History

Contains Stem Majors

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2022

31,443

declining 3.94%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$7,605

growing 2.95%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$37,240

growing 3.44%

Average Wage

$105,194

growing 8.57%

People in Workforce

1.08M

growing 1.32%

Average Employee Age

44.6

growing 0.107%

About

In 2023, the locations with the highest concentration of History degree recipients are New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA, and Lynchburg, VA. 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. Southern New Hampshire University awards the most degrees in History in the US, but Center for Advanced Studies On Puerto Rico and the Caribbean and Gettysburg College have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in History.

Tuition costs for History majors are, on average, $7,605 for in-state public colleges, and $37,240 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 (757 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (19,267 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in History (2023)

Southern New Hampshire University
519 degrees awarded
Liberty University
507 degrees awarded
American Public University System
340 degrees awarded

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in History, is Public, 4-year or above (19,267 completions in 2023).

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

$7,605

Median In-State Public

$37,240

Median Out of State Private

Southern New Hampshire University has the most History degree recipients, with 519 degrees awarded in 2023.

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
68.3%
Gettysburg College
13.7%
Hampden-Sydney College
12.3%

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 68.3%.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in History

Los Angeles County, CA
1,307 degrees awarded
New York County, NY
682 degrees awarded
Maricopa County, AZ
561 degrees awarded

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

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 $105,194 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 Securities, commodities, funds, trusts & other financial investments.

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

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

$105,194

Average Wage in Workforce

± $2,822

8.57%

1 Year Growth

± 3.51%

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

Polk County (North) PUMA, FL
$377,766
McHenry County (North, West & Central) PUMA, IL
$367,137
Norwalk & Westport Towns PUMA, CT
$349,524

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.

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, Diagnostic medical sonographers, and Magnetic resonance imaging technologists.

Occupations by Share

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

1.08M

2022 Workforce

± 25,459

1.32%

1 Year Growth

± 3.29%

The number of History graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 1.32%, from 1.07M in 2021 to 1.08M in 2022.

The largest single share of History graduates go on to work as Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers (9.5%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in History by share of the total number of graduates.

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 Securities, commodities, funds, trusts & other financial investments, Computer & peripheral equipment manufacturing, and Offices of physicians.

Industries by Share

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

1.08M

2022 Workforce

± 25,459

1.32%

1 Year Growth

± 3.29%

The number of History graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 1.32%, from 1.07M in 2021 to 1.08M in 2022.

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 44.6.

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 (20,609 students).

Workforce Age

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

44.6

Average Age in 2022

± 0.322 Years

0.107%

1 Year Change

± 1.03%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in History. The most common ages of employees with this major are 36 and 34 years old, which represent 3.03% and 2.95% 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.

Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

Male (57.5%)

Most Common Sex with a Degree in this Field

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

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
20,609 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
5,115 degrees awarded
Black or African American
1,359 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 Sex

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Sex Combination

White Male
9,703 degrees awarded
White Female
6,505 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino Male
2,047 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by sex 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 sex.

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
8,506 degree recipients
Mexico
7,051 degree recipients
Korea
5,516 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

Algeria
6.42 times more than expected
United Kingdom, not specified
5.57 times more than expected
Lithuania
5.23 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Algeria that hold History degrees (6.42 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 (8,506 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 Reading Comprehension. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that History majors need more than the average amount of Equipment Maintenance, Repairing, and Management of Financial Resources.

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 Equipment Maintenance is very distinctive for majors, but the Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, and Monitoring are the three most important skills for people in the field.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

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