Economics at Duke University

Durham, NC · Bachelor's Degree · about 199 graduates a year

$98,649
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$161,149
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$82,686
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#2 of 368
Rank by pay
#1 of 368
Rank, wage-adjusted
$13,187
Median federal debt

Duke University graduates in economics earn 95% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 8% of one year’s pay at that point.

How Duke University Compares for Economics

All 368 colleges reporting economics earnings at this degree level, ranked by median pay four years after graduation. “Wage-adjusted” divides pay by the square root of the state’s wage index so colleges in low-wage states aren’t penalized for local pay.

#College4 yrs afterWage-adjustedAdj. rank1 yr after
1Williams College Williamstown, MA$166,678$146,777#5$80,888
2Duke University Durham, NC$161,149$172,936#1$98,649
3Princeton University Princeton, NJ$160,763$141,099#6$103,041
4University of Chicago Chicago, IL$159,578$156,784#2$92,075
5Harvard University Cambridge, MA$155,592$137,015#8$103,993
6Dartmouth College Hanover, NH$152,929$140,863#7$94,675
7Claremont McKenna College Claremont, CA$146,524$133,327#9$89,505
8Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA$144,886$147,350#4$86,284
9Yale University New Haven, CT$142,936$128,688#17$82,617
10Amherst College Amherst, MA$141,730$124,808#19$90,568

Other Majors at Duke University by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Mathematics$297,029$121,088#1 of 309
Computer Science$195,809$133,356#14 of 349
Computer Engineering$174,522$111,145#4 of 189
Statistics$152,782$97,197#3 of 50
Mechanical Engineering$120,991$89,938#4 of 318
History$112,377$60,750#2 of 459
Biomedical/Medical Engineering$105,921$69,873#16 of 118
Public Policy Analysis$103,071$60,501#3 of 34
Public Health$101,771$45,921#1 of 215
Political Science and Government$88,459$54,970#21 of 565
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services$88,098—#1 of 90
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$87,763$77,288#432 of 966
Biology$83,192$30,939#15 of 841
Anthropology$81,120$43,924#2 of 188
International and Comparative Education$79,640$40,723—
Natural Resources Conservation and Research$73,435$28,121#11 of 265
Psychology$73,359$33,559#17 of 1027
Neurobiology and Neurosciences$73,140$37,208#14 of 67
Sociology$61,425$45,551#69 of 462
Research and Experimental Psychology—$39,359—
Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences—$30,154—
Chemistry—$29,748—
English Language and Literature—$20,483—

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Duke University economics graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $98,649 one year after graduating and $161,149 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does Duke University rank for economics?

Among 368 colleges reporting earnings for economics graduates, Duke University ranks #2 by median pay four years after graduation, and #1 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is economics at Duke University worth it?

Its graduates earn 95% more than the national median for economics ($82,686), and the median federal debt at graduation is $13,187.

← All data for Duke University · Methodology

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study data. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled; programs with few graduates are not reported. Wage adjustment uses Census ACS state median household income.