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Field of degree: English

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English field of degree. Employment: 1,933,770. Median annual wage: $65,000.

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Table 1. English degree, 2024
Data	English	All fields
Employment	1,933,770	65,886,610
Median wage	65,000	73,000
Percent employed part time	19	15
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	62	61
Percent with an advanced degree	47	39
Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

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Chart 1. Types of English, 2024
English majors	Major share
English Language And Literature	91
Composition And Rhetoric	9
Note: The sum of percents by major may not total 100 due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with an English degree, by occupational group, 2024.

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Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with an English degree, by occupational group, 2024
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Educational instruction and library occupations	20
Management occupations	17
Business and financial operations occupations	10
Office and administrative support occupations	9
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations	8
Other	36
Note: The sum of percents by major may not total 100 due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

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
Occupation	Percent degree holders in this field, this occupation, 2024	Percent of this occupation with an advanced degree, 2024	Percent growth, projected 2025–35	Typical entry-level education
Elementary school teachers, except special education	6	50	0	Bachelor's degree
Lawyers	5	91	5	Doctoral or professional degree
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary	4	75	18	Doctoral or professional degree
Managers, all other	4	22	5	Bachelor's degree
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education	4	55	0	Bachelor's degree
Chief executives	2	32	3	Bachelor's degree
Customer service representatives	2	5	-5	High school diploma or equivalent
Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary	2	57	0	Master's degree
Librarians and media collections specialists	2	58	3	Master's degree
Writers and authors	2	32	0	Bachelor's degree
Note: Occupational profiles may comprise multiple SOC occupations, which may have differing education categories. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Census Bureau.

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 October 29, 2026).

Last modified date: October 29, 2026