Economics at University of North Florida

The small sample size here matters—with fewer than 30 graduates tracked, these numbers could swing dramatically with just a handful of different outcomes. That said, the picture shows UNF economics grads starting well below both Florida's median ($47,304) and the national benchmark ($51,722), landing closer to what you'd expect from a general business degree than a specialized economics program.

The debt figure tells a better story. At $14,000, UNF economics graduates carry roughly a third less debt than the typical Florida economics student. That low debt load creates a manageable 0.34 debt-to-earnings ratio, meaning graduates owe about four months of their first-year salary—easily serviceable even at the lower starting wage. The 25% earnings growth to $51,793 by year four also suggests the initial gap closes over time, though you're still looking at middle-of-the-pack performance among Florida's 23 economics programs.

For families prioritizing affordability, this could work if your student plans to leverage the economics degree into graduate school or professional credentialing where the starting salary matters less. But if the goal is immediate post-graduation earning power, programs at UCF, USF, or Florida Atlantic deliver notably higher returns at similar debt levels. The value proposition depends entirely on whether that $33,000 in saved debt over four years outweighs starting $6,000-$13,000 behind peers at comparable Florida universities.