University of Washington Economics (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Economics
- Public university
- Seattle, WA
- About 287 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
University of Washington economics graduates earn about what economics graduates earn nationally, $53,934 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $14,166 in federal loans, less than at 89% of economics programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying economics degrees in Washington.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Washington and national columns are the medians across all economics bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, University of Washington graduates earn more than the national figure and about $17,708 more than the Washington median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Washington economics program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Washington medians.
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 71% between the first and fifth year.
Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.
Does family income change the outcome?
Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $3,015 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $150 a month, or 3.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 21 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $24,000.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
78% of graduates (63 of 81) were working in Washington one year after graduating. Prices in the Seattle area are about 11% above the national average, so a $53,934 salary here buys what about $48,531 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
$102,670Median pay in Washington. 14,880 people work in this job in Washington. 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
$95,120Median pay in Washington. 24,460 people work in this job in Washington. 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
$163,350Median pay in Washington. 9,600 people work in this job in Washington. 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
$50,420Median pay in Washington. 450 people work in this job in Washington. 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 University of Washington
Economics ranks 23rd of 73 bachelor's programs at University of Washington by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($141,588), Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($135,384), and Computer Science ($128,887).
Other economics bachelor's programs near Seattle
Common questions
The median graduate earns $53,934 one year after graduating and $92,399 five years after. The median across economics bachelor's programs in Washington is $45,401.
The median federal loan balance is $14,166, which ranks the lowest of 9 economics bachelor's programs in Washington. That works out to about $150 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 26% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 43%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less.
Most do. 78% (63 of 81) were working in Washington one year after graduating.
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 Washington 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