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Field of degree: Foreign language

PRINTER-FRIENDLY

Foreign language field of degree. Employment: 778,440. Median annual wage: $54,000.

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Table 1. Foreign language degree, 2019
Data	Foreign language	All fields
Employment	778,440	56,820,460
Median wage	54,000	60,000
Percent employed part time	21	15
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	62	60
Percent with an advanced degree	51	37
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Chart 1. Types of foreign language majors, 2019.

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Chart 1. Types of foreign language majors, 2019
Foreign language majors	Major share
French German Latin And Other Common Foreign Language Studies	66%
Linguistics And Comparative Language And Literature	17
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, 2019.

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Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a foreign language degree, by occupational group, 2019
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Educational instruction and library occupations	22%
Management occupations	15
Business and financial operations occupations	9
Office and administrative support occupations	9
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	7
Other	39
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 2021–31	Typical entry-level education	Percent degree holders in this field, this occupation, 2019	Percent of this occupation with an advanced degree, 2019
Interpreters and translators	20%	Bachelor's degree	1%	18%
Postsecondary teachers	12	Doctoral or professional degree	7	73
Lawyers	10	Doctoral or professional degree	4	92
Managers, all other	6	Bachelor's degree	4	20
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education	5	Bachelor's degree	5	54
Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary	5	Master's degree	2	56
Elementary school teachers, except special education	4	Bachelor's degree	6	48
Physicians, all other	2	Doctoral or professional degree	2	100
Chief executives	-7	Bachelor's degree	1	30
Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive	-10	High school diploma or equivalent	2	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: Foreign language,
at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/field-of-degree/foreign-language/foreign-language-field-of-degree.htm (visited May 30, 2023).

Last Modified Date: Thursday, September 8, 2022