How much debt do Wheaton College economics graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,000, which ranks 4th lowest of 13 economics bachelor's programs in Illinois. That works out to about $223 a month over 10 years.

Is a economics degree from Wheaton College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 33% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 43%.

Do Wheaton College economics graduates stay in Illinois?

Many leave. 43% (19 of 44) were working in Illinois one year after graduating.

Wheaton College Economics (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Economics
Private nonprofit college
Wheaton, IL
About 31 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Wheaton College economics graduates earn more than graduates of most economics programs nationally, $62,889 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $21,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $22,717. It is one of the higher-paying economics degrees in Illinois.

First-year earnings$62,88979th percentile of 338 programs nationally

Median federal debt$21,0004th lowest of 13 Illinois programs

Debt-to-earnings33%Illinois median 50%, national 43%

How it compares

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

	Wheaton College	Illinois	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$62,889	$47,048	$51,725
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,000	$25,000	$22,717
Debt as share of first-year pay	33%	50%	43%
Programs compared		15	338

Debt and first-year pay at every Illinois economics program

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

Wheaton CollegeOther Illinois 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 $223 a month, or 4.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (28 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	40–59%

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

43% of graduates (19 of 44) were working in Illinois one year after graduating. Prices in the Chicago area are about 4% above the national average, so a $62,889 salary here buys what about $60,707 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

$79,990

Median pay in Illinois. 44,670 people work in this job in Illinois. 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.

Bottom 10%: $49,020Top 10%: $135,960

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

$79,120

Median pay in Illinois. 40,560 people work in this job in Illinois. 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.

Bottom 10%: $46,970Top 10%: $139,110

Data Scientists

$106,560

Median pay in Illinois. 10,520 people work in this job in Illinois. 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.

Bottom 10%: $68,810Top 10%: $168,880

Social Science Research Assistants

$64,890

Median pay in Illinois. 250 people work in this job in Illinois. 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%: $37,460Top 10%: $116,530

About Wheaton College

Tuition and fees	$45,546 / year
Average net price after aid	$26,975 / year
Admission rate	87%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	85%
Undergraduate students	2,121

Economics ranks 2nd of 15 bachelor's programs at Wheaton College by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($81,470), Economics ($62,889), and Business Economics ($55,300).

Other economics bachelor's programs near Wheaton

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Wheaton CollegeWheaton, IL · private nonprofit		$62,889	$21,000
North Central CollegeNaperville, IL · private nonprofit	7 mi	$52,728	$26,801
UICChicago, IL · public	23 mi	$37,767	$19,002
DePaul UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	24 mi	$37,151	$22,433
Northwestern UniversityEvanston, IL · private nonprofit	25 mi	$84,932	$16,227
University of ChicagoChicago, IL · private nonprofit	26 mi	$92,075	$13,197
Lake Forest CollegeLake Forest, IL · private nonprofit	30 mi	$53,529	$27,000
Northern Illinois UniversityDekalb, IL · public	35 mi	$45,386	$25,879
Olivet Nazarene UniversityBourbonnais, IL · private nonprofit	51 mi	$54,169	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $62,889 one year after graduating. The median across economics bachelor's programs in Illinois is $47,048.

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 Illinois 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

Economics bachelor's programs in Illinois, ranked15 programs by pay and debt Economics bachelor's programs in the US, ranked338 programs by pay and debt All Wheaton College programs, ranked15 programs by pay and debt