How much debt do Emory University economics graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,000, which ranks 2nd lowest of 6 economics bachelor's programs in Georgia. That works out to about $223 a month over 10 years.

Is a economics degree from Emory University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 29% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 43%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less.

Do Emory University economics graduates stay in Georgia?

Many leave. 41% (27 of 66) were working in Georgia one year after graduating.

Emory University Economics (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Economics
Private nonprofit university
Atlanta, GA
About 158 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Emory University economics graduates earn more than graduates of most economics programs nationally, $71,340 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $21,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $22,717. It is one of the higher-paying economics degrees in Georgia.

First-year earnings$71,34088th percentile of 338 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$104,63347% more than year one

Median federal debt$21,0002nd lowest of 6 Georgia programs

Debt-to-earnings29%Georgia median 54%, national 43%

How it compares

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

	Emory University	Georgia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$71,340	$45,226	$51,725
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$104,633	$80,203	$77,760
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,000	$26,125	$22,717
Debt as share of first-year pay	29%	54%	43%
Programs compared		6	338

Five years out, Emory University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $24,430 more than the Georgia median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Georgia economics program

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

Emory UniversityOther Georgia 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 47% between the first and fifth year.

Emory University grads, year 1$71,340

Emory University grads, year 5$104,633

All Georgia economics grads, year 5$80,203

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 $3,886 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$68,598Median debt $17,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$72,484Median debt $22,125

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $223 a month, or 3.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (87 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20–39%
Paying down the balance	40–59%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
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

41% of graduates (27 of 66) were working in Georgia one year after graduating. Prices in the Atlanta area are about the same as the national average.

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

$75,480

Median pay in Georgia. 25,730 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $49,450Top 10%: $96,820

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

$75,850

Median pay in Georgia. 27,810 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $37,700Top 10%: $148,910

Data Scientists

$104,340

Median pay in Georgia. 9,260 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $67,750Top 10%: $170,010

Social Science Research Assistants

$66,620

Median pay in Georgia. 1,840 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $40,650Top 10%: $136,810

About Emory University

Tuition and fees	$64,280 / year
Average net price after aid	$22,585 / year
Admission rate	11%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	91%
Undergraduate students	7,298

Economics ranks 4th of 22 bachelor's programs at Emory University by first-year earnings. The top three are Business Administration ($85,682), Computer Science ($80,623), and Nursing ($79,073).

Other economics bachelor's programs near Atlanta

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Emory UniversityAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit		$71,340	$21,000
Georgia StateAtlanta, GA · public	4 mi	$40,598	$28,500
Spelman CollegeAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	6 mi	$59,907	$27,000
Morehouse CollegeAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	6 mi	$40,726	$27,000
University of West GeorgiaCarrollton, GA · public	47 mi	$39,899	$25,250
University of GeorgiaAthens, GA · public	56 mi	$49,725	$16,924

Common questions

The median graduate earns $71,340 one year after graduating and $104,633 five years after. The median across economics bachelor's programs in Georgia is $45,226.

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 Georgia 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 Georgia, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Economics bachelor's programs in the US, ranked338 programs by pay and debt All Emory University programs, ranked23 programs by pay and debt