68,000 | $97,000 | 2.6% |
| 18. Physics | $67,000 | $105,000 | 6.6% |
| 19. Information Systems & Management | $67,000 | $100,000 | 6.0% |
| 20. Engineering Technologies | $65,000 | $104,000 | 1.7% |
| 21. International Affairs | $64,000 | $90,000 | 6.1% |
| 22. Medical Technicians | $62,000 | $80,000 | 6.2% |
| 23. Marketing | $60,000 | $100,000 | 4.4% |
| 24. Advertising and Public Relations | $60,000 | $92,000 | 5.7% |
| 25. Architecture | $60,000 | $91,000 | 6.8% |
| 26. General Business | $60,000 | $90,000 | 4.3% |
| 27. Miscellaneous Physical Sciences | $60,000 | $81,000 | 2.5% |
| 28. Business Management | $56,000 | $82,000 | 3.8% |
| 29. Agriculture | $56,000 | $80,000 | 1.4% |
| 30. Public Policy and Law | $55,000 | $80,000 | 2.2% |
| 31. Miscellaneous Technologies | $54,000 | $96,000 | 3.6% |
| 32. Biochemistry | $52,000 | $100,000 | 2.7% |
| 33. Political Science | $52,000 | $100,000 | 4.5% |
| 34. Ethnic Studies | $52,000 | $90,000 | 4.9% |
| 35. Communications | $52,000 | $88,000 | 3.9% |
| 36. Interdisciplinary Studies | $52,000 | $80,000 | 3.9% |
| 37. Philosophy | $52,000 | $80,000 | 5.1% |
| 38. Geography | $50,000 | $88,000 | 1.6% |
| 39. Chemistry | $50,000 | $86,000 | 4.3% |
| 40. Commercial Art & Graphic Design | $50,000 | $80,000 | 5.7% |
| 41. Criminal Justice | $50,000 | $80,000 | 3.6% |
| 42. Environmental Studies | $50,000 | $80,000 | 6.3% |
| 43. Mass Media | $50,000 | $80,000 | 5.2% |
| 44. Earth Sciences | $50,000 | $75,000 | 3.8% |
| 45. Nutrition Sciences | $50,000 | $70,000 | 4.5% |
| 46. Treatment Therapy | $50,000 | $70,000 | 2.6% |
| 47. Health Services | $50,000 | $67,000 | 3.8% |
| 48. Sociology | $49,900 | $79,000 | 4.6% |
| 49. Journalism | $49,000 | $87,000 | 2.3% |
| 50. Foreign Language | $48,000 | $77,000 | 1.6% |
| 51. English Language | $48,000 | $76,000 | 6.1% |
| 52. Family and Consumer Sciences | $48,000 | $65,000 | 4.3% |
| 53. Miscellaneous Education | $48,000 | $60,000 | 1.1% |
| 54. History | $47,500 | $80,000 | 4.3% |
| 55. Animal and Plant Sciences | $46,600 | $79,000 | 2.5% |
| 56. Miscellaneous Biological Science | $46,000 | $80,000 | 4.4% |
| 57. Special Education | $46,000 | $56,000 | 0.7% |
| 58. Secondary Education | $45,300 | $62,000 | 2.1% |
| 59. General Social Sciences | $45,200 | $75,000 | 2.3% |
| 60. Art History | $45,000 | $91,000 | 6.7% |
| 61. Biology | $45,000 | $83,000 | 4.3% |
| 62. Leisure and Hospitality | $45,000 | $75,000 | 2.7% |
| 63. Liberal Arts | $45,000 | $75,000 | 3.8% |
| 64. Fine Arts | $45,000 | $72,000 | 7.7% |
| 65. Psychology | $45,000 | $72,000 | 5.0% |
| 66. Anthropology | $45,000 | $65,000 | 7.9% |
| 67. General Education | $45,000 | $56,000 | 2.6% |
| 68. Elementary Education | $45,000 | $55,000 | 1.2% |
| 69. Early Childhood Education | $45,000 | $52,000 | 6.6% |
| 70. Performing Arts | $44,000 | $75,000 | 7.0% |
| 71. Social Services | $43,000 | $60,000 | 1.9% |
| 72. Theology and Religion | $41,600 | $66,000 | 3.1% |
| 73. Pharmacy | $40,000 | $85,000 | 5.6% |
| All majors | $58,000 | $87,000 | 4.2% |
No major matches that search. The New York Fed groups some majors together, so try a broader word (for example "engineering" or "education").
