Salaries & Job Growth by Major — Updated for 2026

Of course, your inter­est and pas­sion have a sig­nif­i­cant influ­ence on your choice of a major. But you should also con­sid­er its salary poten­tial and job growth. Keep in mind that you can’t live on pas­sion-fueled dreams alone — you have to make a liv­ing, too.

There’s also the mat­ter of tuition infla­tion and stu­dent loan debt. The aver­age cost of col­lege is $38,270 per stu­dent per year (2025–2026). But with tuition infla­tion pro­ject­ed to increase 3.25% for 2026–2027, it’s a huge concern.

So, what does the aver­age col­lege stu­dent do? Take out stu­dent loans. Today, the aver­age total loan bal­ance is $43,333 (fed­er­al and pri­vate loans).

With that in mind, you’ll want to choose a major that can lead to in-demand, well-pay­ing jobs.

If you want these things, read on. Here, we’ll focus on job growth by major and salaries by major in 2026. We’ll also cov­er career trends in STEM, busi­ness, health, and humanities.

Relat­ed:

• Best Pro­fes­sion­al Cer­ti­fi­ca­tions for Remote Jobs and Careers
• Online Degree ROI vs. Tra­di­tion­al Bachelor’s Degree
• The Most Afford­able Online Degrees with High ROI
• Degree vs Expe­ri­ence ROI: What Employ­ers Value

What the Data Tells Us: Salary & Job Growth Trends

We col­lect­ed salary and job out­look by degree pro­jec­tions from mul­ti­ple sources.

• Gov­ern­ment labor sta­tis­tics, such as those from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Sta­tis­tics (BLS)
• Employ­er and indus­try reports, work­force stud­ies, and job postings
• Crowd­sourced salary plat­forms (Glass­door, Payscale, LinkedIn) 

The term “job growth” can mean two things:

• The per­cent­age growth rate indi­cates a job’s rate of expansion.
• Absolute job open­ings show the actu­al num­ber of new posi­tions expected.

In our job prospects by col­lege major, we used the per­cent­age growth rate.

With that said, choos­ing a major based on salary and job out­look still mat­ters in 2026. You’re more like­ly to enjoy a:

• Stronger return on investment
• Bet­ter finan­cial sta­bil­i­ty (high-pay, high-demand)
• Faster stu­dent loan payments
• Greater career mobility

Note, too, that cer­tain indus­tries require or pre­fer spe­cial­ized degrees. These cre­den­tials sig­nal tech­ni­cal knowl­edge and skills along with broad aca­d­e­m­ic preparation.

Highest Paying Majors in 2026

We chose the high­est pay­ing col­lege majors based on aver­age ear­ly-career, mid-career, and medi­an wages (BLS) data. Oth­er salary infor­ma­tion sources, par­tic­u­lar­ly for aver­age-ear­ly and mid-career salary rates, are Indeed, Salary.com, and ZipRecruiter.

Abbre­vi­a­tions:

• AES — Aver­age Ear­ly-career Salary
• MS — Mid-career Salary
• JGP — Job Growth Percentage
• MW — Medi­an Wage (BLS)

Engineering Majors

Engi­neers design and devel­op a wide range of prod­ucts, struc­tures, and systems.

Petro­le­um Engineering

Petro­le­um engi­neers design sys­tems to improve oil and gas production.

• AES: $95,900 – $99,000
• MS: $107,000
• JGP: 1%
• MW: $141,280

Elec­tri­cal Engineering

Elec­tri­cal engi­neers design, devel­op, and test elec­tri­cal sys­tems and their components.

• AES: $101,330
• MS: $128,425
• JGP: 7%
• MW: $111,910

Com­put­er Engineering

Com­put­er hard­ware engi­neers design, devel­op, and test com­put­er sys­tems and components.

• AES: $90,000
• MS: $110,000 – $130,000+
• JGP: 7%
• MW: $155,020

Computer & Information Sciences

The work­ers devel­op and sup­port com­put­er net­works, sys­tems, and applications.

Com­put­er Science

Com­put­er and infor­ma­tion research sci­en­tists are in high demand across diverse industries.

