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Synthetic Work-Life Earnings by Field of Bachelor’s Degree and Occupation Group for Full-Time, Year-Round Workers Whose Highest Attainment is a Bachelor’s Degree

April 4, 2013

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A bachelor’s degree holder can expect to earn about $2.4 million over his or her work life. However, not everyone with the same college major and level of education earns the same amount. Engineering majors make the most of any college major, at $3.5 million, but this varies widely between engineering majors who work in service occupations ($1.4 million) and those who work in management occupations ($4.1 million). Education majors make the least, at $1.8 million, and no occupation for education majors provides higher earnings than the average for bachelor’s degree holders. For more information on the classification of fields of degree and occupations, see http://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/acsbr11-04a.pdf.

For related graphics see the series of infographics showing Pathways After a Bachelor’s Degree see: http://www.census.gov/hhes/socdemo/education/data/acs/infographics/

SOURCE: Julian, Tiffany, "Work-Life Earnings by Field of Degree and Occupation for People With a Bachelor’s Degree: 2011," American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau, October 2012, available at http://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/acsbr11-04.pdf.

NOTE: Colors represent statistical difference from the average for all bachelor’s degree holders—2.4 million. Synthetic work-life earnings represent expected earnings over a 40-year time period for the population aged 25-64 who maintain full-time, year-round employment the entire time. Calculations are based on median annual earnings from a single point in time for eight 5-year age groups multiplied by five. Not all fields of degree and occupations are shown here. Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see http://www.census.gov/acs/www/.