Anthropology at Western Michigan University

Western Michigan's anthropology program shows first-year earnings nearly $5,000 below the state median—though it's worth noting this data comes from a very small sample of recent graduates, which makes these numbers less reliable than programs with larger cohorts. At $22,670, graduates are earning about 20% less than peers from Michigan State or Grand Valley State, and well below the national median of $27,806. While the program sits at Michigan's 40th percentile (basically middle-of-the-pack in-state), it ranks in just the 18th percentile nationally.

The debt burden compounds the concern: $31,000 is higher than both state and national medians for anthropology degrees, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.37. That means graduates owe more than a full year's salary, which can make loan payments difficult on an entry-level income. For context, anthropology graduates at comparable Michigan schools typically carry $4,000 less debt while earning several thousand dollars more.

Given the small sample size, these numbers could shift significantly with more data. But based on what we can see, this program appears to struggle compared to other anthropology options in Michigan. Parents should weigh whether the specific opportunities at Western Michigan justify the combination of higher debt and lower early earnings—or whether their student might find better value at one of the state's stronger-performing programs in this field.