If you’re about to head off to college and haven’t decided on a major yet, you may find the latest labor market data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York helpful. The data, published February 10, reveals the labor market outcomes of college graduates based on major—in other words, the employment rates and salaries of those who majored in particular subjects.
When you narrow the list down to the top 10 majors sorted by median wage in early career, there is one thing most of the top-paying jobs have in common. They’re nearly all in engineering.
1. Chemical engineering: $75,000
2. Computer engineering: $74,000
3. Computer science: $73,000
4. Aerospace engineering: $72,000
5. Electrical engineering: $70,000
6. Mechanical engineering: $70,000
7. Industrial engineering: $70,000
8. Miscellaneous engineering: $68,000
9. Business analytics: $66,000
10. Civil engineering: $65,000
Of course, there is a massive difference in the skill sets of a chemical engineer versus a computer engineer versus a civil engineer, but the main takeaway here is that the majors that lead to the jobs that pay the most in early career are the majors that teach people how to build things—whether it’s chemicals, planes, or buildings.
On the more depressing side of things, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s data also revealed some of the majors that lead to the lowest-paying jobs in early career. And there is a clear trend with those jobs, too: Many are in education or social services fields.
Miscellaneous education, special education, elementary education, and early-childhood education majors generally had early-career jobs with a median salary of $40,000. Psychology majors, as well as family and consumer sciences, social services, and theology and religion majors all saw jobs with median early-career salaries of below $38,000.
The New York Fed defines “early-career graduates” as “those aged 22 to 27” and notes that its median wage figures are those for full-time workers with only a bachelor’s degree in the subject.
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