The 10 Worst-Paying College Majors Five Years After Graduation

Pursuing a college degree is often seen as a path to greater earnings and career stability. However, not all degrees offer the same financial return, especially when it comes to liberal arts majors. A recent analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York highlights a stark truth: graduates in fields like education, social work, and the arts tend to earn the lowest salaries within five years of leaving school.

Early Career Earnings: A Stark Contrast

The analysis focuses on full-time workers aged 22 to 27 who hold only a bachelor’s degree and are no longer enrolled in school. Using 2023 data, it reveals that early-career salaries in certain fields fall well below the U.S. median wage of $48,060, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

While some majors, notably engineering, offer graduates starting salaries well over $80,000, many liberal arts and education majors earn around $40,000. Across all majors studied, the median early-career salary sits at $50,000 — a figure that paints a mixed picture of the real economic value of various college degrees.

The Role of Major Selection in Earnings

Choosing a major like foreign languages, while intellectually enriching, may not always lead to lucrative opportunities. Although fluency in another language is a valuable skill, degrees in this field often channel graduates into lower-paying sectors like education, translation, or public service — areas where wages remain modest.

Similarly, liberal arts majors frequently find themselves at a disadvantage compared to graduates from technical fields such as engineering, mathematics, or computer science. Demand for technical skills in high-paying industries like finance and technology contributes to a widening earnings gap early in a graduate’s career.

Mid-Career Realities: Minimal Growth for Some

Unfortunately, the income gap doesn’t necessarily close with age. By mid-career — typically between the ages of 35 and 45 — many liberal arts and education majors continue to struggle to match their peers’ earnings.

For instance, early childhood education majors face particularly challenging prospects. They earn the least among mid-career professionals, with a median income of $49,000 — only about $8,000 more than what they were earning just five years after graduation. In sharp contrast, engineering majors often reach six-figure salaries by this stage of their careers, solidifying the long-term advantage of pursuing technical disciplines.

The 10 Lowest-Paying Majors (Five Years Post-Graduation)

Here’s a look at the ten majors that yield the lowest median salaries for young full-time workers, based on the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s data:

1. Early Childhood Education

2. Social Work

3. Performing Arts

4. Visual Arts

5. Psychology

6. Theology and Religious Vocations

7. Leisure and Hospitality

8. Foreign Languages

9. General Education

10. Anthropology

Each of these fields tends to offer initial median salaries around or below the national median wage, and many continue to lag behind more technical or specialized fields throughout a graduate’s career.

While passion and interest should play a major role in choosing a college major, students should also be aware of the economic realities tied to different fields of study. Not all degrees provide the same financial return, and those pursuing careers in liberal arts, education, and social work may need to be especially strategic about gaining additional skills, certifications, or experience to boost their earning potential over time.

Ultimately, understanding these salary trends can help students and families make better-informed decisions about higher education investments and career planning.

Origin Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/26/worst-paying-college-majors.html