Which state pays criminology bachelor's graduates the most?

Wisconsin, where the median program pays its graduates $45,113 in their first year, the highest of 8 state rankings. Massachusetts is next, at $40,728.

Which criminology bachelor's program pays the most?

UW-Stout in Wisconsin reports the highest first-year pay of the 104 programs ranked here, $49,004. Its median federal debt is $27,000.

How much debt do criminology bachelor's graduates have?

The median program leaves its graduates with $25,000 in federal debt. Across programs, the median debt is 64% of first-year pay.

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

105 programs report first-year pay
8 state rankings
Bachelor's in Criminology

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

The median criminology bachelor's program in the US pays its graduates $37,476 in their first year and $54,271 five years after. Wisconsin has the highest state median ($45,113), and Texas the lowest ($33,978). The median program leaves its graduates with $25,000 in federal debt.

Median first-year pay$37,476Across 105 programs

Median pay after 5 years$54,271Across 96 programs

Median federal debt$25,000Across 108 programs

Debt-to-earnings64%Across 102 programs

All 104 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	UW-StoutMenomonie, WI · public	$49,004	$52,079	Not reported	$27,000	55%
2	Assumption UniversityWorcester, MA · private nonprofit	$48,600	$45,954	Not reported	$27,000	56%
3	University of Southern MainePortland, ME · public	$47,726	$49,177	$63,574	$23,565	49%
4	Saint Anselm CollegeManchester, NH · private nonprofit	$46,814	Not adjusted	$75,372	$27,000	58%
5	Lakeland UniversityPlymouth, WI · private nonprofit	$45,276	$48,117	$51,709	$26,053	58%
6	UW-River FallsRiver Falls, WI · public	$45,113	Not adjusted	Not reported	$24,750	55%
7	Barry UniversityMiami, FL · private nonprofit	$44,015	Not adjusted	$49,125	$27,000	61%
8	University of Northern IowaCedar Falls, IA · public	$43,914	$50,038	$54,690	$24,683	56%
9	University of MarylandCollege Park, MD · public	$43,698	$41,633	$69,545	$19,500	45%
10	Saint Joseph's UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	$43,283	Not adjusted	$74,682	$25,000	58%
11	Mount St. Mary's UniversityEmmitsburg, MD · private nonprofit	$43,230	$41,188	$76,537	$27,000	62%
12	Upper Iowa UniversityFayette, IA · private nonprofit	$43,170	Not adjusted	$46,898	$43,447	101%
13	University of Massachusetts GlobalAliso Viejo, CA · public	$42,698	$38,564	$64,250	$25,725	60%
14	University of Saint MaryLeavenworth, KS · private nonprofit	$42,633	Not adjusted	Not reported	$25,474	60%
15	University of Minnesota-DuluthDuluth, MN · public	$42,562	$43,157	$64,784	$23,887	56%
16	University at AlbanyAlbany, NY · public	$42,257	$39,155	$62,386	$21,250	50%
17	University of MinnesotaMinneapolis, MN · public	$41,780	$42,364	$61,352	$20,500	49%
17	University of St Thomas (Minnesota)Saint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	$41,780	$42,364	$68,406	$27,000	65%
19	Concordia University-ChicagoRiver Forest, IL · private nonprofit	$41,724	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
20	William Peace UniversityRaleigh, NC · private nonprofit	$41,509	$44,006	Not reported	$26,000	63%
21	Framingham StateFramingham, MA · public	$41,431	$39,176	$60,589	$25,974	63%
22	Hamline UniversitySaint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	$41,204	$41,780	Not reported	$26,500	64%
23	Stonehill CollegeEaston, MA · private nonprofit	$40,928	$38,700	$63,767	$25,000	61%
24	Southern Wesleyan UniversityCentral, SC · private nonprofit	$40,834	Not adjusted	Not reported	$25,000	61%
25	Central Connecticut StateNew Britain, CT · public	$40,713	$39,294	$59,375	$23,995	59%
26	University of DenverDenver, CO · private nonprofit	$40,667	$39,463	$40,863	$22,000	54%
27	Lycoming CollegeWilliamsport, PA · private nonprofit	$40,646	$41,657	$50,594	$27,000	66%
28	UT DallasRichardson, TX · public	$40,603	$41,834	$52,937	$20,500	50%
29	Lasell UniversityNewton, MA · private nonprofit	$40,527	$38,321	$62,717	$27,000	67%
30	Drexel UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	$40,229	Not adjusted	Not reported	$27,000	67%
31	Eastern Washington UniversityCheney, WA · public	$40,228	$37,592	$54,199	$19,295	48%
32	UW-WhitewaterWhitewater, WI · public	$40,060	$42,574	$54,285	$26,000	65%
33	University of New HampshireDurham, NH · public	$39,814	Not adjusted	$59,763	$27,000	68%
34	University of Nevada-RenoReno, NV · public	$39,804	$39,812	$58,744	$19,500	49%
35	Indiana StateTerre Haute, IN · public	$39,769	$42,612	$50,821	$24,970	63%
36	Florida Southern CollegeLakeland, FL · private nonprofit	$39,713	Not adjusted	$51,091	$26,000	65%
37	Eastern Connecticut StateWillimantic, CT · public	$39,705	$38,322	Not reported	$25,000	63%
38	Ohio StateColumbus, OH · public	$39,396	$42,464	$57,464	$21,922	56%
39	Ohio UniversityAthens, OH · public	$39,349	$42,414	$48,392	$21,669	55%
40	Lebanon Valley CollegeAnnville, PA · private nonprofit	$38,828	Not adjusted	$69,387	Not reported	Not reported
41	SUNY Old WestburyOld Westbury, NY · public	$38,764	$35,919	$55,759	$17,800	46%
42	University of IowaIowa City, IA · public	$38,520	$43,891	Not reported	$23,250	60%
43	University of Central ArkansasConway, AR · public	$38,453	$44,231	Not reported	$20,078	52%
44	UMSLSaint Louis, MO · public	$38,207	$42,070	$50,009	$22,801	60%
45	University of AkronAkron, OH · public	$38,087	$41,054	$49,092	$22,250	58%
