Economics at Washington & Jefferson College

Washington & Jefferson's economics graduates start below the middle of the pack but show impressive upward mobility. With earnings jumping 28% from $50,402 to $64,490 over four years, these graduates are clearly building valuable career momentum—even if they're not commanding top salaries straight out of college. Among Pennsylvania's 49 economics programs, this ranks in the 40th percentile, which means it trails stronger programs like Penn ($89K) and CMU ($86K) but beats many state competitors.

The debt picture is genuinely excellent. At $27,000, graduates owe just slightly more than the national median, with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.54 that's highly manageable. More importantly, as earnings continue growing into the mid-$60s by year four, that debt burden becomes increasingly easy to handle.

For families considering this program, the question comes down to whether you're comfortable with a slower start in exchange for solid career progression. If your child is entrepreneurial or planning for graduate school—where the later earnings growth matters more—this could work well. But students expecting immediate post-graduation earning power should know they'll likely start in the bottom half of Pennsylvania economics grads, even if they catch up over time.