How much debt do Sonoma State anthropology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $19,249, which ranks 17th lowest of 22 anthropology bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $204 a month over 10 years.

Is a anthropology degree from Sonoma State worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 61% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 81%.

Sonoma State Anthropology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Sonoma State anthropology graduates stay in California?

Most do. 89% (24 of 27) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Anthropology
Public university
Rohnert Park, CA
About 29 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Sonoma State anthropology graduates earn more than graduates of most anthropology programs nationally, $31,744 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $19,249 in federal loans, less than at 75% of anthropology programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying anthropology degrees in California.

First-year earnings$31,74478th percentile of 166 programs nationally

Median federal debt$19,24917th lowest of 22 California programs

Debt-to-earnings61%California median 58%, national 81%

How it compares

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

	Sonoma State	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$31,744	$27,803	$27,790
Median federal debt at graduation	$19,249	$16,667	$22,962
Debt as share of first-year pay	61%	58%	81%
Programs compared		22	166

Debt and first-year pay at every California anthropology program

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

Sonoma StateOther California 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 $204 a month, or 7.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

89% of graduates (24 of 27) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Santa Rosa area are about 8% above the national average, so a $31,744 salary here buys what about $29,451 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 anthropology, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$136,990

Median pay in California. 29,830 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 13% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: doctoral or professional degree.

Bottom 10%: $81,320Top 10%: $180,060

Forensic Science Technicians

$102,100

Median pay in California. 2,800 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 13% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $64,650Top 10%: $148,090

Anthropologists and Archeologists

$72,240

Median pay in California. 2,060 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 800 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $55,140Top 10%: $104,770

About Sonoma State

In-state tuition and fees	$8,624 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$21,224 / year
Average net price after aid	$12,885 / year
Admission rate	93%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	58%
Undergraduate students	5,166

Anthropology ranks 21st of 24 bachelor's programs at Sonoma State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($125,646), Electrical Engineering ($78,247), and Computer Science ($66,481).

Other anthropology bachelor's programs near Rohnert Park

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Sonoma StateRohnert Park, CA · public		$31,744	$19,249
UC BerkeleyBerkeley, CA · public	39 mi	$28,661	$12,949
San Francisco StateSan Francisco, CA · public	44 mi	$28,314	$17,250
UC DavisDavis, CA · public	52 mi	$28,059	$15,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $31,744 one year after graduating. The median across anthropology bachelor's programs in California is $27,803.

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 California 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 anthropology 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

Anthropology bachelor's programs in California, ranked22 programs by pay and debt Anthropology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked166 programs by pay and debt All Sonoma State programs, ranked24 programs by pay and debt