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Field of degree: English

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 March 04, 2023).

Last Modified Date: Thursday, September 8, 2022