{"id":15167,"date":"2024-03-29T08:39:35","date_gmt":"2024-03-29T08:39:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jobera.com\/?p=15167"},"modified":"2024-03-29T08:39:35","modified_gmt":"2024-03-29T08:39:35","slug":"what-is-the-average-starting-salary-out-of-college","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jobera.com\/resources\/what-is-the-average-starting-salary-out-of-college\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Average Starting Salary Out Of College? [2026 Statistics]"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Ever thought about life beyond campus?<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Curious about how the job market treats out-of-college candidates?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There has been a <strong>1%<\/strong> or <strong>less annual <\/strong>increase in the average starting salaries of college graduates from <strong>2015 to 2018<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2019 <\/strong>saw an average increment of <strong>5.8%<\/strong> in the average starting salary of graduates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The current average starting salary of out-of-college employees is <strong>$55,260.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Ready to turn your degree into dollars?<\/em> Let\u2019s explore the latest statistics on average starting salaries.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><nav><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#top-starting-salary-out-of-college-statistics-editors-pick\">Top Starting Salary Out of College Statistics: Editor\u2019s Pick<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#average-starting-salary-for-college-graduates\">Average Starting Salary for College Graduates<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#starting-salary-out-of-college-expectations-vs-reality\">Starting Salary Out of College Expectations Vs Reality<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#change-in-average-salary-out-of-college-over-past-years\">Change in Average Salary Out of College Over Past Years<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#average-starting-salary-out-of-college-by-demographics\">Average Starting Salary Out of College By Demographics<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"top-starting-salary-out-of-college-statistics-editors-pick\">Top Starting Salary Out of College Statistics: Editor\u2019s Pick<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/dev.jobera.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/out-of-college-starting-salary.jpg-1024x427.png\" alt=\"The average starting salary for out of college students is $55,260\" class=\"wp-image-15173\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jobera.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/out-of-college-starting-salary.jpg-1024x427.png 1024w, https:\/\/jobera.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/out-of-college-starting-salary.jpg-300x125.png 300w, https:\/\/jobera.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/out-of-college-starting-salary.jpg-768x320.png 768w, https:\/\/jobera.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/out-of-college-starting-salary.jpg.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Electrical Engineering and Computer Science<\/strong> graduates are paid the highest salary of about <strong>$108,500.<\/strong><strong><sup> <\/sup><\/strong><sup>[1]<\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Women <\/strong>expect to earn about <strong>$48,500 <\/strong>straight out of college, while men expect <strong>$74,000<\/strong>.<sup> [2]<\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some<strong> nursing<\/strong> and <strong>computer science<\/strong> students underestimate their salaries, while others usually overestimate.<sup> [2]<\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The average starting salary of out-of-college employees is <strong>$55,260<\/strong> in <strong>2022<\/strong> and <strong>2023.<\/strong><strong><sup> <\/sup><\/strong><sup>[5]<\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is stated that <strong>Asian-American graduates <\/strong>have the highest starting salary at<strong> $75k<\/strong>.<sup> [7]<\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>White<\/strong> <strong>graduates <\/strong>have the highest employment percentage of <strong>62.7%<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"average-starting-salary-for-college-graduates\">Average Starting Salary for College Graduates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Straight out of college and looking for good pay?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Your pay highly depends on your major and department. Let\u2019s compare the highest and lowest-paying jobs by degree.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th><strong>Major<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>Average Salary&nbsp;<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Electrical Engineering &amp; Computer Science<\/td><td>$108,500<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Physician Assistant Studies<\/td><td>$95,900<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Petroleum Engineering<\/td><td>$93,200<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Operations Research<\/td><td>$83,500<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Computer Science &amp; Business<\/td><td>$81,100<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Electronic Systems Technology<\/td><td>$81k<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Welding Engineering&nbsp;<\/td><td>$81k<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.payscale.com\/college-salary-report\/majors-that-pay-you-back\/bachelors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Payscale<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Electrical Engineering and Computer Science<\/strong> graduates are paid the highest salary of about <strong>$108,500<\/strong> with an experience of zero to five years.<sup> [1]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other <strong>engineering majors <\/strong>including Nuclear Engineering Technology and Metallurgical Engineering are also paid up to <strong>$83k<\/strong>.