Anthropology at University of Kentucky

The earnings trajectory here tells an unusually optimistic story for an anthropology degree: graduates start at $25,668 but see their income jump 60% to $41,175 by year four. That's meaningful growth, though the starting salary remains below the national median for anthropology majors. With debt of $22,494, the initial year creates a tight financial squeeze (88 cents of debt for every dollar earned), but that ratio improves substantially as earnings climb.

Within Kentucky, this program actually performs better than you might expect from the raw numbers—ranking in the 60th percentile among state anthropology programs. That means it beats out the University of Louisville's program, which starts stronger but likely doesn't match this growth curve. Still, nationally, it lands in just the 34th percentile, suggesting Kentucky's anthropology programs as a group lag behind other states.

The small sample size (under 30 graduates) is a real limitation here. It means these numbers could swing significantly year to year, and the strong earnings growth might reflect a few graduates finding particularly good positions rather than a reliable pattern. For families banking on that $41,000 mid-career number, understand you're making a bet on limited data. If your student is committed to anthropology and staying in Kentucky, this looks reasonable—but only if they're prepared for lean early years and willing to actively pursue opportunities that unlock higher earnings.