Anthropology (Bachelor's) Programs in Colorado, Ranked by Graduate Pay and Debt
- 5 programs report first-year pay
- 5 also report federal debt
- Bachelor's in Anthropology
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
The median Colorado anthropology bachelor's program pays its graduates $27,178 in their first year, $612 less than the national median. CU Boulder reports the highest first-year pay ($36,822), and Fort Lewis College the lowest median debt ($17,592).
All 5 programs, ranked
Each figure is the median for the program's graduates. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.
One more program reports debt but not pay, so it isn't listed.
Debt and first-year pay at every Colorado anthropology program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Colorado medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only the 5 programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
Quick picks
Highest first-year pay
- CU Boulder$36,822
- University of Northern Colorado$35,432
- Colorado State$27,178
- Fort Lewis College$25,891
- Metropolitan State University of Denver$21,930
Lowest median debt
- Fort Lewis College$17,592
- CU Boulder$20,000
- Colorado State$25,367
- University of Northern Colorado$25,667
- Metropolitan State University of Denver$31,135
Lowest debt for the pay
"Debt for the pay" is median debt divided by first-year pay. Only programs that report both figures are included.
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
$103,410Median pay nationwide. 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.
Forensic Science Technicians
$84,010Median pay in Colorado. 510 people work in this job in Colorado. 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.
Anthropologists and Archeologists
$68,620Median pay in Colorado. 250 people work in this job in Colorado. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 800 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.
Common questions
CU Boulder in Boulder reports the highest median first-year pay, $36,822. Its median federal debt is $20,000.
Fort Lewis College reports the lowest median federal debt, $17,592, with first-year pay of $25,891.
The median across 5 Colorado anthropology bachelor's programs is $27,178 in the first year after graduating and $42,366 five years after.
5 Colorado programs report first-year pay for their graduates, and 5 of them also report federal debt.
Related pages
About this data
- Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
- 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 Colorado rankings when their main campus is in another state.
- Medians are across the anthropology bachelor's programs that report each figure, so the counts differ by figure. Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
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
- NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024