U.S. median for this major: $79,489.
College Scorecard field of study
Median for graduates who received federal aid.
College Scorecard field of study
About 21% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $22,907.
College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $27,780. 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.
| Rank | College | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt | Avg. net price | Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Claremont McKenna College | $146,524 | $12,000 | $28,849 | 91% |
| 2 | University of California-Berkeley | $135,050 | $13,000 | $13,481 | 93% |
| 3 | Santa Clara University | $121,307 | $19,500 | $50,062 | 88% |
| 4 | Stanford University | $112,700 | $12,500 | $13,807 | 92% |
| 5 | Pepperdine University | $104,943 | $24,250 | $58,098 | 83% |
| 6 | Occidental College | $103,164 | $25,590 | $38,263 | 81% |
| 7 | Northeastern University Oakland | $101,423 | $24,500 | $25,181 | — |
| 8 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | $98,927 | $18,500 | $16,665 | 86% |
| 9 | University of California-Santa Barbara | $98,178 | $13,516 | $16,109 | 83% |
| 10 | Pomona College | $96,702 | — | $19,285 | 93% |
| 11 | University of California-Los Angeles | $95,440 | $15,000 | $12,548 | 93% |
| 12 | University of Southern California | $94,435 | $14,000 | $32,740 | 92% |
| 13 | University of San Francisco | $93,712 | $21,500 | $41,431 | 70% |
| 14 | Loyola Marymount University | $88,682 | $21,500 | $48,381 | 79% |
| 15 | University of California-San Diego | $87,307 | $15,000 | $12,470 | 86% |
| 16 | University of California-Irvine | $83,937 | $15,499 | $14,251 | 87% |
| 17 | Sonoma State University | $83,668 | $20,125 | $12,885 | 58% |
| 18 | California State University-San Marcos | $83,339 | $17,500 | $10,229 | 55% |
| 19 | University of California-Davis | $83,248 | $13,000 | $14,741 | 86% |
| 20 | San Francisco State University | $82,697 | $13,750 | $12,278 | 50% |
| 21 | University of the Pacific | $79,510 | — | $25,447 | 69% |
| 22 | California State University-Bakersfield | $78,029 | — | $5,652 | 50% |
| 23 | University of California-Santa Cruz | $76,382 | $18,017 | $17,890 | 75% |
| 24 | San Diego State University | $74,123 | $15,250 | $15,364 | 76% |
| 25 | California State University-Northridge | $72,890 | $13,000 | $7,021 | 57% |
| 26 | California State University-Channel Islands | $71,662 | — | $9,849 | 51% |
| 27 | California State University-Fullerton | $71,595 | $12,000 | $6,555 | 70% |
| 28 | California State University-Long Beach | $71,220 | $18,375 | $10,440 | 69% |
| 29 | California State University-Sacramento | $70,290 | $17,625 | $9,338 | 56% |
| 30 | California State University-Stanislaus | $69,967 | — | $6,067 | 53% |
| 31 | University of California-Merced | $67,692 | $19,303 | $11,983 | 69% |
| 32 | California State University-Chico | $67,675 | $19,150 | $14,480 | 63% |
| 33 | California State University-East Bay | $67,155 | — | $9,320 | 48% |
| 34 | California State University-Fresno | $66,749 | $16,110 | $7,000 | 57% |
| 35 | University of California-Riverside | $66,682 | $18,500 | $14,304 | 76% |
| 36 | California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt | $61,175 | — | $13,171 | 49% |
| 37 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | $61,084 | $11,858 | $11,531 | 68% |
| 38 | California State University-Los Angeles | $54,998 | $11,000 | $3,967 | 53% |
| 39 | California State University-San Bernardino | $54,060 | $17,500 | $4,564 | 55% |
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
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs -0.2% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +7.0% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
Data Scientists
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 San Diego State University, by income
School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.
College Scorecard
About San Diego State University
- Acceptance rate: 36% · admissions
- Graduation rate: 76% within 6 years
- Median earnings, all majors, 10 years after starting: $64,909
- Full cost breakdown · all 79 majors · overview
Related majors at San Diego State University
- Marketing$81,368
- Business Administration$69,902
- Accounting$80,011
- Finance$88,136
San Diego State University Economics questions
How much do San Diego State University Economics graduates earn?
Economics graduates of San Diego State University earn a median $74,123 four years after graduating and $44,125 one year after. The U.S. median for Economics graduates across 368 colleges is $79,489.
How much debt do San Diego State University Economics graduates have?
The median federal loan debt for Economics graduates of San Diego State University is $15,250, about 21% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $22,907.
Where does San Diego State University rank for Economics in California?
Of 39 California colleges reporting Economics graduate earnings, San Diego State University ranks 24th. 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 $102,810 in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, 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
Data: JSON · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “San Diego State University Economics: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/san-diego-state-university/majors/economics (College Scorecard and BLS data).