At some schools, investing in higher education pays off more than in others.
Business Insider recently identified the 34 US colleges with the highest-paid graduates four years after completing their degrees across all US states, based on Department of Education data.
To map earnings across state lines, we went a step further and used the same data to identify which colleges have the highest-earning graduates in every US state.
The department's College Scorecard outlines net college costs, student debt, completion rates, and earnings outcomes across US colleges and universities for the 13 million students receiving Title IV federal aid. (According to the department's latest data, approximately 55% of undergraduate students in the 2019-2020 school year received some form of federal financial aid.)
Using the College Scorecard's median annual earnings data, which measures how much former federal-aid-receiving students earn four years after completing their degrees, we identified the colleges with the highest-earning graduates in each state.
For this list, which features a range of schools from smaller specialized programs to large universities, we focused on public or private nonprofit four-year schools. We also included the location and the most popular majors at each school — as reported by Niche for each institution — which can often significantly affect graduates' earnings.
Like most college ranking methodologies, the list has caveats: The earnings data applies only to former federal-aid recipients, and specialized schools may be more likely to top some states because graduates in certain fields tend to earn more. Still, it helps map the big picture of college graduates' earnings across the US.
See which school had the top-earning federally aided graduates in your state.
ALABAMA: University of Alabama in Huntsville
Top majors: Nursing, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, and computer science
Median earnings four years after graduation: $81,000
ALASKA: University of Alaska Anchorage
Top majors: Mechanic and repair technologies, nursing, psychology, business management, and administration
Median earnings four years after graduation: $69,000
ARIZONA: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott
Top majors: Aeronautics, aviation technology, and aerospace engineering
Median earnings four years after graduation: $94,000
ARKANSAS: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock
Top majors: Medical laboratory technician, nursing, radiation therapy, and dental hygiene
Median earnings four years after graduation: $77,000
CALIFORNIA: California Institute of Technology in Pasadena
Top majors: Computer science, mechanical engineering, and physics
Median earnings four years after graduation: $153,000
COLORADO: Colorado School of Mines in Golden
Top majors: Mechanical engineering, computer science, chemical engineering, and electrical engineering
Median earnings four years after graduation: $100,000
CONNECTICUT: Yale University in New Haven
Top majors: Economics, information science, liberal arts and humanities, history, political science and government, and cellular biology
Median earnings four years after graduation: $113,000
DELAWARE: University of Delaware in Newark
Top majors: Finance, research and experimental psychology, marketing, and nursing
Median earnings four years after graduation: $78,000
FLORIDA: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach
Top majors: Aeronautics and aviation technology, aerospace engineering, and mechanical engineering
Median earnings four years after graduation: $94,000
GEORGIA: Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta
Top majors: Information science, mechanical engineering, business, and industrial engineering
Median earnings four years after graduation: $119,000
HAWAII: University of Hawaii at Manoa
Top majors: Psychology, marketing, nursing, finance, kinesiology, and exercise science
Median earnings four years after graduation: $62,000
IDAHO: Boise State University in Boise
Top majors: Business, liberal arts and humanities, nursing, communications, health professions, and psychology
Median earnings four years after graduation: $65,000
ILLINOIS: University of Chicago
Top majors: Economics, computer science, mathematics, and biology
Median earnings four years after graduation: $128,000
INDIANA: University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame
Top majors: Finance, economics, political science and government, information science, mathematics, neuroscience, and neurobiology
Median earnings four years after graduation: $101,000
IOWA: Allen College in Waterloo
Top majors: Nursing
Median earnings four years after graduation: $74,000
KANSAS: Baker University in Baldwin City
Top majors: Business and nursing
Median earnings four years after graduation: $70,000
KENTUCKY: Thomas More University in Crestview Hills
Top majors: Business, liberal arts and humanities, nursing, and psychology
Median earnings four years after graduation: $70,000
LOUISIANA: Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans
Top majors: Nursing
Median earnings four years after graduation: $81,000
MAINE: Maine Maritime Academy in Castine
Top majors: Engineering, marine science, engineering technician, and international business
