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Field of degree: Foreign language

PRINTER-FRIENDLY

Foreign language field of degree. Employment: 870,640. Median annual wage: $66,000.

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Table 1. Foreign language degree, 2023
Data	Foreign language	All fields
Employment	870,640	63,725,710
Median wage	66,000	70,000
Percent employed part time	19	15
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	63	62
Percent with an advanced degree	51	38
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Chart 1. Types of foreign language majors, 2023.

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Chart 1. Types of foreign language, 2023
Foreign language majors	Major share
French German Latin And Other Common Foreign Language Studies	66%
Linguistics And Comparative Language And Literature	18
Other Foreign Languages	16
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, 2023.

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Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a foreign language degree, by occupational group, 2023
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Educational instruction and library occupations	20%
Management occupations	17
Business and financial operations occupations	10
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	7
Office and administrative support occupations	7
Other	38
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
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
Elementary school teachers, except special education	5%	49%	-2%	Bachelor's degree
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary	5	74	17	Doctoral or professional degree
Lawyers	5	91	4	Doctoral or professional degree
Managers, all other	5	21	4	Bachelor's degree
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education	4	56	-2	Bachelor's degree
Physicians, all other	2	100	3	Doctoral or professional degree
Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary	2	56	-2	Master's degree
Software developers	2	32	16	Bachelor's degree
Management analysts	1	36	9	Bachelor's degree
Chief executives	1	32	4	Bachelor'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: Foreign language,
at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/field-of-degree/foreign-language/foreign-language-field-of-degree.htm (visited October 21, 2025).

Last Modified Date: Thursday, August 28, 2025