The American Community Survey is a program in which the US Census Bureau asks millions of Americans each year questions about their economic, social, demographic, and housing situation. Some of the topics on the survey include educational attainment and income.
Using the listed field of study among respondents who graduated from college and annual total income data, we found the majors with the highest average total personal income among employed Americans with at least a bachelor's degree in that field. This analysis just focuses on a person's major and doesn't take into account other factors that might influence a person's income, like age or what specific occupation or industry they work in.
Of the 20 majors with the highest average annual total income, 17 are in science, engineering, or medical fields. These majors all earn over $121,000.
The following are the 20 college majors with the highest average incomes, along with how many people have degrees in that field, in order of increasing pay:
20. Physics majors had an average annual total income of $121,500, and 288,100 have at least a bachelor's degree in this field.
Monty Rakusen/Getty Images
19. Molecular biology majors had an average annual total income of $122,000, and 88,800 have at least a bachelor's degree in this field.
Reuters/Arnd Wiegmann
18. Aerospace engineering majors had an average annual total income of $122,200, and 118,400 have at least a bachelor's degree in this field.
Engineers work on the Mars rover Curiosity at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 16, 2010.Jae C. Hong/AP
17. Mathematics and computer science majors had an average annual total income of $122,700, and 17,400 have at least a bachelor's degree in this field.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
16. Metallurgical engineering majors had an average annual total income of $123,700, and 15,100 have at least a bachelor's degree in this field.
15. Biochemical sciences majors had an average annual total income of $125,800, and 223,000 have at least a bachelor's degree in this field.
Amilcar Orfali/Getty Images
14. Mining and mineral engineering majors had an average annual total income of $125,800, and 14,500 have at least a bachelor's degree in this field.
rudi_suardi/Getty Images
13. Chemical engineering majors had an average annual total income of $126,000, and 317,100 have at least a bachelor's degree in this field.
Tomas Rodriguez/Getty Images
12. Chemistry majors had an average annual total income of $126,200, and 584,800 have at least a bachelor's degree in this field.
Hinterhaus Productions/Getty Images
11. Electrical engineering majors had an average annual total income of $127,200, and 1,065,900 have at least a bachelor's degree in this field.
Hinterhaus Productions/Getty Images
10. Naval architecture and marine engineering majors had an average annual total income of $127,900, and 19,100 have at least a bachelor's degree in this field.
US Navy/Getty
9. Engineering mechanics, physics, and science majors had an average annual total income of $129,100, and 33,900 have at least a bachelor's degree in this field.
Tom Werner/Getty Images
8. Engineering and industrial management majors had an average annual total income of $129,330, and 42,600 have at least a bachelor's degree in this field.
Worldsteel/Getty
7. Actuarial science majors had an average annual total income of $129,400, and 20,800 have at least a bachelor's degree in this field.
Mr. Whiskey/Shutterstock
6. Applied mathematics majors had an average annual total income of $130,313, and 40,400 have at least a bachelor's degree in this field.
Ariel Skelley/Getty Images
5. Economics majors had an average annual total income of $133,200, and 1,111,900 have at least a bachelor's degree in this field.
Alex Brandon/AP
4. Pharmacology majors had an average annual total income of $135,672, and 12,800 have at least a bachelor's degree in this field.
Reuters/Ina Fassbender
3. Zoology majors had an average annual total income of $141,800, and 109,700 have at least a bachelor's degree in this field.
Associated Press
2. Petroleum engineering majors had an average annual total income of $156,089, and 26,800 have at least a bachelor's degree in this field.
Larisa Rudenko/Shutterstock
1. Health and medical preparatory majors had an average annual total income of $165,400, and 100,400 have at least a bachelor's degree in this field.
Terry Vine/Getty Images
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Madison Hoff is a reporter on Business Insider’s economy team. She covers the labor market, inflation, spending, and other data. In addition to covering new estimates and trends, her workforce reporting includes career pivots, job searching, and side hustles.She also covers downsizing, particularly people selling their houses to pursue RV living. She has also reported on how much teachers spend out of pocket and what it’s like being a caregiver.Her stories often cover the state of the economy, what experts are saying, and how people are navigating the workplace or their careers.Previously, she was a junior reporter and data editorial fellow on the Strategy team.
