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Ranked: The Best College Degrees for Finding a Job
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Key Takeaways
- Nutrition Sciences is the best college degree for finding a job
- Aerospace Engineering combines a relatively low unemployment rate with a high median salary
Which college degrees are the best for finding a job?
This graphic uses recent data compiled by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to examine the careers that offer the best prospect and their respective median salaries.
Scarcity Meets Earning Potential
Nutrition Sciences tops the list, with only 0.4% unemployment rate. Graduates can expect a median salary of $75,000 by age 35-45.
Construction Services and Animal & Plant Sciences follow, also with low unemployment rate (0.7% and 1.0%, respectively), but diverge significantly in earnings—$100,000 versus $70,000 per year.
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics-related degrees (STEM) tend to yield high returns.
Aerospace Engineering, for example, ranks eighth in unemployment rate but first in compensation within this list at $125K. Similarly, Mechanical, Electrical, and Chemical Engineering all boast six-figure salaries while having unemployment rates between 1.5–2.2%.
| Rank | Field of Study | Unemployment Rate (%) | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nutrition Sciences | 0.4% | $75K |
| 2 | Construction Services | 0.7% | $100K |
| 3 | Animal & Plant Sciences | 1.0% | $70K |
| 4 | Civil Engineering | 1.0% | $100K |
| 5 | Special Education | 1.0% | $55K |
| 6 | Agriculture | 1.2% | $75K |
| 7 | Early Education | 1.3% | $49K |
| 8 | Aerospace Engineering | 1.4% | $125K |
| 9 | Nursing | 1.4% | $84K |
| 10 | Earth Sciences | 1.5% | $88K |
| 11 | Mechanical Engineering | 1.5% | $115K |
| 12 | Social Services | 1.7% | $54K |
| 13 | Elementary Education | 1.8% | $53K |
| 14 | Accounting | 1.9% | $88K |
| 15 | Engineering Technologies | 1.9% | $100K |
| 16 | Chemical Engineering | 2.0% | $120K |
| 17 | Electrical Engineering | 2.2% | $120K |
| 18 | Health Services | 2.2% | $65K |
| 19 | Business Analytics | 2.4% | $100K |
| 20 | General Engineering | 2.4% | $100K |
| 21 | Miscellaneous Education | 2.5% | $60K |
| 22 | Environmental Studies | 2.6% | $75K |
| 23 | Ethnic Studies | 2.6% | $83K |
Education-related fields like Early Childhood Education (1.3%, $49,000) and Special Education (1.0%, $55,000) show lower median earnings despite low unemployment rate, highlighting the income disparity across academic disciplines.
Fields like Business Analytics and General Engineering have 2.4% unemployment rate, with both yielding strong salaries of $100,000.
Meanwhile, areas such as Ethnic Studies and Environmental Studies offer moderate pay ($83,000 and $75,000, respectively) with 2.6% unemployment rate.
These Are the Worst Degrees for Finding a Job
In a previous graphic, we listed the worst degrees for finding a job. At the top of the list is anthropology, with an unemployment rate of 9.4%, the highest rate analyzed.
Fine arts and sociology follow closely, with unemployment rates of 7.0% and 6.7%, respectively. These degrees tend to offer mid-career salaries around $70,000, placing them on the lower end of the earnings spectrum.
Interestingly, some of the highest-paying degrees also have relatively high unemployment rates.
For instance, computer engineering majors earn a median of $122,000 mid-career, but face a 7.5% unemployment rate. Physics ($100,000) and computer science ($115,000) also show above-average jobless rates, at 7.8% and 6.1%, respectively.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
If you enjoyed today’s post, check out the Highest Paying College Majors on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.