As of the 2023/24 academic year, graduates from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) had a starting salary of 110,200 U.S. dollars, and a mid-career salary of 196,900 U.S. dollars. Top universities in the United States One of the top universities in the United States, Harvey Mudd College, is located in Claremont, California. Not only do graduates earn a high salaries after graduation, they also pay the most. In the academic year of 2020-2021, Harvey Mudd College was one of the most expensive school by total annual cost. The best university in the United States in 2021 belonged to the University of California, Berkeley. The Ivy League The Ivy League is a group of eight private universities in the Northeastern United States. It is not only a collegiate athletic conference, but also a group of highly respected academic institutions. They are usually regarded as the best eight universities in the United States and the world. They are extremely selective with their admissions process. However, these universities are extremely expensive to attend. Despite the high price tag, students who graduate from Princeton University have the highest early career salary out of all Ivy League attendees in 2021. This is compared to the overall expected starting salaries of recent college graduates across the United States, which was less than 35,000 U.S. dollars.

The top-ranked university in the United States in 2024 according to Forbes was Princeton University in New Jersey. Students at Princeton graduate with an average debt of 7,559 U.S. dollars, but have a median 10-year salary of 189,400 U.S. dollars. The Forbes rankings are based on several categories, including alumni salary, student debt, graduation rate, return on investment, retention rate, and academic success.

Graph and download economic data for Income Before Taxes: Wages and Salaries by Highest Education: College Graduate: Bachelor's Degree (CXU900000LB1408M) from 2012 to 2023 about tertiary schooling, salaries, education, tax, wages, income, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Employed full time: Wage and salary workers: High School graduates, no college: 25 years and over: Women (LEU0252925000Q) from Q1 2000 to Q2 2025 about no college, secondary schooling, secondary, 25 years +, females, full-time, salaries, workers, education, wages, employment, and USA.

Analysis of ‘Where it Pays to Attend College’ provided by Analyst-2 (analyst-2.ai), based on source dataset retrieved from https://www.kaggle.com/wsj/college-salaries on 20 November 2021.

--- Dataset description provided by original source is as follows ---

Salary Increase By Type of College

Party school? Liberal Arts college? State School? You already know your starting salary will be different depending on what type of school you attend. But, increased earning power shows less disparity. Ten years out, graduates of Ivy League schools earned 99% more than they did at graduation. Party school graduates saw an 85% increase. Engineering school graduates fared worst, earning 76% more 10 years out of school. See where your school ranks.

Salaries By Region

Attending college in the Midwest leads to the lowest salary both at graduation and at mid-career, according to the PayScale Inc. survey. Graduates of schools in the Northeast and California fared best.

Salary Increase By Major

Your parents might have worried when you chose Philosophy or International Relations as a major. But a year-long survey of 1.2 million people with only a bachelor's degree by PayScale Inc. shows that graduates in these subjects earned 103.5% and 97.8% more, respectively, about 10 years post-commencement. Majors that didn't show as much salary growth include Nursing and Information Technology.

All data was obtained from the Wall Street Journal based on data from Payscale, Inc:

• Salaries for Colleges by Type
• Salaries for Colleges by Region
• Degrees that Pay you Back

--- Original source retains full ownership of the source dataset ---

In 2022, Darden School of Business in Charlottesville, Virginia was ranked as the 14th best business school in the United States, with an average student debt of 114,043 U.S. dollars and average starting salary and sign-on bonus of 186,974 U.S. dollars for MBA graduates. The number one ranked business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, had a average MBA grad starting salary of 186,279 U.S. dollars but did not report student debt figures for 2022. Only 11 out of the 25 top ranked business schools in the U.S. reported their average student debt in that year.

In 2024, graduates of Princeton University and Harvard University had an average early career salary of ****** U.S. dollars, which was the highest early career salary of any Ivy League university. In comparison, graduates of Brown University had an average early career salary of ****** U.S. dollars.

