How much debt do Washington State sociology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,475, which ranks 4th lowest of 8 sociology bachelor's programs in Washington. That works out to about $228 a month over 10 years.

Is a sociology degree from Washington State worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 54% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%.

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

Q: Do Washington State sociology graduates stay in Washington?

Most do. 79% (37 of 47) were working in Washington one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Sociology
Public university
Pullman, WA
About 55 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Washington State sociology graduates earn more than graduates of most sociology programs nationally, $39,801 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $21,475 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. It is one of the higher-paying sociology degrees in Washington.

First-year earnings$39,80185th percentile of 397 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$50,03526% more than year one

Median federal debt$21,4754th lowest of 8 Washington programs

Debt-to-earnings54%Washington median 65%, national 72%

How it compares

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

	Washington State	Washington	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$39,801	$34,496	$34,099
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$50,035	$57,042	$50,382
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,475	$21,238	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	54%	65%	72%
Programs compared		8	397

Five years out, Washington State graduates earn about the national figure but about $7,007 less than the Washington median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Washington sociology program

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

Washington StateOther Washington 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 26% between the first and fifth year.

Washington State grads, year 1$39,801

Washington State grads, year 5$50,035

All Washington sociology grads, year 5$57,042

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 $228 a month, or 6.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (43 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	20–39%

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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

79% of graduates (37 of 47) were working in Washington one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Washington outside metro areas are about 3% below the national average, so a $39,801 salary here buys what about $40,873 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

$50,420

Median 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.

Bottom 10%: $45,530Top 10%: $75,720

Sociologists

$97,170

Median pay in Washington. 130 people work in this job in Washington. 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%: $80,640Top 10%: $138,000

About Washington State

In-state tuition and fees	$13,391 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$29,950 / year
Average net price after aid	$14,971 / year
Admission rate	87%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	61%
Undergraduate students	21,099

Sociology ranks 34th of 52 bachelor's programs at Washington State by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($87,135), Nursing ($83,894), and Construction Engineering Technology ($80,404).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $39,801 one year after graduating and $50,035 five years after. The median across sociology bachelor's programs in Washington is $34,496.

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 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 Washington, ranked8 programs by pay and debt Sociology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked397 programs by pay and debt All Washington State programs, ranked52 programs by pay and debt