How much debt do Baruch College economics graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $11,758, which ranks 4th lowest of 32 economics bachelor's programs in New York. That works out to about $125 a month over 10 years.

Is a economics degree from Baruch College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 23% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 43%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several New York programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Baruch College Economics (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Baruch College economics graduates stay in New York?

Most do. 85% (64 of 75) were working in New York one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Economics
Public college
New York, NY
About 72 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Baruch College economics graduates earn about what economics graduates earn nationally, $51,728 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $11,758 in federal loans, less than at 97% of economics programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying economics degrees in New York.

First-year earnings$51,72850th percentile of 338 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$77,61150% more than year one

Median federal debt$11,7584th lowest of 32 New York programs

Debt-to-earnings23%New York median 43%, national 43%

How it compares

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

	Baruch College	New York	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$51,728	$50,059	$51,725
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$77,611	$82,469	$77,760
Median federal debt at graduation	$11,758	$21,550	$22,717
Debt as share of first-year pay	23%	43%	43%
Programs compared		36	338

Five years out, Baruch College graduates earn about the national figure but about $4,858 less than the New York median. Several New York programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every New York economics program

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

Baruch CollegeOther New York 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 50% between the first and fifth year.

Baruch College grads, year 1$51,728

Baruch College grads, year 5$77,611

All New York economics grads, year 5$82,469

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

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $125 a month, or 2.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (32 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	40–59%

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

85% of graduates (64 of 75) were working in New York one year after graduating. Prices in the New York area are about 13% above the national average, so a $51,728 salary here buys what about $45,955 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

$97,070

Median pay in New York. 70,660 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $60,070Top 10%: $136,450

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

$98,580

Median pay in New York. 80,500 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $56,070Top 10%: $165,920

Data Scientists

$130,460

Median pay in New York. 23,970 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $73,330Top 10%: $214,080

Social Science Research Assistants

$61,210

Median pay in New York. 3,040 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $35,520Top 10%: $103,080

About Baruch College

In-state tuition and fees	$7,464 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$15,414 / year
Average net price after aid	$3,033 / year
Admission rate	48%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	72%
Undergraduate students	16,154

Economics ranks 8th of 19 bachelor's programs at Baruch College by first-year earnings. The top three are Management Science ($62,306), Business Economics ($57,909), and Clinical and Counseling Psychology ($57,204).

Other economics bachelor's programs near New York

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Baruch CollegeNew York, NY · public		$51,728	$11,758
NYUNew York, NY · private nonprofit	1 mi	$68,495	$21,250
John Jay CollegeNew York, NY · public	2 mi	$33,709	$11,750
Hunter CollegeNew York, NY · public	2 mi	$34,580	$14,000
Pace UniversityNew York, NY · private nonprofit	2 mi	$51,426	$25,937
Columbia UniversityNew York, NY · private nonprofit	5 mi	$83,135	$25,000
Barnard CollegeNew York, NY · private nonprofit	5 mi	$85,860	$16,750
City College of New YorkNew York, NY · public	6 mi	$45,556	$7,300
Queens CollegeQueens, NY · public	9 mi	$39,377	$9,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $51,728 one year after graduating and $77,611 five years after. The median across economics bachelor's programs in New York is $50,059.

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 New York 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 New York, ranked36 programs by pay and debt Economics bachelor's programs in the US, ranked338 programs by pay and debt All Baruch College programs, ranked19 programs by pay and debt