The 5 highest-earning bachelor’s degrees in the US: new Census data

(NEXSTAR) — Throughout the U.S., the median household income is around $75,000, according to newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 5-year survey.

Your income can, of course, vary due to several factors, like where you live, your gender, and the field you’re in. Your highest level of educational attainment can also be impactful.

Among American workers who have only a high school diploma or equivalent, the median income is less than $37,000, according to data the Census released Thursday, which was based on their widespread community survey. Those who have a bachelor’s degree, however, report a median income of just under $65,000.

Some fields will, on average, pay you much more than that.

Nationally, it’s those with a degree in engineering that have the highest reported median income: Americans between the ages of 25 and 64 with a degree in that field earn about $111,600, Census data shows. (This data is based only on the person’s first major, not necessarily whether they’re working in that field.)

There are other well-paying fields. Here are the five bachelor’s degrees that produce the highest median income, based on the Census data:

1. Engineering: $111,600
2. Computers, Mathematics, and Statistics: $100,000
3. Physical and Related Sciences: $85,700
4. Business: $80,100
5. Social Sciences: $79,300

In all but one state, residents in the above age group with a degree in engineering report a higher median income than other fields. Washington is the exception, where those with a degree in computers, mathematics, and statistics have a median income of $136,800.

Engineering majors stand to make the most in the District of Columbia, where the median wage is almost $131,500. That’s followed by California ($130,900) and Maryland ($121,800).

There are, however, some fields that pay even less than the national median. According to the Census Bureau, the bachelor’s degrees with the lowest median income are:

1. Visual and performing arts: $55,000
2. Education: $57,900
3. Psychology: $61,600
4. Multidisciplinary Studies: $63,000
5. Literature and Languages: $64,600

Omitted was the “other” category, which covers degrees that don’t otherwise fall in the 14 categories the Census uses, where the median income was $61,800.

The new data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2018-2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. The survey happens more frequently than the official Census and gives people a better idea of changes happening in their community year to year.

Unfortunately, there’s a good chance that if you have any of the above degrees, you’re also facing student debt. Nationally, student debt has reached more than $1.7 trillion. Those living along the East Coast have the most debt, according to a recent review of data from the Department of Education.

Alix Martichoux contributed to this report.