<sup> [1]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Non-technical and non-engineering majors are paid less comparatively. Here is a list of some of the lowest-paying majors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th><strong>Major<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>Average Salary&nbsp;<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Voice &amp; Opera<\/td><td>$34,500<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Painting &amp; Printmaking<\/td><td>$34,700<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Psychology &amp; Human Services<\/td><td>$35,600<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Equine Studies<\/td><td>$35,700<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Rehabilitation Services<\/td><td>$35,800<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Medical Assisting<\/td><td>$36,000<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Early Childhood Education<\/td><td>$36,100<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Mental Health Counseling<\/td><td>$36,100<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Child and Family Studies<\/td><td>$36,400<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Biblical Studies &amp; Practical Ministries<\/td><td>$36,400<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.payscale.com\/college-salary-report\/majors-that-pay-you-back\/bachelors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Payscale<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"starting-salary-out-of-college-expectations-vs-reality\">Starting Salary Out of College Expectations Vs Reality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Students tend to <strong>overestimate <\/strong>their salaries after college by<strong> 23%<\/strong>.<sup> [2]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Get a reality check with these statistics!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Women <\/strong>expect to earn about <strong>$48,500 <\/strong>straight out of college, while men expect <strong>$74,000<\/strong>.<sup> [2]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some<strong> nursing<\/strong> and <strong>computer science<\/strong> students underestimate their salaries, while others usually overestimate.<sup> [2]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Business majors<\/strong> have reported overestimating their average salaries from college by <strong>about $14,200<\/strong>.<sup> [2]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As <strong>computer Science<\/strong> is the highest in demand, the average salary has risen by<strong> $7000<\/strong> more than expected. <sup>[2]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/dev.jobera.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/avg-starting-salary-statistics.jpg-1024x683.png\" alt=\"Average starting salary expectations vs reality\" class=\"wp-image-15174\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jobera.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/avg-starting-salary-statistics.jpg-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/jobera.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/avg-starting-salary-statistics.jpg-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/jobera.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/avg-starting-salary-statistics.jpg-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/jobera.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/avg-starting-salary-statistics.jpg.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/listwithclever.com\/research\/college-student-salary-expectations-study\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Clever<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"change-in-average-salary-out-of-college-over-past-years\">Change in Average Salary Out of College Over Past Years<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The average starting salary of out-of-college employees was recorded at <strong>$48,127<\/strong> in<strong> 2014<\/strong>.<sup> [6]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There has been a <strong>1%<\/strong> or <strong>less annual <\/strong>increase in the average starting salaries of college graduates from <strong>2015 to 2018<\/strong>.<sup> [3]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2019 <\/strong>saw an average increment of <strong>5.8%<\/strong> in the average starting salary of graduates.<sup> [4]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There has not been any significant change in salaries from <strong>2019 to 2021. <\/strong>It was <strong>approximately $55k. <\/strong><sup>[5]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The average starting salary of out-of-college employees is <strong>$55,260<\/strong> in <strong>2022<\/strong> and <strong>2023.<\/strong><strong><sup> <\/sup><\/strong><sup>[5]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"average-starting-salary-out-of-college-by-demographics\">Average Starting Salary Out of College By Demographics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Are you living in a suitable place to be paid well? Let\u2019s check it out!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>mid-Atlantic<\/strong> <strong>region <\/strong>has recorded the highest average starting salary for college graduates, approximately <strong>$63k<\/strong>.<sup> [7]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The next in line is a <strong>west-Atlantic region<\/strong> with an average starting salary for graduates at <strong>$62k<\/strong>.<sup> [7]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is stated that <strong>Asian-American graduates <\/strong>have the highest starting salary at<strong> $75k<\/strong>.<sup> [7]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Native American<\/strong> graduates have the <strong>lowest <\/strong>average starting salary at <strong>$53<\/strong>,<strong>528<\/strong>.<sup> [7]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pacific Islander <\/strong>graduates are the second-lowest paid graduates about <strong>$53,844<\/strong>.<sup> [7]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Hispanic<\/strong>&#8211;<strong>American<\/strong> graduates have the third-lowest salary at <strong>$55,833<\/strong> and an employment percentage of<strong> 57.3%.<\/strong><sup> [7]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>White<\/strong> <strong>graduates <\/strong>have the highest employment percentage of <strong>62.7%<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Native American<\/strong> students have the second highest rate at<strong> 60.3%.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/dev.jobera.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/graduates-starting-salary.jpg\" alt=\"Starting salary of graduates by ethnicity\" class=\"wp-image-15176\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jobera.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/graduates-starting-salary.jpg 800w, https:\/\/jobera.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/graduates-starting-salary-267x300.jpg 267w, https:\/\/jobera.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/graduates-starting-salary-768x864.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.naceweb.org\/job-market\/graduate-outcomes\/first-destination\/class-of-2021\/interactive-dashboard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">NACE<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-is-the-average-starting-out-of-college-salary-of-women\">What is the average starting out-of-college salary of women?