How much debt do Salem State sociology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $30,690, which ranks 20th lowest of 20 sociology bachelor's programs in Massachusetts. That works out to about $325 a month over 10 years.

Is a sociology degree from Salem State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 77% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%. Compare the cost with other Massachusetts programs before deciding.

Salem State Sociology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Salem State sociology graduates stay in Massachusetts?

Most do. 91% (21 of 23) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Sociology
Public university
Salem, MA
About 8 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Salem State sociology graduates earn more than graduates of most sociology programs nationally, $39,822 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $30,690 in federal loans, more than at 91% of sociology programs in the country. Several Massachusetts programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$39,82285th percentile of 397 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$55,33739% more than year one

Median federal debt$30,69020th lowest of 20 Massachusetts programs

Debt-to-earnings77%Massachusetts median 72%, national 72%

How it compares

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

	Salem State	Massachusetts	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$39,822	$37,541	$34,099
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$55,337	$55,998	$50,382
Median federal debt at graduation	$30,690	$27,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	77%	72%	72%
Programs compared		20	397

Five years out, Salem State graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the Massachusetts median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Massachusetts sociology program

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

Salem StateOther Massachusetts 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 39% between the first and fifth year.

Salem State grads, year 1$39,822

Salem State grads, year 5$55,337

All Massachusetts sociology grads, year 5$55,998

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 $325 a month, or 9.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

91% of graduates (21 of 23) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating. Prices in the Boston area are about 8% above the national average, so a $39,822 salary here buys what about $36,782 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 sociology, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Social Science Research Assistants

$63,480

Median pay in Massachusetts. 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%: $49,500Top 10%: $82,130

Sociologists

$106,530

Median pay in Massachusetts. 250 people work in this job in Massachusetts. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 200 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $65,400Top 10%: $190,440

About Salem State

In-state tuition and fees	$12,338 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$19,531 / year
Average net price after aid	$15,996 / year
Admission rate	96%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	50%
Undergraduate students	4,291

Sociology ranks 9th of 18 bachelor's programs at Salem State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($80,641), Computer and Information Science ($57,706), and Chemistry ($49,439).

Other sociology bachelor's programs near Salem

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Salem StateSalem, MA · public		$39,822	$30,690
Gordon CollegeWenham, MA · private nonprofit	7 mi	$18,487	$27,000
Suffolk UniversityBoston, MA · private nonprofit	13 mi	$37,802	$27,000
Tufts UniversityMedford, MA · private nonprofit	13 mi	$47,859	$15,000
UMass BostonBoston, MA · public	15 mi	$40,569	$28,750
Northeastern UniversityBoston, MA · private nonprofit	15 mi	$41,624	$27,000
Boston UniversityBoston, MA · private nonprofit	15 mi	$38,457	$26,750
Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, MA · private nonprofit	18 mi	$48,091	$19,000
Brandeis UniversityWaltham, MA · private nonprofit	21 mi	$45,287	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $39,822 one year after graduating and $55,337 five years after. The median across sociology bachelor's programs in Massachusetts is $37,541.

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 Massachusetts 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 sociology 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

Sociology bachelor's programs in Massachusetts, ranked20 programs by pay and debt Sociology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked397 programs by pay and debt All Salem State programs, ranked18 programs by pay and debt