Which state pays anthropology bachelor's graduates the most?

Georgia, where the median program pays its graduates $30,544 in their first year, the highest of 10 state rankings. Texas is next, at $28,369.

Which anthropology bachelor's program pays the most?

SMU in Texas reports the highest first-year pay of the 166 programs ranked here, $56,550. Its median federal debt is $23,125.

How much debt do anthropology bachelor's graduates have?

The median program leaves its graduates with $22,962 in federal debt. Across programs, the median debt is 81% of first-year pay.

Highest-Paying Anthropology (Bachelor's) Programs in the US

166 programs report first-year pay
10 state rankings
Bachelor's in Anthropology

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

The median anthropology bachelor's program in the US pays its graduates $27,790 in their first year and $45,049 five years after. Georgia has the highest state median ($30,544), and Illinois the lowest ($25,913). The median program leaves its graduates with $22,962 in federal debt.

Median first-year pay$27,790Across 166 programs

Median pay after 5 years$45,049Across 163 programs

Median federal debt$22,962Across 175 programs

Debt-to-earnings81%Across 154 programs

All 166 programs, ranked by graduate pay

Each program is ranked by the median pay of its graduates one year after they finished, from College Scorecard. This measures what graduates earn, not how good the teaching is. Pay also depends on where graduates live and work. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	School	Year 1 pay	After cost of living	Year 5 pay	Debt	Debt to pay
1	SMUDallas, TX · private nonprofit	$56,550	Not adjusted	$68,161	$23,125	41%
2	Monmouth UniversityWest Long Branch, NJ · private nonprofit	$46,302	$42,555	$58,796	$25,500	55%
3	Duke UniversityDurham, NC · private nonprofit	$43,924	Not adjusted	$62,485	Not reported	Not reported
4	SNHUManchester, NH · private nonprofit	$41,986	Not adjusted	Not reported	$34,312	82%
5	Fordham UniversityBronx, NY · private nonprofit	$40,384	Not adjusted	$54,406	$24,000	59%
6	Dartmouth CollegeHanover, NH · private nonprofit	$40,071	Not adjusted	Not reported	$14,363	36%
7	Lehman CollegeBronx, NY · public	$38,879	$36,025	$55,905	$13,722	35%
8	George MasonFairfax, VA · public	$37,081	Not adjusted	$45,617	$23,937	65%
9	RutgersNew Brunswick, NJ · public	$36,978	$33,986	$53,715	$26,750	72%
10	CU BoulderBoulder, CO · public	$36,822	$35,731	$49,958	$20,000	54%
11	Emory UniversityAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	$36,700	Not adjusted	$69,305	$21,515	59%
12	UMass BostonBoston, MA · public	$36,565	$34,575	$57,722	$24,362	67%
13	UNC Chapel HillChapel Hill, NC · public	$36,211	$38,389	$43,860	$11,982	33%
14	University of Northern ColoradoGreeley, CO · public	$35,432	Not adjusted	$33,941	$25,667	72%
15	Brandeis UniversityWaltham, MA · private nonprofit	$35,390	Not adjusted	$57,854	$26,000	73%
16	Portland StatePortland, OR · public	$34,862	$33,728	$43,474	$23,500	67%
17	Miami UniversityOxford, OH · public	$34,701	$37,404	$55,643	$26,943	78%
18	University of HoustonHouston, TX · public	$34,669	$35,720	$55,286	$22,750	66%
19	WashUSt. Louis, MO · private nonprofit	$34,489	Not adjusted	Not reported	$15,000	43%
20	University of Arizona Global CampusChandler, AZ · public	$34,382	Not adjusted	$39,475	$41,859	122%
21	Wichita StateWichita, KS · public	$34,275	Not adjusted	Not reported	$25,000	73%
22	University of MarylandCollege Park, MD · public	$33,837	$32,238	$62,067	$20,070	59%
23	University of Nevada-Las VegasLas Vegas, NV · public	$33,787	$33,794	$50,773	$15,379	46%
24	UConnStorrs, CT · public	$33,758	$32,582	$50,125	$18,500	55%
25	UW-MilwaukeeMilwaukee, WI · public	$33,261	$35,348	$42,673	$27,000	81%
26	Northwestern UniversityEvanston, IL · private nonprofit	$33,208	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
27	University of ArizonaTucson, AZ · public	$33,094	$32,871	$46,008	$24,269	73%
