How much debt do Lafayette College economics graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $19,500, which ranks 3rd lowest of 20 economics bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania. That works out to about $207 a month over 10 years.

Is a economics degree from Lafayette College 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. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Pennsylvania programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Bachelor's in Economics
Private nonprofit college
Easton, PA
About 100 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Lafayette College economics graduates earn more than graduates of most economics programs nationally, $68,164 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $19,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $22,717. Several Pennsylvania programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$68,16484th percentile of 338 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$106,10056% more than year one

Median federal debt$19,5003rd lowest of 20 Pennsylvania programs

Debt-to-earnings29%Pennsylvania median 43%, national 43%

How it compares

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

	Lafayette College	Pennsylvania	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$68,164	$53,995	$51,725
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$106,100	$82,972	$77,760
Median federal debt at graduation	$19,500	$25,835	$22,717
Debt as share of first-year pay	29%	43%	43%
Programs compared		22	338

Five years out, Lafayette College graduates earn more than the national figure and about $23,129 more than the Pennsylvania median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Pennsylvania economics program

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

Lafayette CollegeOther Pennsylvania 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 56% between the first and fifth year.

Lafayette College grads, year 1$68,164

Lafayette College grads, year 5$106,100

All Pennsylvania economics grads, year 5$82,972

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 $6,429 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$64,304Median debt $18,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$70,733Median debt $21,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $207 a month, or 3.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (74 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

Prices in the Allentown 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

$78,800

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 52,240 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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%: $51,440Top 10%: $102,360

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

$68,760

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 31,040 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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%: $34,160Top 10%: $128,810

Data Scientists

$106,850

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 13,810 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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%: $63,340Top 10%: $162,290

Social Science Research Assistants

$54,610

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 860 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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%: $44,710Top 10%: $81,640

About Lafayette College

Tuition and fees	$65,398 / year
Average net price after aid	$34,433 / year
Admission rate	31%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	88%
Undergraduate students	2,757

Economics ranks 5th of 10 bachelor's programs at Lafayette College by first-year earnings. The top three are Chemical Engineering ($79,602), Engineering ($76,507), and Mechanical Engineering ($72,481).

Other economics bachelor's programs near Easton

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Lafayette CollegeEaston, PA · private nonprofit		$68,164	$19,500
Moravian UniversityBethlehem, PA · private nonprofit	10 mi	$53,999	$26,848
Muhlenberg CollegeAllentown, PA · private nonprofit	17 mi	$59,122	$25,298
Ursinus CollegeCollegeville, PA · private nonprofit	37 mi	$52,496	$27,000
TCNJEwing, NJ · public	37 mi	$62,218	$23,500
Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ · private nonprofit	38 mi	$103,041	$11,250
Drew UniversityMadison, NJ · private nonprofit	41 mi	$33,639	$26,914
RutgersNew Brunswick, NJ · public	42 mi	$51,848	$24,965
Villanova UniversityVillanova, PA · private nonprofit	46 mi	$67,065	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $68,164 one year after graduating and $106,100 five years after. The median across economics bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania is $53,995.

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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania, ranked22 programs by pay and debt Economics bachelor's programs in the US, ranked338 programs by pay and debt All Lafayette College programs, ranked10 programs by pay and debt