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The Top College for Graduate Salaries in Every State

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At some schools, investing in higher education pays off more than in others.

Business Insider recently identified the 34 US colleges with the highest-paid graduates four years after completing their degrees across all US states, based on Department of Education data.

To map earnings across state lines, we went a step further and used the same data to identify which colleges have the highest-earning graduates in every US state.

The department’s College Scorecard outlines net college costs, student debt, completion rates, and earnings outcomes across US colleges and universities for the 13 million students receiving Title IV federal aid. (According to the department’s latest data, approximately 55% of undergraduate students in the 2019-2020 school year received some form of federal financial aid.)

Using the College Scorecard’s median annual earnings data, which measures how much former federal-aid-receiving students earn four years after completing their degrees, we identified the colleges with the highest-earning graduates in each state.

For this list, which features a range of schools from smaller specialized programs to large universities, we focused on public or private nonprofit four-year schools. We also included the location and the most popular majors at each school — as reported by Niche for each institution — which can often significantly affect graduates’ earnings.

Like most college ranking methodologies, the list has caveats: The earnings data applies only to former federal-aid recipients, and specialized schools may be more likely to top some states because graduates in certain fields tend to earn more. Still, it helps map the big picture of college graduates’ earnings across the US.

See which school had the top-earning federally aided graduates in your state.

ALABAMA: University of Alabama in Huntsville


Aerial perspective of the sleepy little big town city center of Huntsville Alabama deep south USA



Huntsville, Alabama, is home to large aerospace and defense industries.

ChrisBoswell/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Top majors: Nursing, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, and computer science

Median earnings four years after graduation: $81,000

ALASKA: University of Alaska Anchorage




The University of Alaska Anchorage has the highest-earning graduates in the state.

Jacob Boomsma/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Top majors: Mechanic and repair technologies, nursing, psychology, business management, and administration

Median earnings four years after graduation: $69,000

ARIZONA: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott




Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is a small STEM university in Prescott, Arizona.

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Top majors: Aeronautics, aviation technology, and aerospace engineering

Median earnings four years after graduation: $94,000

ARKANSAS: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock




The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has the highest-earning graduates in the state.

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Top majors: Medical laboratory technician, nursing, radiation therapy, and dental hygiene

Median earnings four years after graduation: $77,000

CALIFORNIA: California Institute of Technology in Pasadena




Caltech has the highest-earning graduates in California.

Kit Leong/Shutterstock

Top majors: Computer science, mechanical engineering, and physics

Median earnings four years after graduation: $153,000

COLORADO: Colorado School of Mines in Golden




Popular majors at the Colorado School of Mines are heavily concentrated in engineering disciplines.

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Top majors: Mechanical engineering, computer science, chemical engineering, and electrical engineering

Median earnings four years after graduation: $100,000

CONNECTICUT: Yale University in New Haven




Yale has some of the top-earning graduates in the US.

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Top majors: Economics, information science, liberal arts and humanities, history, political science and government, and cellular biology

Median earnings four years after graduation: $113,000

DELAWARE: University of Delaware in Newark




The University of Delaware has the highest-earning graduates in the state.

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Top majors: Finance, research and experimental psychology, marketing, and nursing

Median earnings four years after graduation: $78,000

FLORIDA: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach




The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University campus in Daytona Beach has the highest-earning graduates in Florida.

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Top majors: Aeronautics and aviation technology, aerospace engineering, and mechanical engineering

Median earnings four years after graduation: $94,000

GEORGIA: Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta




Georgia Tech has the highest-earning graduates in Georgia.

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Top majors: Information science, mechanical engineering, business, and industrial engineering

Median earnings four years after graduation: $119,000

HAWAII: University of Hawaii at Manoa




The University of Hawaii at Manoa has the highest-earning graduates in the state.

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Top majors: Psychology, marketing, nursing, finance, kinesiology, and exercise science

Median earnings four years after graduation: $62,000

IDAHO: Boise State University in Boise




Boise State University has the highest-earning graduates in Idaho.

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Top majors: Business, liberal arts and humanities, nursing, communications, health professions, and psychology

Median earnings four years after graduation: $65,000

ILLINOIS: University of Chicago




The University of Chicago has the ninth-highest-earning graduates in the US.