Median yearly pay for full-time workers with a bachelor's degree only. Early career is ages 22 to 27; mid-career is ages 35 to 45. Out of work is the unemployment rate for graduates ages 22 to 27. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York, The Labor Market for Recent College Graduates (2024 American Community Survey data, released February 4, 2026).
Want to see the jobs a major leads to? For business, see what you can do with a business degree, with pay and job growth for 21 jobs.
Which majors grow the most by mid-career?
When I compare the data, chemical engineering shows the biggest jump: $50,000 more at mid-career than early career. The chart shows the 15 majors with the highest mid-career pay; the line between the dots is the gap.
Ranked by the size of the gap, these eight majors grow the most:
| Major | Early | Mid | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical Engineering | $85,000 | $135,000 | +$50,000 |
| Biochemistry | $52,000 | $100,000 | +$48,000 |
| Political Science | $52,000 | $100,000 | +$48,000 |
| Art History | $45,000 | $91,000 | +$46,000 |
| Aerospace Engineering | $85,000 | $130,000 | +$45,000 |
| Construction Services | $75,000 | $120,000 | +$45,000 |
| Pharmacy | $40,000 | $85,000 | +$45,000 |
| Economics | $72,000 | $115,000 | +$43,000 |
Read these numbers with care. They compare two different groups of people in the same year (today's 22 to 27 year olds and today's 35 to 45 year olds), not the same people over time. They also count only people whose highest degree is a bachelor's. That's why pharmacy looks so low early on: pharmacists typically need a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, so most of them aren't in these numbers at all.
Which majors make a lot of money without grad school?
Among the 20 highest paying majors, these have the smallest share of graduates who went on to earn a graduate degree. If you want to start working right after your bachelor's, they're worth a look:
| Major | Early career | Have a grad degree |
|---|---|---|
| Construction Services | $75,000 | 12% |
| Business Analytics | $72,000 | 27% |
| Information Systems & Management | $67,000 | 28% |
| Engineering Technologies | $65,000 | 28% |
| Nursing | $70,000 | 30% |
| Finance | $70,000 | 31% |
Graduate degree share is for bachelor's degree holders ages 25 to 65 in each major.
How much more do college graduates earn than high school graduates?
About $20,000 a year, early in a career. In 2025, recent college graduates ages 22 to 27 working full time with only a bachelor's degree had median pay of $60,000, compared with $40,000 for people the same age with only a high school diploma. That's 50% more. Even college graduates at the 25th percentile ($45,000) out-earned the typical high school graduate.
Figures are in 2025 dollars and exclude people still in school. The New York Fed notes that some of the gap could reflect differences in aptitude between graduates and non-graduates, not only the degree itself. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Current Population Survey data.
Lifetime earnings by major
Over a whole career, the gap gets big. Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce added up pay from ages 25 to 64 for people working full time, all year, using Census survey data from 2009 to 2019 in 2019 dollars. Bachelor's degree holders earned a median of $2.8 million over that span, compared with $1.6 million for workers with only a high school diploma.
Major made a big difference too. Architecture and engineering majors led at a median of $3.8 million, then computers, statistics and math at $3.6 million, and business at $3 million. Education was lowest at $2 million, with psychology and social work at $2.2 million.
These are estimates pieced together from workers of different ages, not one group followed for 40 years. When I compare them with the New York Fed ranking above, the same fields come out on top.
