Writing degree: salary, jobs & colleges
Bachelor's graduates in writing earn a median $47,141 four years after finishing, across 135 U.S. colleges. At ages 25-34, people whose degree is in composition and rhetoric earn $47,226, $14,823 less than all bachelor's holders. The most common job is writers and authors (5%).
Median across 135 colleges; middle half $40,579–$57,012.
College Scorecard field of study (graduates who received federal aid)
Middle half $29,328–$71,594. 1,487 survey respondents.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; field "Composition And Rhetoric"; EducationGuide calculation
- All bachelor's, 25-34$62,049
- High school, 25-34$35,638
- This degree vs high school+$11,588/yr
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school
Median across colleges reporting.
College Scorecard field of study
Jobs writing graduates hold
What employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in composition and rhetoric 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Writers And Authors | 5% | $76,910 | -0.3% | Bachelor's degree | AE |
| Other Managers | 4% | — | — | — | — |
| Marketing Managers | 3% | $166,790 | +6.9% | Bachelor's degree | EC |
| Editors | 3% | $77,920 | -1.1% | Bachelor's degree | ACE |
| Market Research Analysts And Marketing Specialists | 3% | $78,760 | +7.0% | Bachelor's degree | ECI |
| Customer Service Representatives | 3% | $44,770 | -5.3% | High school diploma or equivalent | CES |
| Retail Salespersons | 2% | $35,410 | -0.3% | No formal educational credential | EC |
| Elementary And Middle School Teachers | 2% | $64,170 | -0.4% | — | — |
These 8 jobs account for 25% 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).
Writing 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) |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $61,676 (3) | — |
| California | $42,232 (9) | $55,860 (189) |
| Georgia | $48,482 (4) | — |
| Illinois | $44,004 (7) | — |
| Indiana | $49,918 (5) | — |
| Michigan | $40,929 (11) | — |
| Minnesota | $60,415 (5) | — |
| Missouri | $50,287 (4) | — |
| New York | $46,500 (15) | $54,572 (161) |
| Ohio | $40,479 (10) | — |
| Pennsylvania | $57,012 (8) | — |
| Texas | $58,957 (8) | — |
| Utah | $60,940 (3) | — |
| Virginia | $57,179 (5) | — |
| Washington | $44,548 (6) | — |
| Wisconsin | $53,436 (3) | — |
College Scorecard field of study (median of each college's graduates); Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; EducationGuide calculations.
Colleges where writing graduates earn the most
In the states we cover so far (Florida, Virginia, California): 9 in Florida, 15 in Virginia, 29 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 RichmondVA | $81,253 | — |
| 2 | University of California-BerkeleyCA | $69,373 | $14,037 |
| 3 | George Mason UniversityVA | $62,383 | $23,250 |
| 4 | San Francisco State UniversityCA | $59,032 | $18,500 |
| 5 | James Madison UniversityVA | $57,179 | $22,714 |
| 6 | University of South FloridaFL | $54,778 | — |
| 7 | Old Dominion UniversityVA | $54,390 | $26,000 |
| 8 | California State University-Los AngelesCA | $51,414 | $13,500 |
| 9 | Chapman UniversityCA | $44,183 | — |
| 10 | Roanoke CollegeVA | $43,974 | — |
| 11 | California State University-San BernardinoCA | $42,232 | $16,210 |
| 12 | University of Southern CaliforniaCA | $41,637 | $19,500 |
College Scorecard field of study. Colleges meeting our core-data standard; online campuses left out.
Related degrees
Writing degree questions
How much do Writing graduates make?
Writing graduates earn a median $47,141 four years after finishing, across 135 U.S. colleges that report it (the middle half of colleges: $40,579 to $57,012; College Scorecard, graduates who received federal aid). Among all workers ages 25-34 whose bachelor's degree is in composition and rhetoric, the median is $47,226 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is a Writing degree worth it?
At ages 25-34, people with a bachelor's in composition and rhetoric earn a median $47,226: $14,823 less than all bachelor's degree holders ($62,049) and $11,588 more than high school graduates ($35,638). EducationGuide calculation from Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school.
What jobs do Writing graduates get?
Among employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in composition and rhetoric, the most common jobs are writers and authors (5%), other managers (4%), marketing managers (3%). Writers And Authors earn a U.S. median $76,910.
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: “Writing degree: salary, jobs and colleges,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/degrees/writing.