How much debt do Reed College economics graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $22,842, which ranks 3rd lowest of 6 economics bachelor's programs in Oregon. That works out to about $242 a month over 10 years.

Is a economics degree from Reed College worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 43% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 43%. Compare the cost with other Oregon programs before deciding.

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

Bachelor's in Economics
Private nonprofit college
Portland, OR
About 16 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Reed College economics graduates earn about what economics graduates earn nationally, $53,110 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $22,842 in federal loans, close to the national median of $22,717. It is one of the higher-paying economics degrees in Oregon.

First-year earnings$53,11056th percentile of 338 programs nationally

Median federal debt$22,8423rd lowest of 6 Oregon programs

Debt-to-earnings43%Oregon median 47%, national 43%

How it compares

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

	Reed College	Oregon	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$53,110	$46,929	$51,725
Median federal debt at graduation	$22,842	$23,346	$22,717
Debt as share of first-year pay	43%	47%	43%
Programs compared		6	338

Debt and first-year pay at every Oregon economics program

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

Reed CollegeOther Oregon programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $242 a month, or 5.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Portland area are about 5% above the national average, so a $53,110 salary here buys what about $50,379 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

$79,570

Median pay in Oregon. 11,730 people work in this job in Oregon. 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%: $49,640Top 10%: $101,310

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

$79,150

Median pay in Oregon. 11,310 people work in this job in Oregon. 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%: $48,060Top 10%: $151,800

Data Scientists

$125,990

Median pay in Oregon. 2,140 people work in this job in Oregon. 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%: $78,110Top 10%: $206,550

Social Science Research Assistants

$56,770

Median pay in Oregon. 220 people work in this job in Oregon. 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%: $48,150Top 10%: $85,110

About Reed College

Tuition and fees	$69,350 / year
Average net price after aid	$33,013 / year
Admission rate	25%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	71%
Undergraduate students	1,320

Economics ranks 1st of 6 bachelor's programs at Reed College by first-year earnings. The top three are Economics ($53,110), Psychology ($32,634), and Other Interdisciplinary Studies ($30,834).

Other economics bachelor's programs near Portland

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Reed CollegePortland, OR · private nonprofit		$53,110	$22,842
Lewis & Clark CollegePortland, OR · private nonprofit	3 mi	$49,576	$25,246
Portland StatePortland, OR · public	3 mi	$47,865	$24,949
Willamette UniversitySalem, OR · private nonprofit	42 mi	$45,993	$19,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $53,110 one year after graduating. The median across economics bachelor's programs in Oregon is $46,929.

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 Oregon 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 Oregon, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Economics bachelor's programs in the US, ranked338 programs by pay and debt All Reed College programs, ranked6 programs by pay and debt