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Women have always faced gender discrimination in the workplace.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>average<\/strong> starting salary of<strong> females<\/strong> out of college is about <strong>$52k<\/strong>.<sup> [8]<\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>While the average salary of <strong>males <\/strong>out of college is about <strong>$64k.<\/strong><strong><sup> <\/sup><\/strong><sup>[8]<\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The average starting salary of <strong>nonbinar<\/strong>y students who graduated in 2021 was about <strong>$50k<\/strong>. <sup>[8]<\/sup><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns has-background is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\" style=\"background-color:#fff9ed\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>If you found this article interesting, you might enjoy these too:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<p>[related_posts_by_tax taxonomies=&#8221;category,post_tag&#8221; posts_per_page=&#8221;5&#8243; orderby=&#8221;post_modified&#8221; title=&#8221;&#8221;]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"fa-qs\">FAQs&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-is-the-average-starting-salary-out-of-college\">What is the average starting salary out of college?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The average starting salary was $55,260 in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-much-do-out-of-college-people-overestimate-about-their-salaries\">How much do out-of-college people overestimate about their salaries?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>College graduates believe they would earn up to&nbsp; $104,000 at their first job which is an overestimation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"who-earns-the-highest-straight-out-of-college\">Who earns the highest straight out of college?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Electrical Engineering and Computer Science graduates are paid the highest salary of about $108,500 with an experience of zero to five years.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"conclusion\">Conclusion&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>How much can you make after completing the college degree? <\/em>Well, it highly depends on your course. While in-demand majors like engineering and technical fields are paid good, others like&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>child and family studies, humanities, and biblical studies are low.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The average starting salary was $55,260 in 2023. If we look at the average starting salary of females out of college, it is about $52k. While the average salary of males out of college is about $64k.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Students usually tend to overestimate their future earnings straight out of college and get upset when they see the actual scenario. <em>Pro tip-<\/em> It\u2019s helpful to go through the data first!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sources\">Sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Payscale. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.payscale.com\/college-salary-report\/majors-that-pay-you-back\/bachelors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">College Salary Report: Highest Paying Jobs with a Bachelor\u2019s Degree<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Clever. <a href=\"https:\/\/listwithclever.com\/research\/college-student-salary-expectations-study\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Reality Check: Exploring Unrealistic Undergraduate Salary Expectations<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>NACE. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.naceweb.org\/job-market\/compensation\/class-of-2017s-overall-starting-salary-shows-little-gain\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Class of 2017\u2019s Overall Starting Salary Shows Little Gain<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>NACE. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.naceweb.org\/job-market\/compensation\/average-salary-for-class-of-2019-up-almost-6-percent-over-class-of-2018s\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Average Salary for Class of 2019 Up Almost 6 Percent Over Class of 2018\u2019s<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>NACE. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.naceweb.org\/about-us\/press\/salaries-for-college-graduates-climb-even-in-the-face-of-the-pandemic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Salaries for College Graduates Climb Even in the Face of the Pandemic<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>NACE. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.naceweb.org\/job-market\/compensation\/overall-starting-salary-for-class-of-2015-graduates-up-4-3-percent\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Overall Starting Salary for Class of 2015 Graduates Up 4.3 Percent<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>NACE. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.naceweb.org\/job-market\/graduate-outcomes\/first-destination\/class-of-2021\/interactive-dashboard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">First Destinations for the College Class of 2021<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>CNBC. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2021\/10\/13\/more-education-doesnt-always-get-you-more-money-report-finds.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">More Education Doesn\u2019t Always Get You More Money, Report Finds<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ever thought about life beyond campus?&nbsp; Curious about how the job market treats out-of-college candidates? There has been a 1%\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":15178,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[73,32,201],"class_list":["post-15167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-statistics","tag-income","tag-job-search","tag-salary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobera.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobera.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobera.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobera.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobera.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15167"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/jobera.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15167\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobera.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobera.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobera.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobera.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}