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Field of degree: Liberal arts

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Liberal arts field of degree. Employment: 786,430. Median annual wage: $61,000.

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Table 1. Liberal arts degree, 2024
Data	Liberal arts	All fields
Employment	786,430	65,886,610
Median wage	61,000	73,000
Percent employed part time	19	15
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	52	61
Percent with an advanced degree	32	39
Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Chart 1. Types of liberal arts majors, 2024.

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Chart 1. Types of liberal arts, 2024
Liberal arts majors	Major share
Liberal Arts	91
Humanities	9
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 liberal arts degree, by occupational group, 2024.

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Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a liberal arts degree, by occupational group, 2024
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Educational instruction and library occupations	18
Management occupations	16
Office and administrative support occupations	10
Business and financial operations occupations	9
Sales and related occupations	8
Other	39
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 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, 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	9	50	0	Bachelor's degree
Managers, all other	4	22	5	Bachelor's degree
Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary	2	57	0	Master's degree
Lawyers	2	91	5	Doctoral or professional degree
Registered nurses	2	14	6	Bachelor's degree
Retail salespersons	2	4	0	No formal educational credential
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education	2	55	0	Bachelor's degree
Chief executives	1	32	3	Bachelor's degree
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary	1	75	18	Doctoral or professional degree
Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive	1	5	-6	High school diploma or equivalent
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: Liberal arts,
at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/field-of-degree/liberal-arts/liberal-arts-field-of-degree.htm (visited October 29, 2026).

Last modified date: October 29, 2026