Finance degree: salary, jobs & colleges
Bachelor's graduates in finance earn a median $77,992 four years after finishing, across 438 U.S. colleges. At ages 25-34, people whose degree is in finance earn $85,281, $23,232 more than all bachelor's holders. The most common job is financial managers (8%).
Median across 438 colleges; middle half $70,201–$89,657.
College Scorecard field of study (graduates who received federal aid)
Middle half $55,860–$125,290. 12,191 survey respondents.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; field "Finance"; EducationGuide calculation
- All bachelor's, 25-34$62,049
- High school, 25-34$35,638
- This degree vs high school+$49,643/yr
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school
Median across colleges reporting.
College Scorecard field of study
Jobs finance graduates hold
What employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in finance 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Financial Managers | 8% | $166,570 | +9.7% | Bachelor's degree | EC |
| Financial And Investment Analysts | 7% | $102,740 | +7.2% | Bachelor's degree | CEI |
| Personal Financial Advisors | 6% | $105,070 | +1.4% | Bachelor's degree | ECS |
| Accountants And Auditors | 6% | $83,680 | +5.0% | Bachelor's degree | CEI |
| Other Managers | 4% | — | — | — | — |
| Management Analysts | 3% | $101,860 | +10.1% | Bachelor's degree | CIE |
| Securities, Commodities, And Financial Services Sales Agents | 3% | $78,660 | +1.4% | Bachelor's degree | EC |
| Computer Systems Analysts | 3% | $105,850 | +7.9% | Bachelor's degree | IC |
These 8 jobs account for 40% 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).
Finance 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 | $70,025 (9) | $66,117 (122) |
| Arizona | $90,960 (3) | $79,760 (194) |
| Arkansas | $71,364 (6) | — |
| California | $83,223 (12) | $91,372 (1,111) |
| Colorado | $91,631 (3) | $94,452 (364) |
| Connecticut | $98,510 (12) | $101,525 (169) |
| Delaware | $68,627 (3) | — |
| District of Columbia | $126,638 (5) | — |
| Florida | $74,704 (16) | $75,765 (744) |
| Georgia | $72,717 (9) | $89,205 (466) |
| Idaho | $72,612 (4) | — |
| Illinois | $77,706 (22) | $101,425 (740) |
| Indiana | $72,356 (14) | $68,022 (184) |
| Iowa | $74,869 (11) | $65,628 (107) |
| Kansas | $75,705 (7) | — |
| Kentucky | $70,313 (7) | $68,216 (114) |
| Louisiana | $62,917 (7) | $61,101 (100) |
| Maryland | — | $81,220 (189) |
| Massachusetts | $83,184 (13) | $94,961 (510) |
| Michigan | $74,384 (18) | $72,099 (304) |
| Minnesota | $74,237 (13) | $74,543 (245) |
| Mississippi | $63,163 (4) | — |
| Missouri | $69,619 (10) | $71,594 (194) |
| New Hampshire | $81,489 (3) | — |
| New Jersey | $84,606 (11) | $95,502 (692) |
| New York | $82,414 (27) | $107,392 (1,200) |
| North Carolina | $75,396 (11) | $81,220 (444) |
| North Dakota | $72,889 (4) | — |
| Ohio | $81,299 (28) | $80,653 (401) |
| Oklahoma | $89,436 (4) | — |
| Oregon | $78,427 (4) | — |
| Pennsylvania | $87,049 (34) | $83,958 (524) |
| Rhode Island | $89,657 (7) | — |
| South Carolina | $84,187 (5) | $71,500 (133) |
| Tennessee | $66,618 (8) | $75,562 (181) |
| Texas | $75,236 (38) | $87,985 (1,124) |
| Utah | $92,912 (8) | $80,809 (143) |
| Virginia | $88,080 (5) | $85,541 (266) |
| Washington | $91,732 (6) | $101,799 (244) |
| Wisconsin | $76,227 (11) | $65,991 (164) |
College Scorecard field of study (median of each college's graduates); Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; EducationGuide calculations.
Colleges where finance graduates earn the most
In the states we cover so far (Florida, Virginia, California): 28 in Florida, 10 in Virginia, 21 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 | $118,737 | $16,201 |
| 2 | University of MiamiFL | $110,240 | $14,500 |
| 3 | Loyola Marymount UniversityCA | $109,303 | $19,500 |
| 4 | University of FloridaFL | $106,153 | $17,954 |
| 5 | James Madison UniversityVA | $104,926 | $20,500 |
| 6 | Menlo CollegeCA | $103,918 | $24,500 |
| 7 | University of San FranciscoCA | $103,605 | $24,347 |
| 8 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityVA | $102,902 | $22,500 |
| 9 | University of San DiegoCA | $93,099 | $23,508 |
| 10 | The University of TampaFL | $90,485 | $26,000 |
| 11 | San Diego State UniversityCA | $88,136 | $15,000 |
| 12 | George Mason UniversityVA | $88,080 | $21,500 |
College Scorecard field of study. Colleges meeting our core-data standard; online campuses left out.
Related degrees
Finance degree questions
How much do Finance graduates make?
Finance graduates earn a median $77,992 four years after finishing, across 438 U.S. colleges that report it (the middle half of colleges: $70,201 to $89,657; College Scorecard, graduates who received federal aid). Among all workers ages 25-34 whose bachelor's degree is in finance, the median is $85,281 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is a Finance degree worth it?
At ages 25-34, people with a bachelor's in finance earn a median $85,281: $23,232 more than all bachelor's degree holders ($62,049) and $49,643 more than high school graduates ($35,638). EducationGuide calculation from Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school.
What jobs do Finance graduates get?
Among employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in finance, the most common jobs are financial managers (8%), financial and investment analysts (7%), personal financial advisors (6%). Financial Managers earn a U.S. median $166,570.
How much do Finance graduates earn in Florida?
Across 16 Florida colleges reporting, Finance graduates earn a median $74,704 four years after graduating; at ages 25-34, Floridians with this field of degree earn $75,765.
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: “Finance degree: salary, jobs and colleges,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/degrees/finance.