Best Schools for Anthropology
Anthropology graduates earn a median of $47,434 within four years of graduating, ranking #262 out of 283 tracked majors — 24% below the median across all fields. There are 248 colleges nationwide with tracked earnings for this major, producing 6,354 recent graduates.
Where you study matters: Columbia University in the City of New York graduates earn $83,493 while Beloit College graduates earn $29,754 — a $53,739 difference. Factors like location, employer networks, co-op programs, and curriculum focus drive this gap. Across all fields, though, which major you pick separates earnings more than which college does.
Early career salary growth is modest: Anthropology graduates see an average 3% increase between year 1 and year 2 post-graduation, reflecting career advancement and skill development in the first years after college.
Public vs Private: Anthropology
Private schools produce $11,263 more in early earnings on average for Anthropology graduates. Factor in tuition difference to calculate which offers better ROI.
Anthropology by State
Also by state: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, Wisconsin
Top Anthropology Schools by Graduate Earnings
Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY · Private
Duke University
Durham, NC · Private
Emory University
Atlanta, GA · Private
Washington University in St Louis
St. Louis, MO · Private
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH · Private
Fordham University
Bronx, NY · Private
George Washington University
Washington, DC · Private
University of California-Berkeley
Berkeley, CA · Public
Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, CA · Public
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA · Public
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA · Public
CUNY Lehman College
Bronx, NY · Public
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, IL · Private
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY · Public
Brandeis University
Waltham, MA · Private
University of California-San Diego
La Jolla, CA · Public
Tulane University of Louisiana
New Orleans, LA · Private
University of California-Davis
Davis, CA · Public
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC · Public
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
New Brunswick, NJ · Public
Rutgers University-Newark
Newark, NJ · Public
University of California-Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA · Public
SUNY Oneonta
Oneonta, NY · Public
Georgia Southern University
Statesboro, GA · Public
Monmouth University
West Long Branch, NJ · Private
Purdue University-Main Campus
West Lafayette, IN · Public
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
Norman, OK · Public
University of Colorado Boulder
Boulder, CO · Public
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT · Public
University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus
Waterbury, CT · Public
University of Connecticut-Avery Point
Groton, CT · Public
University of Connecticut-Stamford
Stamford, CT · Public
University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus
Hartford, CT · Public
University of California-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA · Public
Northern Illinois University
Dekalb, IL · Public
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI · Public
California State University-Fullerton
Fullerton, CA · Public
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA · Public
Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania
Bloomsburg, PA · Public
Boston University
Boston, MA · Private
College of Charleston
Charleston, SC · Public
Binghamton University
Vestal, NY · Public
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Seattle, WA · Public
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY · Private
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Denver, CO · Public
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI · Public
University of Maryland-College Park
College Park, MD · Public
American University
Washington, DC · Private
University of California-Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, CA · Public
Texas A&M University-College Station
College Station, TX · Public
Showing top 50 of 248 schools. View all or filter by state above.
Majors with Similar Earnings
Frequently Asked Questions
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Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are median 2 years after graduation for bachelor's degree holders, from the field-of-study file last updated June 2026. Institution-level figures elsewhere on the site come from the June 2026 release — Scorecard publishes the two separately.
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