An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Field of degree: History

PRINTER-FRIENDLY

History field of degree. Employment: 1,203,010. Median annual wage: $57,000.

View Chart Data

Table 1. History degree, 2018
Data	History	All fields
Employment	1,203,010	55,381,020
Median wage	$57,000	$59,000
Percent employed part time	15	15
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	59	59
Percent with an advanced degree	50	37
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Types of history majors, 2018
History majors	Major share
History	98%
U.S. history	2
Note: The sum of percents by major may not total 100 due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a history degree, by occupational group, 2018
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Educational instruction and library occupations	18%
Management occupations	16
Legal occupations	12
Business and financial operations occupations	10
Sales and related occupations	9
Other	36
Note: The sum of percents by major may not total 100 due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

View Chart Data

Table 2. Top-employing occupations for workers with a history degree
Occupational Outlook Handbook profile	Percent growth, projected 2019–29	Typical entry-level education	Percent degree holders in this field, this occupation, 2018	Percent of this occupation with an advanced degree, 2018
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary	21%	Doctoral or professional degree	4%	74%
Management analysts	11	Bachelor's degree	2	36
Lawyers	4	Doctoral or professional degree	11	93
Elementary school teachers, except special education	4	Bachelor's degree	8	50
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education	4	Bachelor's degree	3	53
Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary	4	Master's degree	2	55
Customer service representatives	-2	High school diploma or equivalent	1	4
Personal service managers, all other; entertainment and recreation managers, except gambling; and managers, all other	-2	Bachelor's degree	4	21
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers	-5	High school diploma or equivalent	2	5
Chief executives	-10	Bachelor's degree	2	30
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: History,
at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/field-of-degree/history/history-field-of-degree.htm (visited October 07, 2021).

Last Modified Date: Monday, November 30, 2020