US English Literature

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    Total Degrees​
    Awarded in 2024
    30
    declining 25%
    Median In-State​
    Public Tuition
    $12,260
    growing 3.6%
    Median Out-of-State​
    Private Tuition
    $56,550
    growing 4.2%
    Average Wage
    $93,508
    growing 2.65%
    People in Workforce
    1.62M
    growing 2.26%
    Average Employee Age
    44.3
    growing 0.401%

    About

    In 2024, the locations with the highest concentration of US English Literature degree recipients are Los Angeles, CA, Cambridge, MA, and Collegedale, TN. In 2024, the locations with a relatively high number of US English Literature degree recipients are Collegedale, TN, Cambridge, MA, and Los Angeles, CA. The most common degree awarded to students studying US English Literature is a bachelors degree.

    Institutions

    Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in US English Literature and the types of students that study this field. University of California-Los Angeles awards the most degrees in US English Literature in the US, having also the highest percentage of degrees awarded in US English Literature, followed by Harvard University.

    Tuition costs for US English Literature majors are, on average, $12,260 for in-state public colleges, and $56,550 for out of state private colleges.

    The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers US English Literature programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (3 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (17 completions).

    Institutions

    Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in US English Literature (2024)
    1. 17 degrees awarded
    2. 9 degrees awarded
    3. 4 degrees awarded

    The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in US English Literature, is Public, 4-year or above (17 completions in 2024).

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

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    Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

    $12,260
    Median In-State Public
    $56,550
    Median Out of State Private

    University of California-Los Angeles has the most US English Literature degree recipients, with 17 degrees awarded in 2024.

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

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    Specialized Colleges

    Highest Concentration Institution
    1. 0.11%
    2. 0.0808%

    Out of all institutions that offer US English Literature programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, University of California-Los Angeles has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in US English Literature, with 0.11%.

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    Employment

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

    The average salary for English majors is $93,508 and the most common occupations are Elementary & middle school teachers, Postsecondary teachers, and Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers.

    The industry that employs the most English majors is Elementary & secondary schools, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Not specified metal industries.

    Yearly Income for Common Jobs

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course US English Literature is from the 2 Digit Course English.
    $93,508
    Average Wage in Workforce
    ± $1,970
    2.65%
    1 Year Growth
    ± 2.93%

    The average salary for English majors is $93,508 and the most common occupations are Elementary & middle school teachers, Postsecondary teachers, and Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers.

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

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    Highest Paying Locations

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course US English Literature is from the 2 Digit Course English.

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

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

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    Most Common

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course US English Literature is from the 2 Digit Course English.
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    Most Specialized

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course US English Literature is from the 2 Digit Course English.

    Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of English majors working as Editors, Technical writers, and Writers & authors.

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    Highest Paid

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course US English Literature is from the 2 Digit Course English.

    The highest paid occupations by median income for English majors are Furniture finishers, Surgeons, and Physicians.

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    Occupations by Share

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course US English Literature is from the 2 Digit Course English.
    1.62M
    2024 Workforce
    ± 31,047
    2.26%
    1 Year Growth
    ± 2.67%

    The number of English graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 2.26%, from 1.58M in 2023 to 1.62M in 2024.

    The largest single share of English graduates go on to work as Elementary & middle school teachers (6.3%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in English by share of the total number of graduates.

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    Most Common

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course US English Literature is from the 2 Digit Course English.

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

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    Highest Paid

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course US English Literature is from the 2 Digit Course English.

    The highest paying industries of English majors, by average wage, are Not specified metal industries, Tobacco manufacturing, and Aluminum production & processing.

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    Industries by Share

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course US English Literature is from the 2 Digit Course English.
    1.62M
    2024 Workforce
    ± 31,047
    2.26%
    1 Year Growth
    ± 2.67%

    The number of English graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 2.26%, from 1.58M in 2023 to 1.62M in 2024.

    The industry which employs the most English 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 English.

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    Specialty Locations

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course US English Literature is from the 2 Digit Course English.

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

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

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    Diversity

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

    The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in English is 44.3.

    The most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold English degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in English (13 students).

    Workforce Age

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course US English Literature is from the 2 Digit Course English.
    44.3
    Average Age in 2024
    ± 0.252 Years
    0.401%
    1 Year Change
    ± 0.809%

    This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in English. The most common ages of employees with this major are 38 and 37 years old, which represent 2.82% and 2.8% of the population, respectively.

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    Degrees Awarded

    The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in US English Literature are Bachelors Degree, Postbaccalaureate Certificate, and Post-Masters Certificate.

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    Workforce Degrees

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course US English Literature is from the 2 Digit Course English.

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

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    Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

    Female (66.7%)
    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 US English Literature.

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    Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

    Degrees
    Most Common Race or Ethnicity
    1. White
      13 degrees awarded in 2024
    2. Hispanic or Latino
      9 degrees awarded in 2024
    3. Unknown
      4 degrees awarded in 2024

    This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in US English Literature for each race & ethnicity.

    In 2024, White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

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    Race & Ethnicity by Sex

    Degrees

    This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in US English Literature.

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    Global Diversity

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course US English Literature is from the 2 Digit Course English.
    Most Common Countries of Origin
    1. China
      21,569 degree recipients
    2. India
      18,320 degree recipients
    3. Korea
      11,742 degree recipients
    High Relative Number of Students
    1. Japan
      5.82 times more than expected
    2. Morocco
      4.44 times more than expected
    3. Algeria
      4.33 times more than expected

    There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Japan that hold English degrees (5.82 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 China (21,569 degree recipients).

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    Skills

    Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the US English Literature field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. US English Literature majors need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that US English Literature majors need more than the average amount of Learning Strategies, Reading Comprehension, and Instructing.

    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 US English Literature 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 Learning Strategies is very distinctive for majors, but the Reading Comprehension, Writing, and Instructing are the three most important skills for people in the field.

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    Bar Chart

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