28	University of WashingtonSeattle, WA · public	$32,778	$30,630	$61,569	$12,000	37%
29	Oregon StateCorvallis, OR · public	$32,573	$31,514	$55,684	$27,799	85%
30	Hamline UniversitySaint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	$32,498	$32,952	$45,884	$27,000	83%
31	SUNY OneontaOneonta, NY · public	$32,493	$30,108	$52,724	$21,500	66%
32	University of North FloridaJacksonville, FL · public	$32,477	$31,405	$38,523	$18,000	55%
33	Sacramento StateSacramento, CA · public	$32,460	$29,317	$48,680	$20,675	64%
34	UCLALos Angeles, CA · public	$32,300	$29,173	$55,070	$15,000	46%
35	Wellesley CollegeWellesley, MA · private nonprofit	$31,973	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
36	University of MissouriColumbia, MO · public	$31,926	Not adjusted	Not reported	$17,600	55%
37	Sonoma StateRohnert Park, CA · public	$31,744	$28,671	Not reported	$19,249	61%
38	University of New MexicoAlbuquerque, NM · public	$31,729	$34,409	$35,253	$23,814	75%
39	University of VermontBurlington, VT · public	$31,717	Not adjusted	$45,049	$19,500	61%
40	ASUTempe, AZ · public	$31,640	Not adjusted	$54,391	$25,500	81%
41	University of West GeorgiaCarrollton, GA · public	$31,619	$32,836	Not reported	$22,782	72%
42	UC Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CA · public	$31,420	$28,378	$58,077	$19,500	62%
43	UT AustinAustin, TX · public	$31,369	$32,320	$43,067	$22,523	72%
44	University of MinnesotaMinneapolis, MN · public	$31,219	$31,656	$49,123	$23,375	75%
45	Montclair StateMontclair, NJ · public	$31,018	Not adjusted	Not reported	$25,723	83%
46	Binghamton UniversityVestal, NY · public	$30,978	$28,704	$54,092	$22,250	72%
47	JMUHarrisonburg, VA · public	$30,686	$30,351	$54,211	$20,500	67%
48	UICChicago, IL · public	$30,648	$30,661	$43,747	$24,348	79%
49	UVACharlottesville, VA · public	$30,609	$30,275	$55,460	$13,885	45%
50	Kennesaw StateKennesaw, GA · public	$30,544	$31,720	Not reported	$26,787	88%
51	UC IrvineIrvine, CA · public	$30,509	$27,555	$57,629	$16,667	55%
52	Texas TechLubbock, TX · public	$30,385	$31,306	Not reported	$26,500	87%
53	University of New HampshireDurham, NH · public	$30,380	Not adjusted	Not reported	$27,000	89%
54	Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · public	$30,261	$31,014	$48,314	$26,000	86%
55	Weber StateOgden, UT · public	$30,139	$30,485	Not reported	$24,401	81%
56	Texas StateSan Marcos, TX · public	$30,108	$31,021	$43,181	$25,000	83%
57	University of MontanaMissoula, MT · public	$30,011	Not adjusted	$39,120	$27,235	91%
58	University of LouisvilleLouisville, KY · public	$29,966	$33,237	$41,271	$23,000	77%
59	University at AlbanyAlbany, NY · public	$29,900	$27,705	$43,029	$23,250	78%
60	Commonwealth University of PennsylvaniaBloomsburg, PA · public	$29,813	$30,555	$44,342	$26,000	87%
61	NC StateRaleigh, NC · public	$29,518	$31,294	Not reported	$26,000	88%
62	University at BuffaloBuffalo, NY · public	$29,460	$27,298	Not reported	$24,500	83%
63	University of KansasLawrence, KS · public	$29,376	Not adjusted	Not reported	$29,875	102%
64	Cal State LALos Angeles, CA · public	$29,364	$26,521	$42,878	$14,000	48%
65	University of FloridaGainesville, FL · public	$29,036	$28,077	$53,927	$14,639	50%
66	UC BerkeleyBerkeley, CA · public	$28,661	$25,886	$63,390	$12,949	45%
67	Michigan StateEast Lansing, MI · public	$28,617	$29,742	$56,484	$28,084	98%
68	PurdueWest Lafayette, IN · public	$28,587	Not adjusted	Not reported	$18,972	66%
69	UC San DiegoLa Jolla, CA · public	$28,543	$25,779	$53,445	$13,958	49%
70	Baylor UniversityWaco, TX · private nonprofit	$28,369	$29,229	$50,566	$26,500	93%
71	San Francisco StateSan Francisco, CA · public	$28,314	$25,573	$50,064	$17,250	61%
72	Western Carolina UniversityCullowhee, NC · public	$28,262	$29,962	$37,633	$22,595	80%
73	Texas A&MCollege Station, TX · public	$28,202	$29,057	$43,190	$21,264	75%
74	Ohio StateColumbus, OH · public	$28,172	$30,366	$44,620	$22,834	81%
