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Field of degree: Liberal arts

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Liberal arts field of degree. Employment: 730,760. Median annual wage: $54,000.

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Table 1. Liberal arts degree, 2021
Data	Liberal arts	All fields
Employment	730,760	59,687,450
Median wage	54,000	63,000
Percent employed part time	17	14
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	52	62
Percent with an advanced degree	31	38
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Chart 1. Types of liberal arts majors, 2021.

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Chart 1. Types of liberal arts, 2021
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, American Community Survey.

Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a liberal arts degree, by occupational group, 2021.

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Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a liberal arts degree, by occupational group, 2021
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Educational instruction and library occupations	19%
Management occupations	15
Office and administrative support occupations	10
Business and financial operations 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
Occupational Outlook Handbook profile	Percent growth, projected 2022–32	Typical entry-level education	Percent degree holders in this field, this occupation, 2021	Percent of this occupation with an advanced degree, 2021
Lawyers	8%	Doctoral or professional degree	2%	91%
Human resources specialists	6	Bachelor's degree	2	19
Registered nurses	6	Bachelor's degree	2	13
Postsecondary teachers, all other	4	Doctoral or professional degree	2	72
Managers, all other	3	Bachelor's degree	4	21
Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary	1	Master's degree	2	57
Elementary school teachers, except special education	1	Bachelor's degree	8	49
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education	1	Bachelor's degree	2	55
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers	-7	High school diploma or equivalent	2	5
Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive	-12	High school diploma or equivalent	2	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: Liberal arts,
at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/field-of-degree/liberal-arts/liberal-arts-field-of-degree.htm (visited September 06, 2023).

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, September 6, 2023