History

Contains Stem Majors

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2019

32,806

growing 0.493%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$7,070

growing 2.73%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$33,190

growing 2.65%

Average Wage

$89,357

growing 0.237%

People in Workforce

1.03M

declining 0.363%

Average Employee Age

44.5

growing 0.487%

About

The locations with the highest concentration of History degree recipients are New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA, and Charles Town, WV. The locations with a relatively high number of History degree recipients are Ripon, WI, Hampden-Sydney, VA, and Chickasha, OK. The most common degree awarded to students studying History is a bachelors degree.

Photo by James Walsh

History

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in History and the types of students that study this field. American Public University System awards the most degrees in History in the US, but Center for Advanced Studies On Puerto Rico and the Caribbean and Ripon College have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in History.

Tuition costs for History majors are, on average, $7,070 for in-state public colleges, and $33,190 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers History programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (784 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (20,348 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in History

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in History, is Public, 4-year or above (20,348 completions).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer History programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$7,070

Median In-State Public

$33,190

Median Out of State Private

American Public University System has the most History degree recipients, with 413 degrees awarded in 2019.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in History.

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

Center for Advanced Studies On Puerto Rico and the Caribbean
52.2%
Ripon College
11.2%
Hampden-Sydney College
11.1%

Out of all institutions that offer History programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Center for Advanced Studies On Puerto Rico and the Caribbean has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in History, with 52.2%.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in History

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in History by year.

Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest growth in degrees awarded for History.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ History graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for History majors is $89,357 and the most common occupations are Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers, Elementary & middle school teachers, and Secondary school teachers.

The industry that employs the most History majors is Elementary & secondary schools, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Computer & peripheral equipment manufacturing.

Wages

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course History is from the 2 Digit Course History.

$89,357

Average Wage in Workforce

± $2,450

0.237%

1 Year Growth

± 3.9%

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for History majors.

Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course History is from the 2 Digit Course History.

Highest Paying Pumas

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of History majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that History majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

Occupations

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course History is from the 2 Digit Course History.

The most common occupations History majors, by number of employees, are Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers, Elementary & middle school teachers, and Secondary school teachers.

Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course History is from the 2 Digit Course History.

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of History majors working as Archivists, curators, & museum technicians, Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers, and Miscellaneous social scientists, including survey researchers & sociologists.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course History is from the 2 Digit Course History.

The highest paid occupations by median income for History majors are Surgeons, Agents & business managers of artists, performers, & athletes, and Physicians.

Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course History is from the 2 Digit Course History.

1.03M

2019 Workforce

± 24,817

0.363%

1 Year Growth

± 3.42%

The number of History graduates in the workforce has been declining at a rate of 0.363%, from 1.03M in 2018 to 1.03M in 2019.

The largest single share of History graduates go on to work as Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers (9.46%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in History by share of the total number of graduates.

Industries

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course History is from the 2 Digit Course History.

The most common industries that employ History majors, by number of employees, are Elementary & secondary schools, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, and Legal services.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course History is from the 2 Digit Course History.

The highest paying industries of History majors, by average wage, are Computer & peripheral equipment manufacturing, Petroleum & petroleum products merchant wholesalers, and Wholesale electronic markets & agents & brokers.

Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course History is from the 2 Digit Course History.

1.03M

2019 Workforce

± 24,817

0.363%

1 Year Growth

± 3.42%

The number of History graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 0.363%, from 1.03M in 2018 to 1.03M in 2019.

The industry which employs the most History graduates by share is Elementary & secondary schools, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in History.

Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course History is from the 2 Digit Course History.

PUMAS with a relatively high number of History majors

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of History majors.

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in History in the United States.

The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in History is 44.5.

The most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Male employees are more likely to hold History degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in History (22,280 students).

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course History is from the 2 Digit Course History.

44.5

Average Age in 2019

± 0.339 Years

0.487%

1 Year Change

± 1.06%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in History. The most common ages of employees with this major are 32 and 34 years old, which represent 3.25% and 3.16% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in History are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.

Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course History is from the 2 Digit Course History.

The most common degree types held by the working population in History are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Professional degree.

Gender Imbalance for Common Institutions

Male (58.2%)

Most Common Gender with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by gender at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in History.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
22,280 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
4,799 degrees awarded
Black or African American
1,491 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in History for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

Race & Ethnicity by Gender

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Gender Combination

White Male
10,860 degrees awarded
White Female
7,275 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino Male
1,955 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by gender for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in History. White Male students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and gender.

Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course History is from the 2 Digit Course History.

Most Common Countries of Origin

India
8,398 degree recipients
Korea
5,232 degree recipients
Mexico
5,222 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

United Kingdom, not specified
6.55 times more than expected
Netherlands
3.92 times more than expected
Italy
3.84 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in United Kingdom, not specified that hold History degrees (6.55 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is India (8,398 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the History field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. History majors need many skills, but most especially Speaking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that History majors need more than the average amount of Speaking, Technology Design, and Service Orientation.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for History majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Speaking is very distinctive for majors, but the Speaking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension are the three most important skills for people in the field.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

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