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Field of degree: Foreign language

PRINTER-FRIENDLY

Foreign language field of degree. Employment: 862,720. Median annual wage: $70,000.

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Table 1. Foreign language degree, 2024
Data	Foreign language	All fields
Employment	862,720	65,886,610
Median wage	70,000	73,000
Percent employed part time	19	15
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	64	61
Percent with an advanced degree	54	39
Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Chart 1. Types of foreign language majors, 2024.

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Chart 1. Types of foreign language, 2024
Foreign language majors	Major share
French German Latin And Other Common Foreign Language Studies	65
Linguistics And Comparative Language And Literature	19
Other Foreign Languages	16
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 a foreign language degree, by occupational group, 2024.

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Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a foreign language 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	8
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	8
Other	37
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 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, 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
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary	5	75	18	Doctoral or professional degree
Lawyers	4	91	5	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
Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary	2	57	0	Master's degree
Management analysts	2	35	10	Bachelor's degree
Physicians, all other	2	100	3	Doctoral or professional degree
Registered nurses	2	14	6	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: Foreign language,
at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/field-of-degree/foreign-language/foreign-language-field-of-degree.htm (visited October 29, 2026).

Last modified date: October 29, 2026