Want $100K Before 40? Fed Study Reveals List Of College Majors That Pay The Most

If you want a six‑figure paycheck before you hit 40, engineering still could be your safest bet, according to a new study.

What To Know: New wage data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York show 13 of the 25 best‑paid bachelor's degrees sit squarely in engineering, and most of those grads top $100,000 by mid‑career.

The Breakdown

Chemical, computer, and computer‑science majors share the early‑career crown, each posting a median of $80,000 for workers ages 22‑27. Electrical and aerospace engineering follow close behind at $78,000 and $76,000, respectively. Even the "lowest" engineering field on the Fed's list — civil engineering — still delivers $71,000 out of the gate, roughly $30,000 above the national median for new grads.

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Experience Counts For A Lot More

The premium only widens with experience. By ages 35‑45, aerospace engineers lead the pack at $125,000; computer engineering sits at $122,000, while chemical and electrical engineering fetch $120,000 and $115,000. Economics and finance crack six figures as well, but every liberal‑arts field falls short: mid‑career marketing majors earn $90,000, political science $88,000.

Other End Of The Wage Line

At the other end of the ledger, soft‑skill majors lag badly. Recent foreign‑language graduates report a $40,000 median wage, the lowest in the Fed survey. Early‑childhood education majors fare the worst by mid‑career, scraping by at $49,000. The numbers cover full‑time workers with bachelor's degrees only and exclude current students; they come from the 2023 U.S. Census and were published in February.

The takeaway: passion matters, but major choice still sets the opening bid for your paycheck. If money tops your wish list, the data points straight to the engineering quad.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.