Do the highest paying majors have low unemployment?
Not always. Computer engineering tops the early-career pay list but had the second-highest unemployment rate of all 73 majors for recent graduates (7.8%), and computer science (7.0%) was also near the top, compared with 4.2% across all majors. Aerospace engineering (2.2%), construction services (2.2%) and civil engineering (2.3%) paid well with much lower unemployment. Looking at these numbers, I'd check both pay and unemployment before you choose.
Where does chemical engineering rank?
Near the top on every pay measure. Chemical engineering ties aerospace engineering for third in early-career pay ($85,000), ranks first in mid-career pay ($135,000), and shows the biggest gap between the two.
That matches what I chose it for. My own pay came in a little higher than I expected, and when my classmates and I graduated in 2023, a lot of them started somewhere between $78,000 and $95,000, depending on the industry. The growth has come from moving into new roles: so far I've worked in production, project management and process development. Each job was very different, added to my skills, and opened more doors in the chemical industry.
For pay by engineering job rather than by major, see the highest paying engineering jobs, with 18 jobs ranked by salary.
Should you pick a major for the money?
In my opinion, pay should count, but it shouldn't be the only thing. I've seen people choose a major for the money and struggle. Engineering can be demanding, with long hours depending on the job, and if you don't actually love the work, you can lose interest fast once a job takes up a lot of your time. Want careers that pay well and are also growing fast? See the best degrees for the future.
How much weight pay deserves depends on where you want to live. Living costs are very different in rural areas, smaller cities and big metros, so think about where you want to end up. As a starting point, I'd put about 30 to 40% of the decision on pay and the rest on interest, then adjust for where you plan to live.
Research backs up giving interest real weight: students whose interests fit their major tend to earn somewhat better grades and stick with it a bit more. See our guide on how to choose a college major for the details.
Want to see which of these fit your interests? Take the free quiz. You'll get the careers, pay and job growth for each match.
How to read these numbers
- Median pay means half of graduates in that major earn more and half earn less.
- Full-time, bachelor's degree only. People with graduate degrees aren't included in the pay figures, which lowers majors where many graduates go on to more school.
- The data is from 2024 and was released in February 2026. The New York Fed updates it every year.
- Pay varies by job, industry and location. A major's median won't tell you what you'll earn.
More questions about pay by major
What is the highest paying major?
It depends on when in your career you look. For graduates ages 22 to 27, computer engineering had the highest median pay ($90,000). For ages 35 to 45, chemical engineering was highest ($135,000).
Do STEM majors pay more?
Engineering and computer majors lead the list, but not every science major does. Biology ($45,000) and chemistry ($50,000) had early-career medians below the $58,000 for all majors, partly because many of their graduates go on to graduate school and aren't counted in the pay figures.
What college major pays the least?
In this data, the lowest early-career medians were pharmacy ($40,000), theology and religion ($41,600) and social services ($43,000). Pharmacy is misleading here: pharmacists typically need a doctorate, so the figure doesn't reflect what practicing pharmacists earn.
Sources
The ranks are counted from the New York Fed's own data file (2024 data, released February 2026), and lifetime earnings come from Georgetown's 2021 College Payoff report. Each figure was checked against the original, and the other sources are listed below.
- Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The Labor Market for Recent College Graduates: Outcomes by Major (2024 American Community Survey data, released February 4, 2026) and Wages (Current Population Survey data through 2025). newyorkfed.org
- Carnevale, A. P., Cheah, B., & Wenzinger, E. (2021). The College Payoff: More Education Doesn't Always Mean More Earnings. Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (American Community Survey data, 2009-2019, in 2019 dollars). cew.georgetown.edu
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook: Pharmacists. bls.gov
- de Vries, N., Meeter, M., & Huizinga, M. (2024). Does interest fit between student and study program lead to better outcomes? A meta-analysis of vocational interest congruence as predictor for academic success. Educational Research Review, 44, 100619. doi.org