• AES: $109,965
• MS: $150,000–$200,000
• JGP: 20%
• MW: $140,910

Soft­ware Engineering

Soft­ware engi­neer­ing is among the top pay­ing majors in 2026 — and it’s in high demand, too.

• AES: $126,654
• MS: $170,356
• JGP: 15%
• MW: $133,080

Cyber­se­cu­ri­ty

Infor­ma­tion secu­ri­ty ana­lysts are in high demand because of the increase in cyber threats.

• AES: $100,000
• MS: $151,000
• JGP: 29%
• MW: $124,910

Business & Finance

Busi­ness and finan­cial occu­pa­tions are in the busi­ness of mak­ing money.

Finance

Finan­cial ana­lysts, finan­cial exam­in­ers, per­son­al finan­cial advi­sors, bud­get ana­lysts, and accoun­tants and audi­tors are in this group.

• AES: $71,000
• MS: $101,000
• JGP: 9%
• MW: $80,920

Infor­ma­tion Systems

Com­put­er and infor­ma­tion sys­tems man­agers earn well, too.

• AES: $116,700
• MS: $136,400
• JGP: 15%
• MW: $171,200

Health & Medical Majors

Health­care work­ers help patients improve and main­tain their health.

Phar­ma­cy

Phar­ma­cists usu­al­ly need a Pharm.D. degree and must be state-licensed.

• AES: $121,000
• MS: $153,000
• JGP: 5%
• MW: $137,480

Nurs­ing (BSN)

Reg­is­tered nurs­es usu­al­ly have a BSN degree and must be licensed.

• AES: $89,000
• MS: $104,000
• JGP: 5%
• MW: $93,600

Health Infor­mat­ics

Health infor­ma­tion tech­nol­o­gists and med­ical reg­is­trars work behind the scenes.

• AES: $48,000
• MS: $92,000
• JGP: 15%
• MW: $67,310

Best Majors for Fastest Job Growth

The data on job growth by major and medi­an annu­al wages were sourced from the BLS.

Technology & Data

Data Sci­ence

Data sci­ence is among the majors with the fastest job growth. Data sci­en­tists are in high demand across tech, busi­ness, and health sec­tors, among others.

• AES: $84,533
• MS: $129,145
• JGP: 34%
• MW: $112,590

Machine Learning/AI

ML/AI pro­fes­sion­als devel­op mod­els and algo­rithms that allow com­put­ers to make pre­dic­tions and learn from data.

• AES: $85,035
• MS: $155,000
• JGP: 20%
• MW: $140,910

Infor­ma­tion Security

Pro­fes­sion­als in infor­ma­tion secu­ri­ty are respon­si­ble for the secu­ri­ty of com­put­er net­works and systems.

• AES: $113,835
• MS: $124,910
• JGP: 33%
• MW: $120,360

Healthcare & Allied Health

Their work­ers pro­vide med­ical ser­vices, man­age health­care sys­tems, or pro­vide patient care.

Occu­pa­tion­al Therapy

OTs usu­al­ly have a mas­ter’s degree and a license to prac­tice. Their job involves assess­ing and treat­ing peo­ple with dis­abil­i­ties, injuries, or illnesses.

• AES: $94,375
• MS: $106,000
• JGP: 14%
• MW: $98,340

Phys­i­cal Therapy

PTs help ill or injured peo­ple to regain or improve move­ment. They must have a DPT degree and a license.

• AES: $96,695
• MS: $112,800
• JGP: 11%
• MW: $101,020

Genet­ic Counseling

Genet­ic coun­selors eval­u­ate fam­i­lies and indi­vid­u­als for risk of inher­it­ed con­di­tions. A mas­ter’s degree and ABGC cer­ti­fi­ca­tion are required to practice.

• AES: $87,816
• MS: $99,337
• JGP: 28%
• MW: $92,000

Green & Sustainability Jobs

These jobs focus on pro­tect­ing the envi­ron­ment through sus­tain­able prac­tices. The grow­ing focus on cli­mate change and the expan­sion of clean ener­gy fuel their growth.

Envi­ron­men­tal Engineering

Envi­ron­men­tal engi­neers devel­op solu­tions to the Earth­’s health issues.