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Top majors: Economics, computer science, mathematics, and biology

Median earnings four years after graduation: $128,000

INDIANA: University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame




The University of Notre Dame has the highest-earning graduates in Indiana.

Aaron Yoder/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Top majors: Finance, economics, political science and government, information science, mathematics, neuroscience, and neurobiology

Median earnings four years after graduation: $101,000

IOWA: Allen College in Waterloo




Allen College is a small nursing-focused college in Waterloo, Iowa.

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Top majors: Nursing

Median earnings four years after graduation: $74,000

KANSAS: Baker University in Baldwin City




Baker University has the highest-earning graduates in Kansas.

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Top majors: Business and nursing

Median earnings four years after graduation: $70,000

KENTUCKY: Thomas More University in Crestview Hills




Thomas More University is about 10 miles south of Cincinnati across the Ohio River.

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Top majors: Business, liberal arts and humanities, nursing, and psychology

Median earnings four years after graduation: $70,000

LOUISIANA: Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans




The Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans has the highest-earning graduates in the state.

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Top majors: Nursing

Median earnings four years after graduation: $81,000

MAINE: Maine Maritime Academy in Castine




The Maine Maritime Academy (not pictured) is a small public college in Castine, Maine.

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Top majors: Engineering, marine science, engineering technician, and international business

Median earnings four years after graduation: $113,000

MARYLAND: Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore




Johns Hopkins University has some of the highest-earning graduates in the US.

Mindaugas Dulinskas/Getty Images

Top majors: Information science, cellular biology, public health, neuroscience, and neurobiology

Median earnings four years after graduation: $117,000

MASSACHUSETTS: Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge




MIT has the highest-earning graduates out of all schools in the US.

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Top majors: Computer science, mathematics, and mechanical engineering

Median earnings four years after graduation: $162,000

MICHIGAN: Kettering University in Flint




Kettering University is known for its STEM program and has the highest-earning graduates in Michigan.

James R. Martin/Shutterstock

Top majors: Mechanical engineering and computer science

Median earnings four years after graduation: $100,000

MINNESOTA: University of St. Thomas in St. Paul




The University of St. Thomas (not pictured) has the highest-earning graduates in Minnesota.

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Top majors: Finance, marketing, and business

Median earnings four years after graduation: $82,000

MISSISSIPPI: Millsaps College in Jackson




Millsaps College is a small liberal arts college in Jackson, Mississippi.

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Top majors: Business, biology, accounting, neuroscience, neurobiology, and psychology

Median earnings four years after graduation: $67,000

MISSOURI: University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis




The University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy (not pictured) has the highest-earning graduates in Missouri.

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Top majors: Pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences

Median earnings four years after graduation: $132,000

MONTANA: University of Providence in Great Falls




The University of Providence (not pictured) has the highest-earning graduates in Montana.

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Top majors: Nursing and medical assistant

Median earnings four years after graduation: $89,000

NEBRASKA: University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha




The University of Nebraska Medical Center has the highest-earning graduates in Nebraska.

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Top majors: Nursing

Median earnings four years after graduation: $86,000

NEVADA: Touro University Nevada in Henderson




Touro University Nevada (not pictured) in Henderson has the highest-earning graduates in Nevada.

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Top majors: Nursing

Median earnings four years after graduation: $122,000

NEW HAMPSHIRE: Dartmouth College in Hanover




Dartmouth College has some of the highest-earning graduates in the US.

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Top majors: Economics, political science and government, computer science, engineering, and environmental science

Median earnings four years after graduation: $112,000

NEW JERSEY: Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken




The Stevens Institute of Technology has some of the highest-earning graduates in the US.

Steve Rosenbach/Getty Images

Top majors: Computer science and mechanical engineering

Median earnings four years after graduation: $113,000

NEW MEXICO: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro




The New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (not pictured) is located in Socorro, New Mexico.

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Top majors: Mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science

Median earnings four years after graduation: $85,000

NEW YORK: Columbia University in the City of New York




Columbia has some of the highest-earning graduates in the US.

hapabapa/Getty Images

Top majors: Computer science, economics, political science and government, research and experimental psychology, and history

Median earnings four years after graduation: $116,000

NORTH CAROLINA: Duke University in Durham




Duke has some of the highest-earning graduates in the nation.

