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Field of degree: Liberal arts

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Liberal arts field of degree. Employment: 736,780. Median annual wage: $50,000.

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Table 1. Liberal arts degree, 2019
Data	Liberal arts	All fields
Employment	736,780	56,820,460
Median wage	50,000	60,000
Percent employed part time	19	15
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	51	60
Percent with an advanced degree	31	37
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Chart 1. Types of liberal arts majors, 2019.

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Chart 1. Types of liberal arts majors, 2019
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, 2019.

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Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a liberal arts degree, by occupational group, 2019
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Educational instruction and library occupations	20%
Management occupations	15
Office and administrative support occupations	10
Business and financial operations occupations	9
Sales and related occupations	9
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 2021–31	Typical entry-level education	Percent degree holders in this field, this occupation, 2019	Percent of this occupation with an advanced degree, 2019
Postsecondary teachers	12%	Doctoral or professional degree	2%	73%
Lawyers	10	Doctoral or professional degree	2	92
Managers, all other	6	Bachelor's degree	4	20
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education	5	Bachelor's degree	2	54
Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary	5	Master's degree	2	56
Elementary school teachers, except special education	4	Bachelor's degree	8	48
Retail salespersons	0	No formal educational credential	2	3
Customer service representatives	-4	High school diploma or equivalent	2	4
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers	-5	High school diploma or equivalent	2	4
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 January 18, 2023).

Last Modified Date: Thursday, September 8, 2022