St Catherine University Economics (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Economics
- Private nonprofit university
- Saint Paul, MN
- About 15 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
St Catherine University economics graduates earn more than graduates of most economics programs nationally, $64,916 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $30,215 in federal loans, more than at 99% of economics programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying economics degrees in Minnesota.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Minnesota and national columns are the medians across all economics bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Debt and first-year pay at every Minnesota economics program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Minnesota medians.
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 $320 a month, or 5.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
Prices in the Minneapolis area are about 5% above the national average, so a $64,916 salary here buys what about $61,930 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
$76,460Median pay in Minnesota. 16,020 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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.
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists
$87,510Median pay in Minnesota. 21,280 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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.
Data Scientists
$128,800Median pay in Minnesota. 4,020 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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.
Social Science Research Assistants
$44,920Median pay in Minnesota. 300 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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.
About St Catherine University
Economics ranks 3rd of 12 bachelor's programs at St Catherine University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($76,084), Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($72,272), and Economics ($64,916).
Other economics bachelor's programs near Saint Paul
Common questions
The median graduate earns $64,916 one year after graduating. The median across economics bachelor's programs in Minnesota is $56,570.
The median federal loan balance is $30,215, which ranks 10th lowest of 10 economics bachelor's programs in Minnesota. That works out to about $320 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 47% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 43%. Compare the cost with other Minnesota programs before deciding.
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 Minnesota 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