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Field of degree: Communications

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Communications field of degree. Employment: 3,007,870. Median annual wage: $60,000.

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Table 1. Communications degree, 2022
Data	Communications	All fields
Employment	3,007,870	62,187,580
Median wage	60,000	66,000
Percent employed part time	14	14
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	55	62
Percent with an advanced degree	24	38
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Chart 1. Types of communications majors, 2022.

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Chart 1. Types of communications, 2022
Communications majors	Major share
Communications	56%
Journalism	18
Mass Media	16
Advertising And Public Relations	11
Note: The sum of percents by major may not total 100 due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a communications degree, by occupational group, 2022.

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Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a communications degree, by occupational group, 2022
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Management occupations	22%
Business and financial operations occupations	13
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations	12
Sales and related occupations	11
Office and administrative support occupations	10
Other	32
Note: The sum of percents by major may not total 100 due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Table 2. Top-employing occupations for workers with a communications degree.

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Table 2. Top-employing occupations for workers with a communications degree
Occupational Outlook Handbook profile	Percent growth, projected 2023–33	Typical entry-level education	Percent degree holders in this field, this occupation, 2022	Percent of this occupation with an advanced degree, 2022
Human resources specialists	8%	Bachelor's degree	2%	19%
Market research analysts and marketing specialists	8	Bachelor's degree	2	22
Marketing managers	8	Bachelor's degree	4	24
Producers and directors	8	Bachelor's degree	2	17
Managers, all other	6	Bachelor's degree	5	21
Chief executives	5	Bachelor's degree	2	31
Lawyers	5	Doctoral or professional degree	2	92
Elementary school teachers, except special education	-1	Bachelor's degree	3	49
Customer service representatives	-5	High school diploma or equivalent	2	4
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers	-6	High school diploma or equivalent	2	5
Note: Occupational profiles may comprise multiple SOC occupations, which may have differing education categories. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (projected growth, entry-level education) and U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (degree holders, advanced degrees).

Suggested citation:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Field of degree: Communications,
at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/field-of-degree/communications/communications-field-of-degree.htm (visited May 24, 2025).

Last Modified Date: Thursday, August 29, 2024