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Top majors: Computer science, liberal arts and humanities, nursing, biology, economics, and public policy analysis

Median earnings four years after graduation: $116,000

NORTH DAKOTA: University of North Dakota in Grand Forks




The University of North Dakota has the highest-earning graduates in the state.

Jacob Boomsma/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Top majors: Aeronautics and aviation technology, psychology, medical laboratory technician, and nursing

Median earnings four years after graduation: $70,000

OHIO: Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland




Case Western Reserve University has the highest-earning graduates in Ohio.

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Top majors: Biology, computer science, bioengineering and biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, and psychology

Median earnings four years after graduation: $94,000

OKLAHOMA: University of Tulsa in Tulsa




Graduates from the University of Tulsa earn a median income of $79,000 four years after graduation.

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Top majors: Behavioral sciences, biology, mechanical engineering, kinesiology and exercise science, computer science, and nursing

Median earnings four years after graduation: $79,000

OREGON: Oregon Health & Science University in Portland




Oregon Health & Science University has the highest-earning graduates in the state.

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Top majors: Nursing

Median earnings four years after graduation: $110,000

PENNSYLVANIA: Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh




Carnegie Mellon has the seventh-highest-earning graduates in the US.

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Top majors: Computer science, electrical engineering, business, statistics, systems science and theory, and mechanical engineering

Median earnings four years after graduation: $133,000

RHODE ISLAND: Brown University in Providence




Brown graduates earn a median income of $95,000 four years after graduation.

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Top majors: Computer science, economics, computational and applied mathematics, international relations, and biology

Median earnings four years after graduation: $95,000

SOUTH CAROLINA: Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston




The Medical University of South Carolina is a nursing-focused school.

JHVEPhoto/Getty Images

Top majors: Nursing

Median earnings four years after graduation: $90,000

SOUTH DAKOTA: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City




The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (not pictured) has the highest-earning graduates in the state.

Ultima_Gaina/Getty Images

Top majors: Engineering and information science

Median earnings four years after graduation: $88,000

TENNESSEE: Vanderbilt University in Nashville




Vanderbilt graduates earn a median income of $101,000 four years after graduation.

SeanPavonePhoto/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Top majors: Social science research methods, liberal arts and humanities, economics, computer science, mathematics, and political science and government

Median earnings four years after graduation: $101,000

TEXAS: University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth




The University of North Texas Health Science Center has some of the highest-earning graduates in the US.

Philip Lange/Shutterstock

Top majors: Health administration, medical and biomedical sciences, osteopathic medicine, and public health

Median earnings four years after graduation: $119,000

UTAH: Western Governors University in Salt Lake City




Western Governors University is an online university in Salt Lake City.

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Top majors: Nursing, education, business, computer and information systems security, accounting, and computer science

Median earnings four years after graduation: $87,000

VERMONT: Norwich University in Northfield




Norwich University has the highest-earning graduates in Vermont.

ErikaMitchell/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Top majors: Intelligence, criminal justice and law enforcement administration, nursing, business, computer and information systems security, and international relations

Median earnings four years after graduation: $76,000

VIRGINIA: Washington and Lee University in Lexington




Washington and Lee University has the highest-earning graduates in Virginia.

Zach Zimet/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Top majors: Business, political science and government, accounting, research and experimental psychology, economics, and history

Median earnings four years after graduation: $101,000

WASHINGTON: City University of Seattle




Graduates from the City University of Seattle have a median income of $84,000 four years after graduation.

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Top majors: Business, information science, security science and technology, and liberal arts and humanities

Median earnings four years after graduation: $84,000

WEST VIRGINIA: University of Charleston




The University of Charleston has the highest-earning graduates in West Virginia.

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Top majors: Business and nursing

Median earnings four years after graduation: $69,000

WISCONSIN: Milwaukee School of Engineering in Milwaukee




The Milwaukee School of Engineering has the highest-earning graduates in Wisconsin.

JHVEPhoto/Getty Images

Top majors: Mechanical engineering, nursing, electrical engineering, computer science, civil engineering, bioengineering, and biomedical engineering

Median earnings four years after graduation: $91,000

WYOMING: University of Wyoming in Laramie




The University of Wyoming has the highest-earning graduates in the state.

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Top majors: Psychology, nursing, criminal justice and safety studies, elementary education, marketing, and kinesiology and exercise science

Median earnings four years after graduation: $62,000

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