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: 1,196,990. Median annual wage: $60,000.

View Chart Data

Table 1. History degree, 2019
Data	History	All fields
Employment	1,196,990	56,820,460
Median wage	60,000	60,000
Percent employed part time	16	15
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	60	61
Percent with an advanced degree	50	37
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Types of history majors, 2019
History majors	Major share
History	98%
United States History	2
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 history degree, by occupational group, 2019.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a history degree, by occupational group, 2019
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Educational instruction and library occupations	19%
Management occupations	17
Legal occupations	12
Sales and related occupations	9
Business and financial operations occupations	8
Other	35
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 history degree.

View Chart Data

Table 2. Top-employing occupations for workers with a history degree
Occupational Outlook Handbook profile	Percent growth, projected 2020–30	Typical entry-level education	Percent degree holders in this field, this occupation, 2019	Percent of this occupation with an advanced degree, 2019
Postsecondary teachers	24%	See How to Become One	4%	73%
Management analysts	14	Bachelor's degree	2	32
Lawyers	9	Doctoral or professional degree	10	92
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education	8	Bachelor's degree	5	54
Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary	8	Master's degree	2	56
Elementary school teachers, except special education	7	Bachelor's degree	5	48
Personal service managers, all other; entertainment and recreation managers, except gambling; and managers, all other	7	Bachelor's degree	4	20
Retail salespersons	-1	No formal educational credential	1	3
Chief executives	-6	Bachelor's degree	2	30
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers	-6	High school diploma or equivalent	1	5
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 May 16, 2022).

Last Modified Date: Friday, December 3, 2021