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: English

PRINTER-FRIENDLY

English field of degree. Employment: 1,717,220. Median annual wage: $51,000.

View Chart Data

Table 1. English degree, 2019
Data	English	All fields
Employment	1,717,220	56,820,460
Median wage	51,000	60,000
Percent employed part time	21	15
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	61	60
Percent with an advanced degree	46	37
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Types of English majors, 2019
English majors	Major share
English Language And Literature	92%
Composition And Rhetoric	8
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 an English degree, by occupational group, 2019.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with an English degree, by occupational group, 2019
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Educational instruction and library occupations	22%
Management occupations	16
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations	9
Office and administrative support occupations	9
Business and financial operations occupations	8
Other	36
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 an English degree.

View Chart Data

Table 2. Top-employing occupations for workers with an English degree
Occupational Outlook Handbook profile	Percent growth, projected 2021–31	Typical entry-level education	Percent degree holders in this field, this occupation, 2019	Percent of this occupation with an advanced degree, 2019
Postsecondary teachers	12%	Doctoral or professional degree	6%	73%
Lawyers	10	Doctoral or professional degree	5	92
Managers, all other	6	Bachelor's degree	4	20
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education	5	Bachelor's degree	4	54
Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary	5	Master's degree	2	56
Elementary school teachers, except special education	4	Bachelor's degree	6	48
Writers and authors	4	Bachelor's degree	2	34
Editors	-5	Bachelor's degree	2	27
Chief executives	-7	Bachelor's degree	2	30
Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive	-10	High school diploma or equivalent	1	4
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: English,
at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/field-of-degree/english/english-field-of-degree.htm (visited February 14, 2023).

Last Modified Date: Thursday, September 8, 2022