DOCTORAL DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a doctoral degree in Economics worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 1 college programs with reportable data.
Personal baseline needed
$97,632 in median year-4 earnings
A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.
$97,632Median year-4 earnings
$17,915Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
Outcomes at a glance
$97,632Typical earnings four years after completion
Not availableAverage earnings five years after completion
Not availableTypical federal student debt
41thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
17Degrees awarded in 2024–25
1College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 1 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Economics
How much do Economics doctoral degree graduates earn?
The national median is $97,632 four years after completion across reportable doctoral degree programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
A national median federal-debt figure is not reportable for this degree in the current release.
Does the college matter for Economics?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $97,632 to $97,632 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Economics?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 9 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.
Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.
OPEN PROFILE
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $101,310
- Federal debt
- $22,625
- Programs in the comparison
- 1
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $60,076
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 3
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $79,468
- Federal debt
- $22,907
- Programs in the comparison
- 390
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $104,085
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 22
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $97,632
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 1
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$97,632National median$97,63275th percentile$97,632
1 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION
Three useful places to start
Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
1 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 1 shown
Search every reporting program →See the spread, not just the national number.
1George Mason University$97,632Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Jobs this degree may lead to
Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.
Pay and projected demand
Related careers do not share one outlook
Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection
Higher median wage ↑
-7%Projected employment growth →37%
Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.
Managers, All Other$141,900 median wage622,190 jobs nationwide+4.9% projected growth through 2035 · 100,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$74,300–$238,270 typical wage rangeEconomists$124,720 median wage17,790 jobs nationwide+4.7% projected growth through 2035 · 1,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$67,360–$238,060 typical wage rangeEconomics Teachers, Postsecondary$123,920 median wage11,560 jobs nationwide+2.4% projected growth through 2035 · 1,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$64,060–$224,200 typical wage rangeSocial Science Research Assistants$61,990 median wage30,640 jobs nationwide+5.0% projected growth through 2035 · 4,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$38,090–$102,070 typical wage rangeSurvey Researchers$69,460 median wage8,290 jobs nationwide-4.8% projected growth through 2035 · 600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$39,260–$130,860 typical wage rangeData Scientists$120,230 median wage262,440 jobs nationwide+34.6% projected growth through 2035 · 24,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$67,240–$199,130 typical wage rangeStatisticians$105,650 median wage29,030 jobs nationwide+11.0% projected growth through 2035 · 1,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$64,000–$174,050 typical wage rangeMarket Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists$78,760 median wage899,580 jobs nationwide+7.0% projected growth through 2035 · 82,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$43,390–$155,480 typical wage rangeSecondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$72,040 median wage1,065,210 jobs nationwide-0.2% projected growth through 2035 · 63,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$48,780–$107,600 typical wage range
BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.