75	UNTDenton, TX · public	$28,160	$29,014	$45,720	$21,168	75%
76	UC DavisDavis, CA · public	$28,059	$25,342	$55,777	$15,000	53%
77	University of Nevada-RenoReno, NV · public	$27,907	$27,913	$49,297	$23,750	85%
78	Chico StateChico, CA · public	$27,856	$25,159	$48,693	$19,833	71%
79	Western Washington UniversityBellingham, WA · public	$27,851	$26,026	$46,798	$22,000	79%
80	University of UtahSalt Lake City, UT · public	$27,844	$28,164	$43,163	$22,887	82%
81	Utah StateLogan, UT · public	$27,831	$28,151	$30,720	$21,000	75%
82	Ohio UniversityAthens, OH · public	$27,806	$29,972	$35,981	$27,000	97%
83	UNC CharlotteCharlotte, NC · public	$27,805	$29,478	$43,369	$27,750	100%
84	University of OregonEugene, OR · public	$27,775	$26,872	$46,119	$25,646	92%
85	Cal Poly PomonaPomona, CA · public	$27,750	$25,063	$47,764	$11,000	40%
86	University of Oklahoma-Norman CampusNorman, OK · public	$27,704	Not adjusted	$48,611	$25,000	90%
87	Grand Valley StateAllendale, MI · public	$27,350	$28,425	$40,889	$27,000	99%
88	Missouri StateSpringfield, MO · public	$27,283	$30,042	$46,116	$25,500	93%
89	University of IowaIowa City, IA · public	$27,221	$31,017	$42,460	$25,696	94%
90	Colorado StateFort Collins, CO · public	$27,178	$26,373	$52,109	$25,367	93%
91	Loyola ChicagoChicago, IL · private nonprofit	$26,977	$26,988	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
92	Boston UniversityBoston, MA · private nonprofit	$26,934	Not adjusted	Not reported	$25,250	94%
93	UCFOrlando, FL · public	$26,922	$26,033	Not reported	$20,375	76%
94	University of ArkansasFayetteville, AR · public	$26,878	$30,917	$42,295	$24,250	90%
95	Wayne StateDetroit, MI · public	$26,858	$27,914	$48,665	$26,493	99%
96	College of CharlestonCharleston, SC · public	$26,842	$28,632	$40,564	$23,000	86%
97	Mississippi StateMississippi State, MS · public	$26,836	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
98	Cal State FullertonFullerton, CA · public	$26,794	$24,200	$51,703	$14,404	54%
99	UTSASan Antonio, TX · public	$26,735	$27,546	$39,956	$21,329	80%
100	Hunter CollegeNew York, NY · public	$26,680	$24,722	$44,882	$10,200	38%
101	Cal State Channel IslandsCamarillo, CA · public	$26,502	$23,936	$55,660	$20,914	79%
102	IU BloomingtonBloomington, IN · public	$26,476	Not adjusted	$39,816	$16,562	63%
103	FAUBoca Raton, FL · public	$26,418	$25,546	$35,488	$22,962	87%
104	CSUNNorthridge, CA · public	$26,278	$23,734	$47,132	$17,750	68%
105	SUNY College at GeneseoGeneseo, NY · public	$26,218	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
106	UC RiversideRiverside, CA · public	$26,178	$23,643	$44,195	$21,250	81%
107	Illinois StateNormal, IL · public	$25,913	Not adjusted	$51,516	$25,333	98%
108	UNC GreensboroGreensboro, NC · public	$25,901	$27,459	$44,735	$27,000	104%
109	Fort Lewis CollegeDurango, CO · public	$25,891	Not adjusted	$40,213	$17,592	68%
110	University of PittsburghPittsburgh, PA · public	$25,742	$26,383	$50,315	$25,000	97%
111	University of KentuckyLexington, KY · public	$25,668	Not adjusted	$46,078	$22,494	88%
112	San Diego StateSan Diego, CA · public	$25,553	$23,079	Not reported	$13,099	51%
113	Washington StatePullman, WA · public	$25,519	$23,847	$40,262	$18,500	72%
114	Cal State San BernardinoSan Bernardino, CA · public	$25,354	$22,899	Not reported	$12,646	50%
115	Central Michigan UniversityMount Pleasant, MI · public	$25,264	$26,257	$42,994	$31,000	123%
116	UNC WilmingtonWilmington, NC · public	$25,198	Not adjusted	$37,701	$24,112	96%
117	Iowa StateAmes, IA · public	$25,014	Not adjusted	$44,015	$27,607	110%
118	University of TennesseeKnoxville, TN · public	$24,772	$26,964	$45,042	$27,000	109%
119	UNC AshevilleAsheville, NC · public	$24,639	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
120	University of Mary WashingtonFredericksburg, VA · public	$24,534	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
121	Ball StateMuncie, IN · public	$24,452	$26,200	$43,370	$23,352	96%
122	Kent StateKent, OH · public	$24,434	$26,337	$40,708	$26,697	109%
