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Field of degree: Liberal arts

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Liberal arts field of degree. Employment: 730,380. Median annual wage: $50,000.

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Table 1. Liberal arts degree, 2018
Data	Liberal arts	All fields
Employment	730,380	55,381,020
Median wage	$50,000	$59,000
Percent employed part time	18	15
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	49	59
Percent with an advanced degree	30	37
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

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Chart 1. Types of liberal arts majors, 2018
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.

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Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a liberal arts degree, by occupational group, 2018
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Educational instruction and library occupations	18%
Management occupations	15
Sales and related occupations	11
Office and administrative support occupations	10
Business and financial operations 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.

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Table 2. Top-employing occupations for workers with a liberal arts 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	2%	74%
Elementary school teachers, except special education	4	Bachelor's degree	10	50
Lawyers	4	Doctoral or professional degree	3	93
Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary	4	Master's degree	2	55
Retail salespersons	-1	No formal educational credential	2	4
Customer service representatives	-2	High school diploma or equivalent	2	4
Personal service managers, all other; entertainment and recreation managers, except gambling; and managers, all other	-2	Bachelor's degree	3	21
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers	-5	High school diploma or equivalent	2	5
Chief executives	-10	Bachelor's degree	2	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: Liberal arts,
at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/field-of-degree/liberal-arts/liberal-arts-field-of-degree.htm (visited September 08, 2021).

Last Modified Date: Monday, November 30, 2020