Linguistics degree: salary, jobs & colleges
Bachelor's graduates in linguistics earn a median $50,571 four years after finishing, across 89 U.S. colleges. At ages 25-34, people whose degree is in linguistics and comparative language and literature earn $46,922, $15,127 less than all bachelor's holders. The most common job is elementary and middle school teachers (5%).
Median across 89 colleges; middle half $43,012–$55,776.
College Scorecard field of study (graduates who received federal aid)
Middle half $29,831–$76,144. 870 survey respondents.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; field "Linguistics And Comparative Language And Literature"; EducationGuide calculation
- All bachelor's, 25-34$62,049
- High school, 25-34$35,638
- This degree vs high school+$11,284/yr
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school
Median across colleges reporting.
College Scorecard field of study
Jobs linguistics graduates hold
What employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in linguistics and comparative language and literature 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary And Middle School Teachers | 5% | $64,170 | -0.4% | — | — |
| Other Managers | 4% | — | — | — | — |
| Software Developers | 3% | $135,980 | +10.2% | Bachelor's degree | IC |
| Customer Service Representatives | 3% | $44,770 | -5.3% | High school diploma or equivalent | CES |
| Accountants And Auditors | 2% | $83,680 | +5.0% | Bachelor's degree | CEI |
| Postsecondary Teachers | 2% | $82,250 | +6.0% | — | — |
| Teaching Assistants | 2% | $37,010 | +0.0% | — | — |
| Editors | 2% | $77,920 | -1.1% | Bachelor's degree | ACE |
These 8 jobs account for 23% 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).
Linguistics 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) |
|---|---|---|
| California | $49,732 (13) | $52,508 (200) |
| Colorado | $50,926 (3) | — |
| Florida | $46,915 (3) | — |
| Illinois | $53,453 (3) | — |
| Michigan | $55,137 (3) | — |
| Missouri | $41,766 (3) | — |
| New Jersey | $53,085 (3) | — |
| New York | $52,393 (4) | — |
| North Carolina | $55,778 (5) | — |
| Tennessee | $42,848 (4) | — |
| Texas | $51,494 (7) | — |
| Virginia | $58,931 (7) | — |
College Scorecard field of study (median of each college's graduates); Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; EducationGuide calculations.
Colleges where linguistics graduates earn the most
In the states we cover so far (Florida, Virginia, California): 7 in Florida, 13 in Virginia, 31 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 California-BerkeleyCA | $76,724 | $14,000 |
| 2 | Virginia Military InstituteVA | $73,971 | — |
| 3 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityVA | $68,263 | $22,500 |
| 4 | University of California-Los AngelesCA | $62,927 | $15,000 |
| 5 | James Madison UniversityVA | $62,366 | $18,398 |
| 6 | University of California-Santa BarbaraCA | $61,580 | $14,100 |
| 7 | George Mason UniversityVA | $58,931 | $21,850 |
| 8 | University of California-DavisCA | $58,443 | $16,079 |
| 9 | University of California-San DiegoCA | $55,776 | $13,998 |
| 10 | Christopher Newport UniversityVA | $53,564 | — |
| 11 | University of Mary WashingtonVA | $53,282 | $20,500 |
| 12 | University of California-Santa CruzCA | $49,763 | $17,491 |
College Scorecard field of study. Colleges meeting our core-data standard; online campuses left out.
Related degrees
Linguistics degree questions
How much do Linguistics graduates make?
Linguistics graduates earn a median $50,571 four years after finishing, across 89 U.S. colleges that report it (the middle half of colleges: $43,012 to $55,776; College Scorecard, graduates who received federal aid). Among all workers ages 25-34 whose bachelor's degree is in linguistics and comparative language and literature, the median is $46,922 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is a Linguistics degree worth it?
At ages 25-34, people with a bachelor's in linguistics and comparative language and literature earn a median $46,922: $15,127 less than all bachelor's degree holders ($62,049) and $11,284 more than high school graduates ($35,638). EducationGuide calculation from Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school.
What jobs do Linguistics graduates get?
Among employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in linguistics and comparative language and literature, the most common jobs are elementary and middle school teachers (5%), other managers (4%), software developers (3%). Elementary And Middle School Teachers earn a U.S. median $64,170.
How much do Linguistics graduates earn in Florida?
Across 3 Florida colleges reporting, Linguistics graduates earn a median $46,915 four years after graduating.
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: “Linguistics degree: salary, jobs and colleges,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/degrees/linguistics.