STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — If you’re looking for a high-paying career or a quick return on your college-tuition investment, stay away from these college majors, according to a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Those with degrees in education, social services, or theology end up earning the lowest mid-career median income, according to the nationwide study of the labor market for recent college graduates, released in February 2025.
Career median incomes for education majors vary by area of specialty, but range from $40,000 annually for early childhood education to $58,000 for those with majors in secondary education, according to data.
And those majoring in animal and plant science, fine arts and English have a mid-career annual salary of $70,000, according to the study.
Early-career earnings
Looking at early career wages, foreign language majors earn the lowest salary of all, with a median annual income of $40,000. General social sciences majors start off with a $41,000 median salary. Performing arts majors have a median mid-career annual income of $41,900.
Students who major in engineering, computer science, finance and economics end up earning more due to a greater need for these specialized skills in higher-paying industries.
Here‘s a look at what the Federal Reserve Bank found to be the least lucrative college degrees in early career, and again at mid-career, based on median wages.
The bottom 10 for early-career earnings
- Foreign language ($40,000)
- General social sciences ($41,000)
- Performing arts ($41,900)
- Anthropology ($42,000)
- Early childhood education ($42,000)
- Family and consumer sciences ($42,000)
- General education ($42,000)
- Miscellaneous biological science ($42,000)
- Social services ($42,000)
- Theology and religion ($42,000)
The bottom 10 earners at mid-career level
- Early childhood education ($49,000)
- Elementary education ($53,000)
- Social services ($54,000)
- General education ($55,000)
- Special education ($55,000)
- Secondary education ($58,000)
- Theology and religion ($60,000)
- Miscellaneous education ($60,000)
- Family and consumer sciences ($62,000)
- Health services ($65,000)