Liberal Arts & Humanities

Contains Stem Majors

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2020

559,661

growing 2.21%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$6,732

growing 0.493%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$31,497

growing 2.59%

Average Wage

$71,746

declining 0.388%

People in Workforce

679,547

growing 1.45%

Average Employee Age

44.5

growing 0.446%

About

The locations with the highest concentration of Liberal Arts & Humanities degree recipients are Los Angeles, CA, Miami, FL, and New York, NY. The locations with a relatively high number of Liberal Arts & Humanities degree recipients are Oxford, GA, Annapolis, MD, and Mahnomen, MN. The most common degree awarded to students studying Liberal Arts & Humanities is a associates degree.

Photo by Michael D Beckwith

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Liberal Arts & Humanities and the types of students that study this field. Miami Dade College awards the most degrees in Liberal Arts & Humanities in the US, but Marion Military Institute and New Mexico Military Institute have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Liberal Arts & Humanities.

Tuition costs for Liberal Arts & Humanities majors are, on average, $6,732 for in-state public colleges, and $31,497 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Liberal Arts & Humanities programs are Public, 2-year institutions (803 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 2-year (357,583 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Liberal Arts & Humanities

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Liberal Arts & Humanities, is Public, 2-year (357,583 completions).

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

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$6,732

Median In-State Public

$31,497

Median Out of State Private

Miami Dade College has the most Liberal Arts & Humanities degree recipients, with 9,082 degrees awarded in 2020.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Liberal Arts & Humanities.

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

Out of all institutions that offer Liberal Arts & Humanities programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Marion Military Institute has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Liberal Arts & Humanities, with 100%.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Liberal Arts & Humanities

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Liberal Arts & Humanities 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 Liberal Arts & Humanities.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Liberal Arts & Humanities graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Liberal Arts & Humanities majors is $71,746 and the most common occupations are Elementary & middle school teachers, Other managers, and Secondary school teachers.

The industry that employs the most Liberal Arts & Humanities majors is Elementary & secondary schools, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing.

Wages

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

$71,746

Average Wage in Workforce

± $2,330

0.388%

1 Year Growth

± 4.66%

The average salary for Liberal Arts & Humanities majors is $71,746 and the most common occupations are Elementary & middle school teachers, Other managers, and Secondary school teachers.

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Liberal Arts & Humanities majors.

Highest Paying Locations

Highest Paying Pumas

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

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Liberal Arts & Humanities 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 most common occupations Liberal Arts & Humanities majors, by number of employees, are Elementary & middle school teachers, Other managers, and Secondary school teachers.

Most Specialized

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Liberal Arts & Humanities majors working as Acupuncturists, Actors, and Librarians and media collections specialists.

Highest Paid

The highest paid occupations by median income for Liberal Arts & Humanities majors are Dentists, Physicians, and Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers.

Occupations by Share

679,547

2019 Workforce

± 20,193

1.45%

1 Year Growth

± 4.16%

The number of Liberal Arts & Humanities graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 1.45%, from 669,841 in 2018 to 679,547 in 2019.

The largest single share of Liberal Arts & Humanities graduates go on to work as Elementary & middle school teachers (8.79%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Liberal Arts & Humanities by share of the total number of graduates.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries that employ Liberal Arts & Humanities majors, by number of employees, are Elementary & secondary schools, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, and General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals.

Highest Paid

The highest paying industries of Liberal Arts & Humanities majors, by average wage, are Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing, Car Dealers, and Not specified retail trade.

Industries by Share

679,547

2019 Workforce

± 20,193

1.45%

1 Year Growth

± 4.16%

The number of Liberal Arts & Humanities graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 1.45%, from 669,841 in 2018 to 679,547 in 2019.

The industry which employs the most Liberal Arts & Humanities 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 Liberal Arts & Humanities.

Specialty Locations

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Liberal Arts & Humanities majors

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

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Liberal Arts & Humanities in the United States.

The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Liberal Arts & Humanities is 44.5.

The most common degree type these workers hold is a Associates Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Liberal Arts & Humanities degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Liberal Arts & Humanities (265,881 students).

Workforce Age

44.5

Average Age in 2019

± 0.386 Years

0.446%

1 Year Change

± 1.23%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Liberal Arts & Humanities. The most common ages of employees with this major are 40 and 32 years old, which represent 3.02% and 2.84% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Liberal Arts & Humanities are Associates Degree, 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate, and Bachelors Degree.

Workforce Degrees

The most common degree types held by the working population in Liberal Arts & Humanities are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Professional degree.

Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (62.8%)

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 Liberal Arts & Humanities.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
265,881 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
145,234 degrees awarded
Black or African American
61,034 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Liberal Arts & Humanities 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 Female
119,356 degrees awarded
White Male
74,745 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino Female
66,955 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of Associates Degree recipients in Liberal Arts & Humanities. White Female students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and sex.

Global Diversity

Most Common Countries of Origin

India
13,126 degree recipients
Mexico
6,611 degree recipients
Philippines
4,423 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

Pakistan
4.18 times more than expected
Bangladesh
3.87 times more than expected
Japan
2.86 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Pakistan that hold Liberal Arts & Humanities degrees (4.18 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 (13,126 degree recipients).

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