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Field of degree: Foreign language

PRINTER-FRIENDLY

Foreign language field of degree. Employment: 831,840. Median annual wage: $60,000.

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Table 1. Foreign language degree, 2022
Data	Foreign language	All fields
Employment	831,840	62,187,580
Median wage	60,000	66,000
Percent employed part time	19	14
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	63	62
Percent with an advanced degree	52	38
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Chart 1. Types of foreign language majors, 2022.

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Chart 1. Types of foreign language, 2022
Foreign language majors	Major share
French German Latin And Other Common Foreign Language Studies	66%
Linguistics And Comparative Language And Literature	19
Other Foreign Languages	15
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 foreign language degree, by occupational group, 2022.

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Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a foreign language degree, by occupational group, 2022
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Educational instruction and library occupations	21%
Management occupations	17
Business and financial operations occupations	10
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	8
Office and administrative support occupations	7
Other	37
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 foreign language degree.

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Table 2. Top-employing occupations for workers with a foreign language 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
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary	19%	Doctoral or professional degree	5%	72%
Software developers	18	Bachelor's degree	1	32
Management analysts	11	Bachelor's degree	2	35
Managers, all other	6	Bachelor's degree	4	21
Chief executives	5	Bachelor's degree	2	31
Lawyers	5	Doctoral or professional degree	4	92
Physicians, all other	4	Doctoral or professional degree	2	100
Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary	-1	Master's degree	2	56
Elementary school teachers, except special education	-1	Bachelor's degree	5	49
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education	-1	Bachelor's degree	4	56
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: Foreign language,
at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/field-of-degree/foreign-language/foreign-language-field-of-degree.htm (visited July 31, 2025).

Last Modified Date: Thursday, August 29, 2024