Communications degree: salary, jobs & colleges
Bachelor's graduates in communications earn a median $54,283 four years after finishing, across 639 U.S. colleges. At ages 25-34, people whose degree is in communications earn $61,101, $948 less than all bachelor's holders. The most common job is other managers (5%).
Median across 639 colleges; middle half $48,212–$60,407.
College Scorecard field of study (graduates who received federal aid)
Middle half $40,610–$88,327. 14,987 survey respondents.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; field "Communications"; EducationGuide calculation
- All bachelor's, 25-34$62,049
- High school, 25-34$35,638
- This degree vs high school+$25,463/yr
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school
Median across colleges reporting.
College Scorecard field of study
Jobs communications graduates hold
What employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in communications 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% | — | — | — | — |
| Marketing Managers | 5% | $166,790 | +6.9% | Bachelor's degree | EC |
| Customer Service Representatives | 4% | $44,770 | -5.3% | High school diploma or equivalent | CES |
| Human Resources Workers | 4% | $76,700 | +6.1% | — | — |
| Market Research Analysts And Marketing Specialists | 3% | $78,760 | +7.0% | Bachelor's degree | ECI |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale And Manufacturing | 2% | $76,460 | — | — | — |
| Retail Salespersons | 2% | $35,410 | -0.3% | No formal educational credential | EC |
| First-Line Supervisors Of Retail Sales Workers | 2% | $48,520 | -3.7% | High school diploma or equivalent | ECS |
These 8 jobs account for 26% 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).
Communications 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 | $45,644 (10) | — |
| Arizona | $61,193 (5) | $55,860 (312) |
| Arkansas | $45,385 (7) | — |
| California | $60,883 (39) | $71,594 (2,298) |
| Colorado | $55,618 (12) | $67,032 (448) |
| Connecticut | $62,738 (14) | $61,101 (259) |
| District of Columbia | $73,073 (3) | — |
| Florida | $54,717 (15) | $52,547 (774) |
| Georgia | $47,880 (13) | $58,657 (377) |
| Idaho | $50,792 (4) | — |
| Illinois | $52,588 (27) | $64,797 (695) |
| Indiana | $51,292 (20) | $47,048 (187) |
| Iowa | $52,288 (8) | — |
| Kansas | $51,688 (8) | — |
| Kentucky | $50,528 (12) | $53,696 (201) |
| Louisiana | $46,760 (12) | — |
| Maryland | $60,957 (9) | $61,101 (296) |
| Massachusetts | $59,202 (23) | $71,575 (539) |
| Michigan | $52,754 (20) | $61,101 (368) |
| Minnesota | $56,119 (17) | $61,101 (269) |
| Mississippi | $45,161 (5) | — |
| Missouri | $50,038 (14) | $52,793 (208) |
| Nebraska | $60,118 (4) | — |
| New Hampshire | $69,098 (5) | — |
| New Jersey | $57,100 (18) | $73,321 (705) |
| New York | $58,221 (50) | $67,032 (1,238) |
| North Carolina | $45,752 (24) | $57,721 (540) |
| Ohio | $53,800 (33) | $54,991 (551) |
| Oklahoma | $42,740 (7) | — |
| Oregon | $57,622 (10) | $54,824 (184) |
| Pennsylvania | $54,541 (46) | $59,662 (637) |
| Rhode Island | $64,520 (5) | — |
| South Carolina | $49,545 (13) | $47,730 (165) |
| South Dakota | $48,818 (4) | — |
| Tennessee | $44,203 (16) | $50,762 (287) |
| Texas | $50,274 (36) | $60,855 (970) |
| Utah | $59,822 (8) | $49,747 (248) |
| Vermont | $54,410 (4) | — |
| Virginia | $57,254 (15) | $59,065 (434) |
| Washington | $61,904 (13) | $78,204 (382) |
| Wisconsin | $55,403 (16) | $54,991 (200) |
College Scorecard field of study (median of each college's graduates); Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; EducationGuide calculations.
Colleges where communications graduates earn the most
In the states we cover so far (Florida, Virginia, California): 32 in Florida, 29 in Virginia, 58 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 | Santa Clara UniversityCA | $84,206 | $18,500 |
| 2 | University of VirginiaVA | $76,243 | $21,230 |
| 3 | Roanoke CollegeVA | $76,198 | $26,975 |
| 4 | University of Southern CaliforniaCA | $75,864 | $17,702 |
| 5 | University of California-BerkeleyCA | $75,612 | $11,180 |
| 6 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoCA | $75,223 | $14,928 |
| 7 | Chapman UniversityCA | $73,461 | $19,500 |
| 8 | University of California-Santa BarbaraCA | $72,976 | $13,018 |
| 9 | University of California-DavisCA | $72,778 | $13,000 |
| 10 | Loyola Marymount UniversityCA | $69,144 | $19,500 |
| 11 | University of San DiegoCA | $68,913 | $25,000 |
| 12 | Sonoma State UniversityCA | $68,833 | $17,129 |
College Scorecard field of study. Colleges meeting our core-data standard; online campuses left out.
Related degrees
Communications degree questions
How much do Communications graduates make?
Communications graduates earn a median $54,283 four years after finishing, across 639 U.S. colleges that report it (the middle half of colleges: $48,212 to $60,407; College Scorecard, graduates who received federal aid). Among all workers ages 25-34 whose bachelor's degree is in communications, the median is $61,101 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is a Communications degree worth it?
At ages 25-34, people with a bachelor's in communications earn a median $61,101: $948 less than all bachelor's degree holders ($62,049) and $25,463 more than high school graduates ($35,638). EducationGuide calculation from Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school.
What jobs do Communications graduates get?
Among employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in communications, the most common jobs are other managers (5%), marketing managers (5%), customer service representatives (4%).
How much do Communications graduates earn in Florida?
Across 15 Florida colleges reporting, Communications graduates earn a median $54,717 four years after graduating; at ages 25-34, Floridians with this field of degree earn $52,547.
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: “Communications degree: salary, jobs and colleges,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/degrees/communications.