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Economics.
Doctoral Degree•105 Institutions
Completers Only: Federal median earnings data strictly reflects outcomes for students who successfully graduated. Students who do not complete their degree typically earn significantly less and face higher risks of debt default.
Annual Full Cost vs. Median Earnings
Each dot represents one program at an institution. Shows the spread of annual sticker price (or net price if sticker price is unavailable) vs earnings 4 years post-grad.
Field Median ($97,632)
P25-P75 Interval ($84,653 - $127,993)
HS Baseline ($35,872)
Breakeven Line (0% ROI)
Institution | State | Earnings | Avg Net Price | Median Debt | Lifetime Value Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Madison | WI | $136,278 Nat: $135,560 2yr Post-Grad | $17,354 /yr | - | +$340k |
La Jolla | CA | $127,993 Nat: $135,560 2yr Post-Grad | $12,470 /yr | - | +$294k |
Fairfax | VA | $97,632 Nat: $135,560 4yr Post-Grad | $17,915 /yr | - | +$12k |
Tucson | AZ | - Nat: $135,560 | $16,674 /yr | - | -$0 |
Fayetteville | AR | - Nat: $135,560 | $18,209 /yr | - | -$0 |
Berkeley | CA | - Nat: $135,560 | $13,481 /yr | - | -$0 |
Davis | CA | - Nat: $135,560 | $14,741 /yr | - | -$0 |
Los Angeles | CA | - Nat: $135,560 | $12,548 /yr | - | -$0 |
Riverside | CA | - Nat: $135,560 | $14,304 /yr | - | -$0 |
Santa Barbara | CA | - Nat: $135,560 | $16,109 /yr | - | -$0 |
Santa Cruz | CA | - Nat: $135,560 | $17,890 /yr | - | -$0 |
Claremont | CA | - Nat: $135,560 | - /yr | - | -$0 |
Boulder | CO | - Nat: $135,560 | $25,346 /yr | - | -$0 |
Golden | CO | - Nat: $135,560 | $28,690 /yr | - | -$0 |
Fort Collins | CO | - Nat: $135,560 | $21,279 /yr | - | -$0 |
Storrs | CT | - Nat: $135,560 | $25,097 /yr | - | -$0 |
Newark | DE | - Nat: $135,560 | $17,799 /yr | - | -$0 |
Washington | DC | - Nat: $135,560 | $41,943 /yr | - | -$0 |
Washington | DC | - Nat: $135,560 | $36,586 /yr | - | -$0 |
Washington | DC | - Nat: $135,560 | $40,815 /yr | - | -$0 |
Washington | DC | - Nat: $135,560 | $50,539 /yr | - | -$0 |
Tallahassee | FL | - Nat: $135,560 | $11,297 /yr | - | -$0 |
Gainesville | FL | - Nat: $135,560 | $6,541 /yr | - | -$0 |
Tampa | FL | - Nat: $135,560 | $9,812 /yr | - | -$0 |
Atlanta | GA | - Nat: $135,560 | $15,931 /yr | - | -$0 |
Honolulu | HI | - Nat: $135,560 | $15,664 /yr | - | -$0 |
Chicago | IL | - Nat: $135,560 | $14,860 /yr | - | -$0 |
Chicago | IL | - Nat: $135,560 | $10,974 /yr | - | -$0 |
Evanston | IL | - Nat: $135,560 | $29,167 /yr | - | -$0 |
Carbondale | IL | - Nat: $135,560 | $13,297 /yr | - | -$0 |
Bloomington | IN | - Nat: $135,560 | $16,264 /yr | - | -$0 |
Notre Dame | IN | - Nat: $135,560 | $26,780 /yr | - | -$0 |
Ames | IA | - Nat: $135,560 | $18,589 /yr | - | -$0 |
Iowa City | IA | - Nat: $135,560 | $22,531 /yr | - | -$0 |
Lawrence | KS | - Nat: $135,560 | $18,059 /yr | - | -$0 |
Manhattan | KS | - Nat: $135,560 | $19,406 /yr | - | -$0 |
Lexington | KY | - Nat: $135,560 | $18,851 /yr | - | -$0 |
New Orleans | LA | - Nat: $135,560 | $39,949 /yr | - | -$0 |
Baltimore | MD | - Nat: $135,560 | $18,809 /yr | - | -$0 |
College Park | MD | - Nat: $135,560 | $15,678 /yr | - | -$0 |
Chestnut Hill | MA | - Nat: $135,560 | $41,704 /yr | - | -$0 |
Boston | MA | - Nat: $135,560 | $24,402 /yr | - | -$0 |
Waltham | MA | - Nat: $135,560 | $35,736 /yr | - | -$0 |
Worcester | MA | - Nat: $135,560 | $28,714 /yr | - | -$0 |
Cambridge | MA | - Nat: $135,560 | $19,066 /yr | - | -$0 |
Amherst | MA | - Nat: $135,560 | $22,383 /yr | - | -$0 |
Cambridge | MA | - Nat: $135,560 | $20,111 /yr | - | -$0 |
Boston | MA | - Nat: $135,560 | $30,915 /yr | - | -$0 |
Ann Arbor | MI | - Nat: $135,560 | $13,138 /yr | - | -$0 |
East Lansing | MI | - Nat: $135,560 | $19,680 /yr | - | -$0 |
Minneapolis | MN | - Nat: $135,560 | $16,778 /yr | - | -$0 |
Hattiesburg | MS | - Nat: $135,560 | $21,708 /yr | - | -$0 |
Columbia | MO | - Nat: $135,560 | $20,268 /yr | - | -$0 |
Reno | NV | - Nat: $135,560 | $15,927 /yr | - | -$0 |
Durham | NH | - Nat: $135,560 | $23,805 /yr | - | -$0 |
