How much debt do Kenyon College economics graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $18,718, which ranks the lowest of 13 economics bachelor's programs in Ohio. That works out to about $198 a month over 10 years.

Is a economics degree from Kenyon College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 32% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 43%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Ohio programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Bachelor's in Economics
Private nonprofit college
Gambier, OH
About 61 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Kenyon College economics graduates earn about what economics graduates earn nationally, $58,082 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $18,718 in federal loans, less than at 76% of economics programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying economics degrees in Ohio.

First-year earnings$58,08272nd percentile of 338 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$85,97848% more than year one

Median federal debt$18,718The lowest of 13 Ohio programs

Debt-to-earnings32%Ohio median 44%, national 43%

How it compares

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

	Kenyon College	Ohio	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$58,082	$55,087	$51,725
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$85,978	$79,150	$77,760
Median federal debt at graduation	$18,718	$24,551	$22,717
Debt as share of first-year pay	32%	44%	43%
Programs compared		13	338

Five years out, Kenyon College graduates earn more than the national figure and about $6,828 more than the Ohio median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Ohio economics program

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

Kenyon CollegeOther Ohio 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 48% between the first and fifth year.

Kenyon College grads, year 1$58,082

Kenyon College grads, year 5$85,978

All Ohio economics grads, year 5$79,150

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 $198 a month, or 4.1% 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

Prices in the parts of Ohio outside metro areas are about 12% below the national average, so a $58,082 salary here buys what about $65,769 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

$78,800

Median pay in Ohio. 49,540 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $48,370Top 10%: $103,150

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

$72,790

Median pay in Ohio. 27,370 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $39,860Top 10%: $129,270

Data Scientists

$102,630

Median pay in Ohio. 6,100 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $61,710Top 10%: $160,650

Social Science Research Assistants

$50,330

Median pay in Ohio. 240 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $23,770Top 10%: $104,420

About Kenyon College

Tuition and fees	$71,520 / year
Average net price after aid	$38,512 / year
Admission rate	31%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	82%
Undergraduate students	1,732

Economics ranks 1st of 5 bachelor's programs at Kenyon College by first-year earnings. The top three are Economics ($58,082), Political Science ($39,550), and Psychology ($39,203).

Other economics bachelor's programs near Gambier

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Kenyon CollegeGambier, OH · private nonprofit		$58,082	$18,718
Denison UniversityGranville, OH · private nonprofit	22 mi	$55,087	$24,102
Ohio StateColumbus, OH · public	41 mi	$50,209	$23,125

Common questions

The median graduate earns $58,082 one year after graduating and $85,978 five years after. The median across economics bachelor's programs in Ohio is $55,087.

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 Ohio 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 Ohio, ranked13 programs by pay and debt Economics bachelor's programs in the US, ranked338 programs by pay and debt All Kenyon College programs, ranked5 programs by pay and debt