Graph and download economic data for Employed full time: Median usual weekly nominal earnings (second quartile): Wage and salary workers: High School graduates, no college: 25 years and over: Men (LEU0252921300A) from 1979 to 2024 about no college, second quartile, secondary schooling, secondary, full-time, males, 25 years +, salaries, workers, earnings, education, wages, median, employment, and USA.

See notice below about this dataset

This dataset provides the average annual earnings by industry per district.

Wage records are obtained from the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) using a secure, anonymized matching process with limitations. For details on the process and suppression rules, please visit the Employment and Earnings of High School Graduates dashboard.

This dataset is one of three containing the same data that is also published in the Employment and Earnings of High School Graduates dashboard: Average Earnings by Student Group Average Earnings by Industry College and Career Outcomes

List of Industries

• 00 - All Students
• 11 - Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting
• 21 - Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction
• 22 - Utilities
• 23 - Construction
• 31 - Manufacturing
• 42 - Wholesale Trade
• 44 - Retail Trade
• 48 - Transportation and Warehousing
• 51 - Information
• 52 - Finance and Insurance
• 53 - Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
• 54 - Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
• 55 - Management of Companies and Enterprises
• 56 - Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
• 61 - Educational Services
• 62 - Health Care and Social Assistance
• 71 - Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
• 72 - Accommodation and Food Services
• 81 - Other Services (except Public Administration)
• 92 - Public Administration
• 0 - No Industry Reported

The data link between high school graduates and future earnings makes it possible to follow students beyond high school and college into the workforce, enabling long-term evaluation of educational programs using workforce outcomes.

While DESE has published these data in the past, as of June 2025 we are temporarily pausing updates due to an issue conducting the link that was brought to our attention in 2023 by a team of researchers. The issue impacts the earnings information for students who never attended a postsecondary institution or who only attended private or out-of-state colleges or universities, beginning with the 2017 high school graduation cohort, with growing impact in each successive high school graduation cohort.

The issue does not impact the earnings information for students who attended a Massachusetts public institution of higher education, and earnings data for those students will continue to be updated.

Once a solution is found, the past cohorts of data with low match rates will be updated. DESE and partner agencies are exploring linking strategies to maximize the utility of the information.

More detailed information can be found in the attached memo provided by the research team from the Annenberg Institute. We thank them for calling this issue to our attention.

Graph and download economic data for Employed full time: Usual weekly nominal earnings (first quartile): Wage and salary workers: High School graduates, no college: 25 years and over: Black or African American (LEU0254939400A) from 2000 to 2024 about first quartile, no college, secondary schooling, secondary, African-American, 25 years +, full-time, salaries, workers, education, earnings, wages, employment, and USA.

Explore the progression of average salaries for graduates in High School (Also Completed Intensive English At City College San Francisco) from 2020 to 2023 through this detailed chart. It compares these figures against the national average for all graduates, offering a comprehensive look at the earning potential of High School (Also Completed Intensive English At City College San Francisco) relative to other fields. This data is essential for students assessing the return on investment of their education in High School (Also Completed Intensive English At City College San Francisco), providing a clear picture of financial prospects post-graduation.

Explore the progression of average salaries for graduates in High Schools from 2020 to 2023 through this detailed chart. It compares these figures against the national average for all graduates, offering a comprehensive look at the earning potential of High Schools relative to other fields. This data is essential for students assessing the return on investment of their education in High Schools, providing a clear picture of financial prospects post-graduation.

Graph and download economic data for Employed full time: Median usual weekly nominal earnings (second quartile): Wage and salary workers: High School graduates, no college: 25 years and over (LEU0252917300Q) from Q1 2000 to Q2 2025 about no college, second quartile, secondary schooling, secondary, 25 years +, full-time, salaries, workers, education, earnings, wages, median, employment, and USA.

In 2021, graduates from the Helene Fuld College of Nursing had the highest mid-career salary in the United States, at 95,600 U.S. dollars. Graduates from Laboure College had the second highest mid-career salary, at 90,800 U.S. dollars.

In 2022, the median starting salary for MBA graduates of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a leading business school in the United States, was 175,000 U.S. dollars. This figure was the same for MBA graduates of the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business and Stanford's Graduate School of Business, which were also ranked within the top three U.S. business schools in that year.