123	USFTampa, FL · public	$24,331	$23,528	$43,346	$21,888	90%
124	East Carolina UniversityGreenville, NC · public	$24,228	$25,685	$41,362	$27,000	111%
125	UMass AmherstAmherst, MA · public	$24,120	Not adjusted	$45,584	Not reported	Not reported
126	University of MichiganAnn Arbor, MI · public	$24,079	$25,026	$65,575	$14,623	61%
127	Tulane University of LouisianaNew Orleans, LA · private nonprofit	$24,042	Not adjusted	$40,361	$19,500	81%
128	Stony Brook UniversityStony Brook, NY · public	$23,845	$22,095	$43,848	$19,449	82%
129	University of South CarolinaColumbia, SC · public	$23,785	$25,371	$42,350	$23,687	100%
130	Penn StateUniversity Park, PA · public	$23,716	Not adjusted	$38,547	$27,000	114%
131	Southern Illinois University EdwardsvilleEdwardsville, IL · public	$23,379	$23,389	Not reported	$25,000	107%
132	University of MaineOrono, ME · public	$23,341	Not adjusted	Not reported	$27,000	116%
133	UC Santa CruzSanta Cruz, CA · public	$23,152	$20,910	$47,407	$17,875	77%
134	University of MemphisMemphis, TN · public	$23,112	$25,157	$33,817	$20,081	87%
135	Queens CollegeQueens, NY · public	$22,917	$21,235	$56,381	$14,835	65%
136	VCURichmond, VA · public	$22,732	$22,484	$41,449	$13,996	62%
137	UMSLSaint Louis, MO · public	$22,687	$24,981	$38,860	$27,000	119%
138	Western Michigan UniversityKalamazoo, MI · public	$22,670	Not adjusted	Not reported	$31,000	137%
139	George Washington UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit	$22,614	Not adjusted	$70,959	$27,000	119%
140	Cal State Long BeachLong Beach, CA · public	$22,351	$20,187	$39,659	$12,500	56%
141	Millersville University of PennsylvaniaMillersville, PA · public	$22,326	Not adjusted	$33,623	Not reported	Not reported
142	Beloit CollegeBeloit, WI · private nonprofit	$21,949	Not adjusted	$43,262	$26,293	120%
143	Metropolitan State University of DenverDenver, CO · public	$21,930	$21,281	$41,447	$31,135	142%
144	Middle Tennessee StateMurfreesboro, TN · public	$21,878	$23,814	$35,615	$20,793	95%
145	LSUBaton Rouge, LA · public	$21,787	$24,700	$32,798	$15,897	73%
146	UTRGVEdinburg, TX · public	$21,213	$21,856	Not reported	$11,427	54%
147	Georgia StateAtlanta, GA · public	$21,157	$21,971	$35,931	$24,358	115%
148	Fresno StateFresno, CA · public	$20,949	$18,921	Not reported	$14,231	68%
149	University of GeorgiaAthens, GA · public	$20,396	$21,181	$46,562	$20,366	100%
150	Central Washington UniversityEllensburg, WA · public	$20,318	$18,986	$36,723	$22,500	111%
151	Eckerd CollegeSaint Petersburg, FL · private nonprofit	$20,191	Not adjusted	Not reported	$26,500	131%
152	Northern Arizona UniversityFlagstaff, AZ · public	$20,144	$20,009	$39,836	$21,819	108%
153	Cal Poly HumboldtArcata, CA · public	$19,868	$17,944	$46,504	$18,150	91%
154	Mount Holyoke CollegeSouth Hadley, MA · private nonprofit	$19,655	Not adjusted	Not reported	$21,178	108%
155	Appalachian StateBoone, NC · public	$19,624	$20,804	$40,323	$23,250	118%
156	Western Kentucky UniversityBowling Green, KY · public	$19,495	Not adjusted	$40,621	Not reported	Not reported
157	DePaul UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	$18,950	Not adjusted	Not reported	$26,533	140%
158	Kansas StateManhattan, KS · public	$18,567	Not adjusted	Not reported	$22,686	122%
159	SUNY Purchase CollegePurchase, NY · public	$18,085	$16,758	Not reported	$15,375	85%
160	SUNY OswegoOswego, NY · public	$17,595	$16,304	Not reported	$23,953	136%
161	SUNY New PaltzNew Paltz, NY · public	$17,288	$16,019	$14,746	$15,750	91%
162	UT ArlingtonArlington, TX · public	$17,229	$17,751	$45,666	$19,500	113%
163	Syracuse UniversitySyracuse, NY · private nonprofit	$16,844	Not adjusted	Not reported	$23,249	138%
164	UIUCChampaign, IL · public	$16,197	$16,204	$52,379	$21,650	134%
165	Cleveland StateCleveland, OH · public	$14,647	Not adjusted	$32,927	$21,709	148%
166	New Mexico StateLas Cruces, NM · public	$12,059	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported

