How much debt do Cal State Long Beach economics graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $18,375, which ranks 20th lowest of 30 economics bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $195 a month over 10 years.

Is a economics degree from Cal State Long Beach worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 48% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 43%. Compare the cost with other California programs before deciding.

Cal State Long Beach Economics (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Cal State Long Beach economics graduates stay in California?

Most do. 93% (67 of 72) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Economics
Public university
Long Beach, CA
About 94 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Cal State Long Beach economics graduates earn less than graduates of most economics programs nationally, $38,475 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $18,375 in federal loans, less than at 79% of economics programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the California median of $51,212.

First-year earnings$38,4759th percentile of 338 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$66,96174% more than year one

Median federal debt$18,37520th lowest of 30 California programs

Debt-to-earnings48%California median 35%, national 43%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The California and national columns are the medians across all economics bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Cal State Long Beach	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$38,475	$51,212	$51,725
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$66,961	$80,191	$77,760
Median federal debt at graduation	$18,375	$16,110	$22,717
Debt as share of first-year pay	48%	35%	43%
Programs compared		35	338

Five years out, Cal State Long Beach graduates earn less than the national figure and about $13,230 less than the California median. Several California programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every California economics program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the California medians.

Cal State Long BeachOther California programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 74% between the first and fifth year.

Cal State Long Beach grads, year 1$38,475

Cal State Long Beach grads, year 5$66,961

All California economics grads, year 5$80,191

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $14,821 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$36,687

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$51,508

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $195 a month, or 6.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (92 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%
In default	20% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

93% of graduates (67 of 72) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Los Angeles area are about 14% above the national average, so a $38,475 salary here buys what about $33,879 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

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

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$101,370

Median pay in California. 99,230 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 63,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $64,600Top 10%: $132,600

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

$94,700

Median pay in California. 119,070 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 82,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $48,440Top 10%: $181,600

Data Scientists

$141,590

Median pay in California. 39,310 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 35% from 2025 to 2035, with about 24,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $77,480Top 10%: $224,920

Social Science Research Assistants

$60,250

Median pay in California. 5,300 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $38,060Top 10%: $117,070

About Cal State Long Beach

In-state tuition and fees	$7,350 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$19,950 / year
Average net price after aid	$10,440 / year
Admission rate	46%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	69%
Undergraduate students	35,924

Economics ranks 24th of 61 bachelor's programs at Cal State Long Beach by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($100,178), Construction Engineering Technology ($89,003), and Computer Engineering ($79,809).

Other economics bachelor's programs near Long Beach

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Cal State Long BeachLong Beach, CA · public		$38,475	$18,375
Cal State FullertonFullerton, CA · public	15 mi	$39,993	$12,000
UC IrvineIrvine, CA · public	18 mi	$44,087	$15,499
USCLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	19 mi	$57,060	$14,000
Cal State LALos Angeles, CA · public	20 mi	$32,877	$11,000
Loyola Marymount UniversityLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	22 mi	$53,206	$21,500
Occidental CollegeLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	24 mi	$64,885	$25,590
Cal Poly PomonaPomona, CA · public	25 mi	$39,836	$11,858
UCLALos Angeles, CA · public	28 mi	$62,091	$15,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $38,475 one year after graduating and $66,961 five years after. The median across economics bachelor's programs in California is $51,212.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of California comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the economics program.

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
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Economics bachelor's programs in California, ranked35 programs by pay and debt Economics bachelor's programs in the US, ranked338 programs by pay and debt All Cal State Long Beach programs, ranked61 programs by pay and debt