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Field of degree: Philosophy and religion

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Philosophy and religion field of degree. Employment: 551,710. Median annual wage: $70,000.

Table 1. Philosophy and religion degree, 2024.

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Table 1. Philosophy and religion degree, 2024
Data	Philosophy and religion	All fields
Employment	551,710	65,886,610
Median wage	70,000	73,000
Percent employed part time	17	15
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	66	61
Percent with an advanced degree	57	39
Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Chart 1. Type of philosophy and religion major, 2024.

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Chart 1. Type of philosophy and religion, 2024
Philosophy and religion major	Major share
Philosophy And Religious Studies	100
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 philosophy and religion degree, by occupational group, 2024.

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Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a philosophy and religion degree, by occupational group, 2024
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Management occupations	16
Educational instruction and library occupations	13
Community and social service occupations	11
Legal occupations	10
Business and financial operations occupations	8
Other	41
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 philosophy and religion degree.

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Table 2. Top-employing occupations for workers with a philosophy and religion 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
Lawyers	9	91	5	Doctoral or professional degree
Clergy	7	48	2	Bachelor's degree
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary	5	75	18	Doctoral or professional degree
Managers, all other	4	22	5	Bachelor's degree
Elementary school teachers, except special education	3	50	0	Bachelor's degree
Chief executives	2	32	3	Bachelor's degree
Management analysts	2	35	10	Bachelor's degree
Physicians, all other	2	100	3	Doctoral or professional degree
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education	2	55	0	Bachelor's degree
Software developers	2	33	10	Bachelor's degree
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: Philosophy and religion,
at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/field-of-degree/philosophy-and-religion/philosophy-and-religion-field-of-degree.htm (visited October 29, 2026).

Last modified date: October 29, 2026