# Swarthmore College: Economics (bachelor's)

Swarthmore, PA. IPEDS 216287, CIP 45.06. Page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/swarthmore-college/majors/economics

## Graduate outcomes
- Median earnings 1 year after graduating: $76,944
- Median earnings 4 years after graduating: $128,051 (U.S. median for this major: $79,489 across 368 colleges)
- Median federal loan debt: $19,500 (U.S. median $22,907)
- Rank in PA: 3 of 30 colleges by 4-year earnings
- Versus the PA median for this major (31 colleges, $81,228): +$46,823
- Versus the U.S. median: +$48,562

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
School-wide net price x 4.21 years (average time graduates took). Earnings gain = $128,051 minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in PA (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $7,690 | $32,375 | under 1 year |
| 30-48k | $4,951 | $20,844 | under 1 year |
| 48-75k | $11,444 | $48,179 | under 1 year |
| 75-110k | $22,443 | $94,485 | 1.0 years |
| 110k+ | $47,544 | $200,160 | 2.2 years |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Economics at PA colleges
| College | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt | Avg. net price | Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carnegie Mellon University | $144,886 | $22,020 | $31,944 | 94% |
| University of Pennsylvania | $129,985 | $14,000 | $28,699 | 97% |
| Swarthmore College | $128,051 | $19,500 | $23,149 | 92% |
| Lafayette College | $112,864 | $19,500 | $34,433 | 88% |
| Haverford College | $112,050 | not reported | $25,314 | 90% |
| Bucknell University | $108,422 | $25,888 | $40,766 | 86% |
| Villanova University | $100,288 | $27,000 | $43,756 | 92% |
| Drexel University | $98,178 | $29,000 | $38,509 | 78% |
| Gettysburg College | $94,295 | $27,000 | $31,490 | 83% |
| Lebanon Valley College | $93,878 | $27,000 | $26,979 | 65% |
| Muhlenberg College | $93,760 | $25,298 | $28,905 | 82% |
| Franklin and Marshall College | $90,368 | $23,048 | $36,425 | 84% |
| Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia | $87,943 | not reported | $29,689 | 79% |
| Susquehanna University | $82,999 | not reported | $28,819 | 82% |
| Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College | $81,228 | $25,000 | $24,558 | 44% |
| Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg | $81,228 | $25,000 | $23,330 | 26% |
| Pennsylvania State University | $81,228 | $25,000 | $32,875 | 86% |
| Allegheny College | $79,018 | $27,000 | $22,940 | 73% |
| Dickinson College | $78,378 | $19,000 | $37,607 | 80% |
| University of Pittsburgh-Bradford | $76,549 | $25,782 | $15,350 | 48% |
| University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown | $76,549 | $25,782 | $18,202 | 56% |
| University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | $76,549 | $25,782 | $30,434 | 86% |
| Indiana University of Pennsylvania | $75,865 | $27,000 | $16,804 | 56% |
| Ursinus College | $75,573 | $27,000 | $30,536 | 73% |
| Moravian University | $74,527 | $26,848 | $30,670 | 72% |
| Temple University | $73,154 | $24,250 | $28,198 | 75% |
| Washington & Jefferson College | $72,305 | $27,000 | $25,002 | 70% |
| Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | $69,371 | not reported | $19,608 | 66% |
| Millersville University of Pennsylvania | $65,946 | not reported | $20,787 | 58% |
| Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania | $62,798 | not reported | $15,699 | 55% |

## Careers
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education (SOC 25-2031): median wage $80,560 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, $78,800 PA, $72,040 U.S.; U.S. jobs -0.2% by 2035
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists (SOC 13-1161): median wage $79,420 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, $68,760 PA, $78,760 U.S.; U.S. jobs 7% by 2035
- Data Scientists (SOC 15-2051): median wage $109,910 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, $106,850 PA, $120,230 U.S.; U.S. jobs 34.6% by 2035

## Sources and years
- Earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars; debt: NSLDS pooled AY2018-19, AY2019-20 cohort

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).