German law graduates holding a doctorate degree can currently expect the ******* average gross starting salary in the country when they enter the job market. Other degrees with good earning prospects include medicine, computer science (also with a doctorate degree), and industrial engineering. In comparison, those who studied graphics/design, humanities and social sciences are at the ****** of the starting salary food chain. Law courses among most attended Law, economics and social sciences were the subject groups seeing the ******* student numbers in German universities, totaling over *** million in 2023/2024. Engineering and mathematics rounded up the top three. German universities offer a variety of internationally recognized degrees, the Bachelor being the most frequently taken type of final exam. Slow yearly salary increase Among selected countries in the European Union, Germany ranks ***** in terms of average annual wages. All the same, when studying the change in average annual pay specifically in Germany during the last decade, a slow, but steady increase is visible year after year, until the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hit in 2020. Since then, the average wage has been decreasing and in 2023 was around the same level as in 2017.

Over the past five years, for-profit universities have faced mounting headwinds amid regulatory tightening, inflation and negative public perception. While data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports that overall postsecondary enrollment grew by just 0.5% from 2020 to 2025, enrollment at for-profit institutions shrank by 4.1%. Ballooning student debt and rising tuition, made worse by inflation in 2022 and 2023, have driven many recent graduates and adult learners to second-guess the value of higher education, especially degrees from for-profit schools with poor graduate earnings. Government regulations added further strain as the Biden administration's 2024 reinstatement of gainful employment rules once again linked access to federal funding to graduate debt-to-income ratios. At the same time, for-profit schools battled declining revenue as affordable nonprofit and vocational programs drew away budget-conscious students. Industry revenue has dropped at a CAGR of 0.5% to an estimated $13.6 billion over the five years through 2025. A faltering reputation has played a major role in the industry's decline. According to Federal Student Aid data, for-profit universities are repeatedly criticized for low graduation rates, weak graduate earnings and high student loan default rates—the highest across any demographic. Allegations of predatory practices remain in the headlines, exemplified by Walden University's $28.5 million lawsuit settlement in 2024. Although these institutions offer flexible scheduling and lower tuition rates that appeal to low-income and nontraditional students, the public remains wary. Studies indicate that most programs with no positive return on investment are at for-profit colleges. Meanwhile, stricter government scrutiny and the widespread availability of earnings and debt data have made poor outcomes highly visible, solidifying the negative perception. Many for-profit universities have shuttered, though some have managed to retain profit by closing physical locations. For-profit universities will continue facing a decline over the next five years. IBISWorld expects for-profit university enrollment to drop at an annualized 1.1% through 2030, outpaced by modest growth at nonprofit and vocational schools, where graduates see better employment outcomes. Uncertainty in regulations, including the possible repeal of the 90/10 rule, adds more volatility, while the lack of broad student loan forgiveness will likely suppress affordability and demand. As students and job seekers prioritize educational outcomes and cost, one in seven for-profit universities is expected to close by 2030. For-profit universities' revenue is set to sink at a CAGR of 0.3% to an estimated $13.4 billion through the next five years.

Consumer Expenditures - Income Before Taxes: Wages and Salaries by Highest Education: College Graduate: Master's, Professional, Doctoral Degree was 142820.00000 U.S. $ in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Consumer Expenditures - Income Before Taxes: Wages and Salaries by Highest Education: College Graduate: Master's, Professional, Doctoral Degree reached a record high of 142820.00000 in January of 2023 and a record low of 96790.00000 in January of 2013. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Consumer Expenditures - Income Before Taxes: Wages and Salaries by Highest Education: College Graduate: Master's, Professional, Doctoral Degree - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

The High School Graduate Outcomes Earnings by Industry dataset provides information on post-graduation earnings of high school graduates across different industries. It offers insights into career pathways, income trends, and the economic impact of secondary education.

In 2024, the average annual income of a college graduate with a Bachelor's degree in the United States was ****** U.S. dollars. This is a decrease from the previous year, when the median income for college grads was around ****** U.S. dollars.