Business degree: salary, jobs & colleges
Bachelor's graduates in business earn a median $65,292 four years after finishing, across 241 U.S. colleges. At ages 25-34, people whose degree is in general business earn $67,006, $4,957 more than all bachelor's holders. The most common job is other managers (5%).
Median across 241 colleges; middle half $59,459–$71,973.
College Scorecard field of study (graduates who received federal aid)
Middle half $43,571–$99,430. 16,557 survey respondents.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; field "General Business"; EducationGuide calculation
- All bachelor's, 25-34$62,049
- High school, 25-34$35,638
- This degree vs high school+$31,368/yr
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school
Median across colleges reporting.
College Scorecard field of study
Jobs business graduates hold
What employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in general business actually do, with U.S. wages and the outlook for each job. The first column comes from the Census survey; wages and growth from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
| Job | Share of graduates | U.S. median wage | Jobs growth 2025-35 | Typical entry | Interests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other Managers | 5% | — | — | — | — |
| Accountants And Auditors | 3% | $83,680 | +5.0% | Bachelor's degree | CEI |
| First-Line Supervisors Of Retail Sales Workers | 3% | $48,520 | -3.7% | High school diploma or equivalent | ECS |
| Customer Service Representatives | 3% | $44,770 | -5.3% | High school diploma or equivalent | CES |
| Human Resources Workers | 3% | $76,700 | +6.1% | — | — |
| Retail Salespersons | 2% | $35,410 | -0.3% | No formal educational credential | EC |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale And Manufacturing | 2% | $76,460 | — | — | — |
| Sales Representatives Of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, And Travel | 2% | $69,990 | +2.7% | High school diploma or equivalent | ECS |
These 8 jobs account for 24% of employed graduates: people with this degree spread across many kinds of work.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, bachelor's as highest degree, employed); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35; O*NET 31.0 interest codes (R realistic, I investigative, A artistic, S social, E enterprising, C conventional).
Business earnings by state
Two views of pay: recent graduates of the state's colleges four years out (College Scorecard), and everyone ages 25-34 living in the state with this field of degree (Census). States show a figure only with at least 3 colleges or 100 survey respondents.
| State | Graduates, 4 yrs (colleges) | Ages 25-34 (respondents) |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $60,400 (4) | $51,391 (174) |
| Arizona | — | $60,915 (377) |
| Arkansas | $59,641 (5) | — |
| California | $73,035 (7) | $73,321 (2,388) |
| Colorado | $59,149 (6) | $76,144 (467) |
| Connecticut | $73,789 (7) | $76,144 (189) |
| Florida | $66,912 (7) | $55,860 (916) |
| Georgia | $55,797 (10) | $60,869 (478) |
| Illinois | $65,447 (3) | $72,618 (647) |
| Indiana | $65,641 (14) | $71,017 (229) |
| Iowa | $64,408 (3) | $61,446 (133) |
| Kansas | $66,568 (4) | $67,032 (120) |
| Kentucky | $59,760 (13) | $55,860 (166) |
| Louisiana | — | $57,869 (145) |
| Maryland | $74,839 (3) | $71,594 (278) |
| Massachusetts | $72,602 (8) | $73,463 (614) |
| Michigan | $65,947 (8) | $62,968 (417) |
| Minnesota | $79,260 (3) | $75,765 (271) |
| Missouri | $63,524 (11) | $57,276 (291) |
| Montana | $61,446 (3) | — |
| Nebraska | $67,375 (4) | — |
| New Hampshire | $72,692 (4) | — |
| New Jersey | — | $73,321 (695) |
| New York | $77,319 (12) | $75,128 (1,358) |
| North Carolina | — | $63,242 (583) |
| Ohio | $60,057 (14) | $59,662 (539) |
| Oklahoma | — | $55,860 (134) |
| Oregon | $71,050 (3) | $58,884 (236) |
| Pennsylvania | $65,292 (29) | $61,446 (592) |
| South Carolina | — | $50,762 (240) |
| Tennessee | $59,892 (3) | $58,094 (338) |
| Texas | $60,430 (25) | $63,961 (1,341) |
| Utah | — | $71,594 (132) |
| Virginia | $70,116 (4) | $73,981 (403) |
| Washington | $84,459 (3) | $83,958 (397) |
| West Virginia | $65,372 (3) | — |
| Wisconsin | $64,450 (8) | $64,797 (230) |
College Scorecard field of study (median of each college's graduates); Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; EducationGuide calculations.
Colleges where business graduates earn the most
In the states we cover so far (Florida, Virginia, California): 16 in Florida, 14 in Virginia, 14 in California offer this major. Open a college to see cost to finish and payback for your income.
| # | College | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of VirginiaVA | $142,113 | — |
| 2 | University of RedlandsCA | $85,066 | $37,500 |
| 3 | Rollins CollegeFL | $80,654 | $26,000 |
| 4 | Saint Mary's College of CaliforniaCA | $80,262 | $24,000 |
| 5 | Florida State UniversityFL | $74,716 | — |
| 6 | Pacific Union CollegeCA | $73,035 | $31,000 |
| 7 | Randolph-Macon CollegeVA | $71,844 | $27,000 |
| 8 | Biola UniversityCA | $69,873 | $23,875 |
| 9 | California State University-San MarcosCA | $68,984 | $22,875 |
| 10 | California Baptist UniversityCA | $68,936 | $28,619 |
| 11 | Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVA | $68,387 | $23,750 |
| 12 | University of West FloridaFL | $67,651 | $22,500 |
College Scorecard field of study. Colleges meeting our core-data standard; online campuses left out.
Related degrees
Business degree questions
How much do Business graduates make?
Business graduates earn a median $65,292 four years after finishing, across 241 U.S. colleges that report it (the middle half of colleges: $59,459 to $71,973; College Scorecard, graduates who received federal aid). Among all workers ages 25-34 whose bachelor's degree is in general business, the median is $67,006 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is a Business degree worth it?
At ages 25-34, people with a bachelor's in general business earn a median $67,006: $4,957 more than all bachelor's degree holders ($62,049) and $31,368 more than high school graduates ($35,638). EducationGuide calculation from Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school.
What jobs do Business graduates get?
Among employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in general business, the most common jobs are other managers (5%), accountants and auditors (3%), first-line supervisors of retail sales workers (3%).
How much do Business graduates earn in Florida?
Across 7 Florida colleges reporting, Business graduates earn a median $66,912 four years after graduating; at ages 25-34, Floridians with this field of degree earn $55,860.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey microdata; Bureau of Labor Statistics; O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all degrees
Cite this: “Business degree: salary, jobs and colleges,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/degrees/business.