46	Clemson UniversityClemson, SC · public	$38,057	$40,595	Not reported	$22,375	59%
47	Gonzaga UniversitySpokane, WA · private nonprofit	$38,028	Not adjusted	$64,680	$20,994	55%
48	Indiana University of PennsylvaniaIndiana, PA · public	$37,911	$38,854	$54,507	$27,000	71%
49	Southern Illinois University-CarbondaleCarbondale, IL · public	$37,645	$37,661	$55,612	$24,000	64%
50	Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan CampusTeaneck, NJ · private nonprofit	$37,619	$34,575	$59,175	$25,000	66%
51	Saint Vincent CollegeLatrobe, PA · private nonprofit	$37,563	$38,498	$53,538	$27,000	72%
52	UMass DartmouthNorth Dartmouth, MA · public	$37,535	$35,492	$65,646	$27,000	72%
53	Wright StateDayton, OH · public	$37,476	$40,395	$47,650	$27,250	73%
54	Old Dominion UniversityNorfolk, VA · public	$37,255	$36,848	$51,760	$25,000	67%
55	Northern Arizona UniversityFlagstaff, AZ · public	$37,214	$36,964	$53,788	$20,000	54%
56	USFTampa, FL · public	$37,108	$35,883	$51,831	$20,302	55%
57	Eastern Michigan UniversityYpsilanti, MI · public	$36,891	$38,341	$55,482	$29,000	79%
58	Emmanuel CollegeBoston, MA · private nonprofit	$36,824	$34,819	Not reported	$26,348	72%
59	Niagara UniversityNiagara University, NY · private nonprofit	$36,781	$34,081	Not reported	$27,000	73%
60	Arkansas StateJonesboro, AR · public	$36,732	$42,251	$40,796	$27,875	76%
61	Slippery Rock University of PennsylvaniaSlippery Rock, PA · public	$36,276	$37,179	$46,885	$25,990	72%
62	Missouri StateSpringfield, MO · public	$36,185	$39,844	$48,173	$24,187	67%
63	University of DelawareNewark, DE · public	$35,968	Not adjusted	$64,949	$23,685	66%
64	UH-Clear LakeHouston, TX · public	$35,673	$36,755	$54,539	$16,149	45%
65	Marquette UniversityMilwaukee, WI · private nonprofit	$35,650	$37,887	$58,887	$25,000	70%
66	Georgia Southern UniversityStatesboro, GA · public	$35,588	$36,958	Not reported	$26,000	73%
67	Loyola University New OrleansNew Orleans, LA · private nonprofit	$35,578	$40,335	$52,213	$27,000	76%
68	Hofstra UniversityHempstead, NY · private nonprofit	$35,249	$32,662	$66,633	$25,000	71%
69	University of FloridaGainesville, FL · public	$35,096	$33,937	$61,030	$19,500	56%
70	NC StateRaleigh, NC · public	$35,076	$37,186	$64,069	$21,875	62%
71	Eastern UniversitySaint Davids, PA · private nonprofit	$34,876	$35,744	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
72	SUNY CortlandCortland, NY · public	$34,768	$32,216	$62,640	$21,500	62%
73	Cal State San MarcosSan Marcos, CA · public	$34,694	$31,335	$54,589	$14,810	43%
74	Stockton UniversityGalloway, NJ · public	$34,596	$31,796	$56,335	$23,406	68%
75	UC IrvineIrvine, CA · public	$34,522	$31,180	$59,960	$15,865	46%
76	UNC WilmingtonWilmington, NC · public	$34,443	$36,515	$48,855	$22,915	67%
77	University of La VerneLa Verne, CA · private nonprofit	$34,292	$30,972	$61,109	$26,000	76%
78	University of TampaTampa, FL · private nonprofit	$34,137	$33,010	$50,753	$25,000	73%
79	St. Mary's UniversitySan Antonio, TX · private nonprofit	$33,978	$35,008	$43,974	$25,125	74%
80	University of West GeorgiaCarrollton, GA · public	$33,839	$35,142	$48,072	$28,500	84%
81	Arcadia UniversityGlenside, PA · private nonprofit	$33,823	$34,665	$51,702	$26,000	77%
82	John Jay CollegeNew York, NY · public	$33,798	$31,317	$56,457	$11,000	33%
83	St. John Fisher UniversityRochester, NY · private nonprofit	$33,623	$31,155	$67,894	$24,750	74%
84	Mississippi StateMississippi State, MS · public	$33,191	$38,171	$45,871	$23,356	70%
85	Capital UniversityColumbus, OH · private nonprofit	$32,984	$35,553	$59,750	$27,000	82%
86	Johnson C Smith UniversityCharlotte, NC · private nonprofit	$32,751	$34,721	$45,538	$32,047	98%
87	Cleveland StateCleveland, OH · public	$32,393	$34,916	$52,416	$25,000	77%
88	Western Kentucky UniversityBowling Green, KY · public	$32,370	$35,903	Not reported	$26,000	80%
89	California Lutheran UniversityThousand Oaks, CA · private nonprofit	$31,963	$28,868	Not reported	$17,250	54%
90	Saint Edward's UniversityAustin, TX · private nonprofit	$31,839	Not adjusted	Not reported	$25,500	80%
91	Dominican UniversityRiver Forest, IL · private nonprofit	$31,758	$31,771	$51,128	$27,000	85%
92	University of Rhode IslandKingston, RI · public	$31,729	$31,022	Not reported	$19,600	62%
93	Fresno StateFresno, CA · public	$31,224	$28,201	$42,026	$10,773	35%
94	Delaware StateDover, DE · public	$30,710	Not adjusted	$54,256	$26,750	87%
95	Valparaiso UniversityValparaiso, IN · private nonprofit	$30,653	Not adjusted	$61,772	$27,000	88%
96	Texas A&M-KingsvilleKingsville, TX · public	$30,490	$31,415	$45,723	$25,750	84%
97	Virginia Union UniversityRichmond, VA · private nonprofit	$30,291	$29,960	$48,498	$31,450	104%
98	National Louis UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	$30,170	$30,183	Not reported	$23,437	78%
99	University of MiamiCoral Gables, FL · private nonprofit	$29,670	Not adjusted	$67,998	$16,500	56%
100	Flagler CollegeSaint Augustine, FL · private nonprofit	$29,240	$28,275	$38,054	$25,625	88%
101	Cal Poly HumboldtArcata, CA · public	$29,123	$26,303	$48,299	$16,849	58%
102	Coker UniversityHartsville, SC · private nonprofit	$25,862	$27,586	$44,336	$30,000	116%
103	Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo CampusGurabo, PR · private nonprofit	$19,300	Not adjusted	$26,060	$15,000	78%
104	Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-PoncePonce, PR · private nonprofit	$16,199	Not adjusted	$23,614	$12,250	76%

