California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Economics: earnings, debt & careers

Economics graduates of California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo earn a median $98,927 four years after graduating ($67,501 after one year), with median federal loan debt of $18,500. That is $19,438 above the U.S. median for Economics graduates ($79,489 across 368 colleges), and ranks 8th of 39 California colleges.

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Earnings, 4 years after graduating
$98,927

U.S. median for this major: $79,489.

College Scorecard field of study

Earnings, 1 year after
$67,501

Median for graduates who received federal aid.

College Scorecard field of study

Median debt at graduation
$18,500

About 19% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $22,907.

College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)

What your family pays
$16,665 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $32,265. College Scorecard.

Economics at California colleges

Every California college we cover that reports Economics graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants.

RankCollegeEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debtAvg. net priceGraduation
1Claremont McKenna College$146,524$12,000$28,84991%
2University of California-Berkeley$135,050$13,000$13,48193%
3Santa Clara University$121,307$19,500$50,06288%
4Stanford University$112,700$12,500$13,80792%
5Pepperdine University$104,943$24,250$58,09883%
6Occidental College$103,164$25,590$38,26381%
7Northeastern University Oakland$101,423$24,500$25,181—
8California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo$98,927$18,500$16,66586%
9University of California-Santa Barbara$98,178$13,516$16,10983%
10Pomona College$96,702—$19,28593%
11University of California-Los Angeles$95,440$15,000$12,54893%
12University of Southern California$94,435$14,000$32,74092%
13University of San Francisco$93,712$21,500$41,43170%
14Loyola Marymount University$88,682$21,500$48,38179%
15University of California-San Diego$87,307$15,000$12,47086%
16University of California-Irvine$83,937$15,499$14,25187%
17Sonoma State University$83,668$20,125$12,88558%
18California State University-San Marcos$83,339$17,500$10,22955%
19University of California-Davis$83,248$13,000$14,74186%
20San Francisco State University$82,697$13,750$12,27850%
21University of the Pacific$79,510—$25,44769%
22California State University-Bakersfield$78,029—$5,65250%
23University of California-Santa Cruz$76,382$18,017$17,89075%
24San Diego State University$74,123$15,250$15,36476%
25California State University-Northridge$72,890$13,000$7,02157%
26California State University-Channel Islands$71,662—$9,84951%
27California State University-Fullerton$71,595$12,000$6,55570%
28California State University-Long Beach$71,220$18,375$10,44069%
29California State University-Sacramento$70,290$17,625$9,33856%
30California State University-Stanislaus$69,967—$6,06753%
31University of California-Merced$67,692$19,303$11,98369%
32California State University-Chico$67,675$19,150$14,48063%
33California State University-East Bay$67,155—$9,32048%
34California State University-Fresno$66,749$16,110$7,00057%
35University of California-Riverside$66,682$18,500$14,30476%
36California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt$61,175—$13,17149%
37California State Polytechnic University-Pomona$61,084$11,858$11,53168%
38California State University-Los Angeles$54,998$11,000$3,96753%
39California State University-San Bernardino$54,060$17,500$4,56455%

16 more California colleges offer Economics but have too few graduates to report earnings.

Careers for Economics graduates

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

San Luis Obispo area$99,560
California$101,370
U.S.$72,040

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs -0.2% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

San Luis Obispo area$66,660
California$94,700
U.S.$78,760

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +7.0% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Data Scientists

San Luis Obispo area$114,830
California$141,590
U.S.$120,230

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +34.6% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35. Careers from the federal major-to-occupation crosswalk.

What families pay at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, by income

School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.

College Scorecard

About California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Related majors at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Economics questions

How much do California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Economics graduates earn?

Economics graduates of California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo earn a median $98,927 four years after graduating and $67,501 one year after. The U.S. median for Economics graduates across 368 colleges is $79,489.

How much debt do California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Economics graduates have?

The median federal loan debt for Economics graduates of California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo is $18,500, about 19% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $22,907.

Where does California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo rank for Economics in California?

Of 39 California colleges reporting Economics graduate earnings, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ranks 8th. The highest is Claremont McKenna College at $146,524.

What jobs do Economics graduates get?

A common career is secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education, with a median wage of $99,560 in the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA area and $72,040 nationally. Others include market research analysts and marketing specialists and data scientists.

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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (field of study: median earnings and federal loan debt of graduates who received federal aid); BLS. How we score
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Cite this: “California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Economics: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/california-polytechnic-state-university-san-luis-obispo/majors/economics (College Scorecard and BLS data).