Princeton | NJ | - Nat: $135,560 | $6,128 /yr | - | -$0 |
Albuquerque | NM | - Nat: $135,560 | $15,489 /yr | - | -$0 |
Las Cruces | NM | - Nat: $135,560 | $8,889 /yr | - | -$0 |
New York | NY | - Nat: $135,560 | $21,590 /yr | - | -$0 |
Ithaca | NY | - Nat: $135,560 | $28,690 /yr | - | -$0 |
CUNY Graduate School and University Center ⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI. New York | NY | - Nat: $135,560 | - /yr | - | -$0 |
Bronx | NY | - Nat: $135,560 | $44,338 /yr | - | -$0 |
New York | NY | - Nat: $135,560 | $58,741 /yr | - | -$0 |
Rochester | NY | - Nat: $135,560 | $29,278 /yr | - | -$0 |
Buffalo | NY | - Nat: $135,560 | $20,995 /yr | - | -$0 |
Syracuse | NY | - Nat: $135,560 | $38,793 /yr | - | -$0 |
New York | NY | - Nat: $135,560 | - /yr | - | -$0 |
Durham | NC | - Nat: $135,560 | $29,612 /yr | - | -$0 |
Chapel Hill | NC | - Nat: $135,560 | $11,655 /yr | - | -$0 |
Raleigh | NC | - Nat: $135,560 | $17,303 /yr | - | -$0 |
Columbus | OH | - Nat: $135,560 | $17,339 /yr | - | -$0 |
Norman | OK | - Nat: $135,560 | $15,300 /yr | - | -$0 |
Corvallis | OR | - Nat: $135,560 | $19,604 /yr | - | -$0 |
Pittsburgh | PA | - Nat: $135,560 | $31,944 /yr | - | -$0 |
University Park | PA | - Nat: $135,560 | $32,875 /yr | - | -$0 |
Philadelphia | PA | - Nat: $135,560 | $28,699 /yr | - | -$0 |
Pittsburgh | PA | - Nat: $135,560 | $30,434 /yr | - | -$0 |
Philadelphia | PA | - Nat: $135,560 | $28,198 /yr | - | -$0 |
Providence | RI | - Nat: $135,560 | $25,184 /yr | - | -$0 |
Kingston | RI | - Nat: $135,560 | $21,440 /yr | - | -$0 |
Clemson | SC | - Nat: $135,560 | $22,253 /yr | - | -$0 |
Columbia | SC | - Nat: $135,560 | $22,811 /yr | - | -$0 |
Nashville | TN | - Nat: $135,560 | $15,846 /yr | - | -$0 |
Houston | TX | - Nat: $135,560 | $14,276 /yr | - | -$0 |
Houston | TX | - Nat: $135,560 | $13,370 /yr | - | -$0 |
Dallas | TX | - Nat: $135,560 | $40,892 /yr | - | -$0 |
College Station | TX | - Nat: $135,560 | $21,315 /yr | - | -$0 |
Austin | TX | - Nat: $135,560 | $19,857 /yr | - | -$0 |
Richardson | TX | - Nat: $135,560 | $18,267 /yr | - | -$0 |
Lubbock | TX | - Nat: $135,560 | $19,070 /yr | - | -$0 |
Salt Lake City | UT | - Nat: $135,560 | $16,200 /yr | - | -$0 |
Charlottesville | VA | - Nat: $135,560 | $21,565 /yr | - | -$0 |
Pullman | WA | - Nat: $135,560 | $14,971 /yr | - | -$0 |
Seattle | WA | - Nat: $135,560 | $14,091 /yr | - | -$0 |
Milwaukee | WI | - Nat: $135,560 | $15,014 /yr | - | -$0 |
Laramie | WY | - Nat: $135,560 | $13,599 /yr | - | -$0 |
Stanford | CA | - Nat: $135,560 | $13,807 /yr | - | -$0 |
West Lafayette | IN | - Nat: $135,560 | $14,600 /yr | - | -$0 |
Waterbury | CT | - Nat: $135,560 | $10,875 /yr | - | -$0 |
Groton | CT | - Nat: $135,560 | $13,807 /yr | - | -$0 |
Stamford | CT | - Nat: $135,560 | $16,798 /yr | - | -$0 |
Bend | OR | - Nat: $135,560 | $18,048 /yr | - | -$0 |
Hartford | CT | - Nat: $135,560 | $16,403 /yr | - | -$0 |
Eugene | OR | $84,653 Nat: $135,560 2yr Post-Grad | $22,182 /yr | - | -$74k |
Irvine | CA | $78,971 Nat: $135,560 2yr Post-Grad | $14,251 /yr | - | -$90k |
Analysis Notes:
- Lifetime Value Added: Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median bachelor's degree holder, accounting for this institution's average cost and taxes.
- Avg Net Price: The average price paid by students who receive federal financial aid (grants/loans).Note: For graduate programs, the institution's average undergraduate net price is used as a proxy for annual cost, which may differ from actual graduate tuition and net price.
Important Note: Your ROI with any major will depend on the cost you pay to attend the program, and your starting salary. Both vary significantly across institutions. We encourage you to explore the ROI of a specific program variant by selecting the Program title of the credential level you are interested in. You will then have a more detailed return analysis for programs at specific institutions. We also encourage you to use the ROI calculator, or for more sophisticated analysis, the Guided ROI Interview, with your specific estimates of cost and salary.