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Field of degree: Liberal arts

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Liberal arts field of degree. Employment: 790,310. Median annual wage: $60,000.

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Table 1. Liberal arts degree, 2023
Data	Liberal arts	All fields
Employment	790,310	63,725,710
Median wage	60,000	70,000
Percent employed part time	18	15
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	54	62
Percent with an advanced degree	32	38
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Chart 1. Types of liberal arts majors, 2023.

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Chart 1. Types of liberal arts, 2023
Liberal arts majors	Major share
Liberal Arts	90%
Humanities	10
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 liberal arts degree, by occupational group, 2023.

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Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a liberal arts degree, by occupational group, 2023
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Educational instruction and library occupations	19%
Management occupations	16
Business and financial operations occupations	10
Office and administrative support occupations	9
Sales and related occupations	8
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 liberal arts degree.

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Table 2. Top-employing occupations for workers with a liberal arts 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	9%	49%	-2%	Bachelor's degree
Managers, all other	4	21	4	Bachelor's degree
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education	2	56	-2	Bachelor's degree
Lawyers	2	91	4	Doctoral or professional degree
Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary	2	56	-2	Master's degree
Customer service representatives	1	4	-5	High school diploma or equivalent
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary	1	74	17	Doctoral or professional degree
Chief executives	1	32	4	Bachelor's degree
Retail salespersons	1	4	0	No formal educational credential
Registered nurses	1	14	5	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: Liberal arts,
at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/field-of-degree/liberal-arts/liberal-arts-field-of-degree.htm (visited October 21, 2025).

Last Modified Date: Thursday, August 28, 2025