• AES: $91,191
• MS: $108,500
• JGP: 4%
• MW: $104,170

Renew­able Ener­gy Tech

These work­ers install, main­tain, and repair wind tur­bines, solar pan­els, and more.

• AES: $47,831
• MS: $79,000
• JGP: 14%
• MW: $53,000

Comparing Majors: Salary vs. Growth

You must con­sid­er salary and job out­look by degree when choos­ing your major. Remem­ber that high earn­ings don’t always mean high demand. The sce­nar­ios can be:

• High salary, slow­er job growth
• Low­er start­ing salary, high growth

For exam­ple, petro­le­um engi­neers have high salaries but have slow job growth. There’s tough com­pe­ti­tion for jobs.

Infor­ma­tion secu­ri­ty ana­lysts have mod­er­ate-to-high salaries. But their high job growth means more opportunities.

So, you must go beyond degree salary com­par­i­son and look at the com­pe­ti­tion. Here’s a com­par­i­son table for your quick reference.

Majors with Solid ROI After College

For col­lege majors, the return on invest­ment (ROI) can be summed up in this sim­ple formula:

ROI = Life­time Earn­ings — Cost of Edu­ca­tion x 100 / Cost of Education

In gen­er­al, the best majors for salaries have the high­est ROI. Petro­le­um engi­neer­ing, elec­tri­cal engi­neer­ing, and com­put­er sci­ence are prime examples.

Salary and job out­look by degree and cost of edu­ca­tion inter­act in these ways:

• Low­er costs increase ROI
• High­er salaries improve ROI
• Stronger job out­look decreas­es unem­ploy­ment risk

You should con­sid­er these majors that bal­ance high salaries with strong job prospects. 

• Com­put­er science
• Nurs­ing
• Infor­ma­tion security
• Data ana­lyt­ics
• Engi­neer­ing

Majors to Consider if You Love…

Of course, earn­ing poten­tial and job prospects by col­lege major should­n’t be your only con­sid­er­a­tions. You should also con­sid­er your inter­ests and pas­sions. After all, job sat­is­fac­tion isn’t only about mak­ing good mon­ey — it’s also about feel­ing good about yourself.

Creative Fields

If you thrive on bring­ing ideas to life, con­sid­er these in-demand, well-pay­ing majors.

• Graph­ic design
• Com­mu­ni­ca­tion
• Ani­ma­tion

Helping Professions

If you want to make a pos­i­tive impact on oth­ers, your best choic­es include:

• Social work
• Pub­lic health
• Edu­ca­tion

Business & Leadership

If you love to lead teams, cre­ate strate­gies, and turn ideas into prof­its, consider:

• Mar­ket­ing
• Man­age­ment
• Entre­pre­neur­ship

Frequently Asked Questions

Which col­lege major makes the most mon­ey right after graduation?

In a degree salary com­par­i­son, com­put­er sci­ence and cer­tain engi­neer­ing fields are in this category.

Are high-pay­ing majors always high growth?

Not always. Petro­le­um engi­neer­ing, for exam­ple, has slow­er job growth.

Should I choose a major based only on salary?

No. Your inter­ests, pas­sion, and long-term career sat­is­fac­tion are just as important.

What majors have high job security?

Health­care, infor­ma­tion secu­ri­ty, and edu­ca­tion tend to offer strong job stability.

Is salary data for majors reliable?

In gen­er­al, data on salaries by major in 2026 is reli­able. But actu­al salaries will vary by loca­tion, indus­try, employ­er, and indi­vid­ual experience.

Conclusion

The high­est pay­ing col­lege majors are com­put­er sci­ence, engi­neer­ing, and infor­ma­tion secu­ri­ty. The fastest job growth by major are cyber­se­cu­ri­ty, data sci­ence, and cer­tain health­care specializations.

When choos­ing from these majors, con­sid­er a bal­ance of:

• Your per­son­al inter­ests, pas­sions, and skills
• Your career goals, includ­ing salary and job growth

Take the next step now — com­pare majors and explore career pro­files. Use job data tools, too, to deter­mine the high­est future job growth majors.