College is often framed as a chance for young people to discover what they love and build a future around it. But as many graduates learn quickly, passion alone doesn’t cover rent. New data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows that certain majors consistently lead to the lowest earnings within the first five years after graduation — especially in education, social work, and the arts.
At the very bottom are foreign language majors, who earn the lowest median salary among early-career college graduates, bringing in about $40,000 per year. General social sciences follow close behind at roughly $41,000. Performing arts majors earn slightly more, with a median early-career salary around $41,900. Anthropology and early childhood education complete the bottom five, each at about $42,000 a year.
That doesn’t mean these fields aren’t valuable — many graduates choose them for reasons beyond income. But the labor market doesn’t always reward them financially. For example, foreign language skills can be useful in many careers, yet they don’t necessarily require a four-year degree anymore. With tools and apps that help people learn independently, language majors often end up in lower-paying paths like public service, education, or translation rather than high-salary corporate roles.
And the gap doesn’t disappear later. Even by mid-career, these majors typically lag far behind graduates in technical fields. Early childhood education remains the lowest-paying mid-career major, with a median salary of about $49,000. Elementary education is next at around $53,000.
By contrast, graduates in STEM areas — especially engineering and computer science — tend to earn significantly more thanks to strong demand for specialized skills in high-paying industries like technology and finance.
Here’s a snapshot of the lowest-paying majors based on median earnings:
Worst-paying majors for early-career earnings (within 5 years):
- Foreign language ($40,000)
- General social sciences ($41,000)
- Performing arts ($41,900)
- Anthropology ($42,000)
- Early childhood education ($42,000)
- Family and consumer sciences ($42,000)
- General education ($42,000)
- Miscellaneous biological science ($42,000)
- Social services ($42,000)
- Theology and religion ($42,000)
Least lucrative majors for mid-career earnings:
- Early childhood education ($49,000)
- Elementary education ($53,000)
- Social services ($54,000)
- General education ($55,000)
- Special education ($55,000)
- Secondary education ($58,000)
- Theology and religion ($60,000)
- Miscellaneous education ($60,000)
- Family and consumer sciences ($62,000)
- Health services ($65,000)
The takeaway isn’t that students should avoid these majors outright — plenty of people find meaningful, stable work through them. But for anyone weighing college costs against future income, these fields often offer the weakest financial return unless paired with additional training, advanced degrees, or a clear career plan.
