An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Field of degree: Communications

PRINTER-FRIENDLY

Communications field of degree. Employment: 3,079,130. Median annual wage: $65,000.

View Chart Data

Table 1. Communications degree, 2023
Data	Communications	All fields
Employment	3,079,130	63,725,710
Median wage	65,000	70,000
Percent employed part time	14	15
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, 2023.

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Types of communications, 2023
Communications majors	Major share
Communications	54%
Journalism	18
Mass Media	16
Advertising And Public Relations	12
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, 2023.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a communications degree, by occupational group, 2023
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Management occupations	23%
Business and financial operations occupations	13
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations	11
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.

View Chart Data

Table 2. Top-employing occupations for workers with a communications degree
Occupation	Percent degree holders in this field, this occupation, 2023	Percent of this occupation with an advanced degree, 2023	Percent growth, projected 2024–34	Typical entry-level education
Managers, all other	5%	21%	4%	Bachelor's degree
Marketing managers	4	24	7	Bachelor's degree
Elementary school teachers, except special education	3	49	-2	Bachelor's degree
Market research analysts and marketing specialists	2	22	7	Bachelor's degree
Customer service representatives	2	4	-5	High school diploma or equivalent
Chief executives	2	32	4	Bachelor's degree
Human resources specialists	2	20	6	Bachelor's degree
Lawyers	2	91	4	Doctoral or professional degree
Producers and directors	2	18	5	Bachelor's degree
Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary	2	56	-2	Master's degree
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 October 19, 2025).

Last Modified Date: Thursday, August 28, 2025