Economics at San Jose State University

In California, economics programs produce wildly different outcomes—from Stanford's $98,000 first-year earnings to the state median of $51,000—and San Jose State appears to land squarely in the middle tier. Similar programs in California suggest starting earnings around $51,000, climbing to $67,000 by year four. That trajectory matters: the steady growth indicates employers value the analytical skills these graduates develop, even if the starting salary doesn't match the elite private schools in the state.

The estimated debt load of roughly $15,500 tells a more encouraging story. With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.30, graduates from comparable programs typically owe less than a third of their first-year salary—well below both the state median ($16,805) and national benchmark ($22,816) for economics degrees. For families watching costs, this positions the program favorably against peers, though it's worth noting that without program-specific data, we can't see how San Jose State's particular combination of curriculum and employer connections translates to actual graduate outcomes.

The bottom line: if your child is considering economics and wants to stay in California's expensive Bay Area market, peer programs suggest they'd face manageable debt while building toward mid-60s earnings within a few years. Just understand you're making this decision with less certainty than you'd have with programs that have reported their own graduate data.