Pay after cost of living divides first-year pay by the Bureau of Economic Analysis price level of the school's state, where the US average is 100. It is shown for 116 programs where at least half of the graduates who work are working in the school's state. The other 50, whose graduates mostly work in other states or whose state has no price level, are listed last when you sort by it.

12 programs report pay but not debt, so they are ranked only by pay.

College Scorecard withholds pay for programs with too few graduates, to protect their privacy, so those programs can't be ranked.

Anthropology (Bachelor's) programs by state

Each row is the median across the state's anthropology bachelor's programs. State names link to the full ranking of that state's programs.

#	State	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
1	Georgia	5	$30,544	$22,782
2	Texas	11	$28,369	$22,637
3	Ohio	5	$27,806	$26,004
4	California	22	$27,803	$16,667
5	Colorado	5	$27,178	$25,517
6	North Carolina	10	$26,853	$25,056
7	Florida	6	$26,670	$20,725
8	New York	14	$26,449	$21,875
9	Michigan	6	$26,061	$27,000
10	Illinois	7	$25,913	$25,000

Programs in 30 more states and territories report pay, but too few to rank. A state ranking needs at least five programs that report both pay and debt.

Quick picks nationwide

Lowest median debt

Hunter College, NY$10,200
Cal Poly Pomona, CA$11,000
UTRGV, TX$11,427
UNC Chapel Hill, NC$11,982
Cal State Long Beach, CA$12,500
Cal State San Bernardino, CA$12,646
UC Berkeley, CA$12,949
San Diego State, CA$13,099
Lehman College, NY$13,722
UC San Diego, CA$13,958

Lowest debt for the pay

Only the 86 programs with their own page here are included. "Debt for the pay" is median debt divided by first-year pay.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to anthropology, largest first. Pay is the median across the US and all experience levels.

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$103,410

Median pay in the US. 172,340 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 13% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: doctoral or professional degree.

Bottom 10%: $64,800Top 10%: $177,780

Forensic Science Technicians

$72,060

Median pay in the US. 19,120 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 13% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $48,250Top 10%: $117,250

Anthropologists and Archeologists

$70,770

Median pay in the US. 8,990 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 800 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $49,050Top 10%: $108,060

Common questions

The median anthropology bachelor's program in the US pays its graduates $27,790 in their first year and $45,049 five years after.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Medians are across programs, not students: each program counts once, however many graduates it has.
National medians include every program in the 50 states, DC, and US territories, including schools that have since closed. Schools with several campuses that report one combined figure are counted once.
Programs are ranked by College Scorecard median pay one year after graduation. Pay after cost of living uses the price level of the school's state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025. Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024