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 84 programs where at least half of the graduates who work are working in the school's state. The other 20, whose graduates mostly work in other states or whose state has no price level, are listed last when you sort by it.

3 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. One more program reports pay but isn't listed, because College Scorecard's school file doesn't name its school. The national medians above still count them.

Criminology (Bachelor's) programs by state

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

#	State	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
1	Wisconsin	5	$45,113	$26,000
2	Massachusetts	6	$40,728	$26,674
3	Pennsylvania	9	$37,911	$27,000
4	Ohio	6	$37,782	$25,000
5	New York	7	$35,249	$23,125
6	Florida	7	$35,096	$25,000
7	California	7	$34,292	$17,050
8	Texas	5	$33,978	$25,125

Programs in 27 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

Fresno State, CA$10,773
John Jay College, NY$11,000
Cal State San Marcos, CA$14,810
UC Irvine, CA$15,865
UH-Clear Lake, TX$16,149
University of Miami, FL$16,500
Cal Poly Humboldt, CA$16,849
California Lutheran University, CA$17,250
SUNY Old Westbury, NY$17,800
University of Florida, FL$19,500

Lowest debt for the pay

Only the 50 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 criminology, largest first. Pay is the median across the US and all experience levels.

Sociologists

$106,030

Median pay in the US. 2,260 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 200 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $65,160Top 10%: $172,550

Common questions

The median criminology bachelor's program in the US pays its graduates $37,476 in their first year and $54,271 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