How much debt do Muhlenberg College economics graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,298, which ranks 9th lowest of 20 economics bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania. That works out to about $268 a month over 10 years.

Is a economics degree from Muhlenberg College worth it?

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

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

Bachelor's in Economics
Private nonprofit college
Allentown, PA
About 22 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Muhlenberg College economics graduates earn about what economics graduates earn nationally, $59,122 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,298 in federal loans, close to the national median of $22,717. Several Pennsylvania programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$59,12274th percentile of 338 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$86,36646% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,2989th lowest of 20 Pennsylvania programs

Debt-to-earnings43%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.

	Muhlenberg College	Pennsylvania	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$59,122	$53,995	$51,725
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$86,366	$82,972	$77,760
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,298	$25,835	$22,717
Debt as share of first-year pay	43%	43%	43%
Programs compared		22	338

Five years out, Muhlenberg College graduates earn more than the national figure and about $3,395 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.

Muhlenberg 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 46% between the first and fifth year.

Muhlenberg College grads, year 1$59,122

Muhlenberg College grads, year 5$86,366

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.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $268 a month, or 5.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

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 Muhlenberg College

Tuition and fees	$62,805 / year
Average net price after aid	$28,905 / year
Admission rate	72%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	82%
Undergraduate students	1,727

Economics ranks 3rd of 13 bachelor's programs at Muhlenberg College by first-year earnings. The top three are Accounting ($68,852), Finance ($61,304), and Economics ($59,122).

Other economics bachelor's programs near Allentown

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Muhlenberg CollegeAllentown, PA · private nonprofit		$59,122	$25,298
Moravian UniversityBethlehem, PA · private nonprofit	7 mi	$53,999	$26,848
Lafayette CollegeEaston, PA · private nonprofit	17 mi	$68,164	$19,500
Ursinus CollegeCollegeville, PA · private nonprofit	28 mi	$52,496	$27,000
Villanova UniversityVillanova, PA · private nonprofit	40 mi	$67,065	$27,000
TCNJEwing, NJ · public	45 mi	$62,218	$23,500
Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · public	46 mi	$48,242	$24,250
Drexel UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	47 mi	$70,967	$29,000
UPennPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	48 mi	$89,097	$14,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $59,122 one year after graduating and $86,366 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 Muhlenberg College programs, ranked13 programs by pay and debt