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Engineering Majors Lead U.S. Pay for New Grads, Hold Six-Figure Medians by Mid-Career

A new New York Fed analysis using 2024 Census data tracks median earnings by major for full-time workers with only a bachelor’s degree.

Overview

  • Recent graduates ages 22–27 in computer engineering, computer science and chemical engineering post medians of $90,000, $87,000 and $85,000, respectively.
  • By ages 35–45, every engineering field reaches at least $100,000 in median pay, with chemical at $135,000 and computer engineering at $131,000.
  • The figures reflect workers employed full time whose highest credential is a bachelor’s degree and exclude those currently enrolled.
  • Engineering represents roughly 6% of bachelor’s degrees nationwide, a relatively small share of graduates.
  • Reports note AI is changing how technical tasks are done even as BLS projects growth across several engineering disciplines, with companies piloting internal AI tools.