Median earnings four years after graduation: $113,000
MARYLAND: Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore
Top majors: Information science, cellular biology, public health, neuroscience, and neurobiology
Median earnings four years after graduation: $117,000
MASSACHUSETTS: Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge
Top majors: Computer science, mathematics, and mechanical engineering
Median earnings four years after graduation: $162,000
MICHIGAN: Kettering University in Flint
Top majors: Mechanical engineering and computer science
Median earnings four years after graduation: $100,000
MINNESOTA: University of St. Thomas in St. Paul
Top majors: Finance, marketing, and business
Median earnings four years after graduation: $82,000
MISSISSIPPI: Millsaps College in Jackson
Top majors: Business, biology, accounting, neuroscience, neurobiology, and psychology
Median earnings four years after graduation: $67,000
MISSOURI: University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis
Top majors: Pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
Median earnings four years after graduation: $132,000
MONTANA: University of Providence in Great Falls
Top majors: Nursing and medical assistant
Median earnings four years after graduation: $89,000
NEBRASKA: University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha
Top majors: Nursing
Median earnings four years after graduation: $86,000
NEVADA: Touro University Nevada in Henderson
Top majors: Nursing
Median earnings four years after graduation: $122,000
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Dartmouth College in Hanover
Top majors: Economics, political science and government, computer science, engineering, and environmental science
Median earnings four years after graduation: $112,000
NEW JERSEY: Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken
Top majors: Computer science and mechanical engineering
Median earnings four years after graduation: $113,000
NEW MEXICO: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro
Top majors: Mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science
Median earnings four years after graduation: $85,000
NEW YORK: Columbia University in the City of New York
Top majors: Computer science, economics, political science and government, research and experimental psychology, and history
Median earnings four years after graduation: $116,000
NORTH CAROLINA: Duke University in Durham
Top majors: Computer science, liberal arts and humanities, nursing, biology, economics, and public policy analysis
Median earnings four years after graduation: $116,000
NORTH DAKOTA: University of North Dakota in Grand Forks
Top majors: Aeronautics and aviation technology, psychology, medical laboratory technician, and nursing
Median earnings four years after graduation: $70,000
OHIO: Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland
Top majors: Biology, computer science, bioengineering and biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, and psychology
Median earnings four years after graduation: $94,000
OKLAHOMA: University of Tulsa in Tulsa
Top majors: Behavioral sciences, biology, mechanical engineering, kinesiology and exercise science, computer science, and nursing
Median earnings four years after graduation: $79,000
OREGON: Oregon Health & Science University in Portland
Top majors: Nursing
Median earnings four years after graduation: $110,000
PENNSYLVANIA: Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh
Top majors: Computer science, electrical engineering, business, statistics, systems science and theory, and mechanical engineering
Median earnings four years after graduation: $133,000
RHODE ISLAND: Brown University in Providence
Top majors: Computer science, economics, computational and applied mathematics, international relations, and biology
Median earnings four years after graduation: $95,000
SOUTH CAROLINA: Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston
Top majors: Nursing
Median earnings four years after graduation: $90,000
SOUTH DAKOTA: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City
Top majors: Engineering and information science
Median earnings four years after graduation: $88,000
TENNESSEE: Vanderbilt University in Nashville
Top majors: Social science research methods, liberal arts and humanities, economics, computer science, mathematics, and political science and government
Median earnings four years after graduation: $101,000
TEXAS: University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth
Top majors: Health administration, medical and biomedical sciences, osteopathic medicine, and public health
Median earnings four years after graduation: $119,000
UTAH: Western Governors University in Salt Lake City
Top majors: Nursing, education, business, computer and information systems security, accounting, and computer science
Median earnings four years after graduation: $87,000
VERMONT: Norwich University in Northfield
Top majors: Intelligence, criminal justice and law enforcement administration, nursing, business, computer and information systems security, and international relations
Median earnings four years after graduation: $76,000
VIRGINIA: Washington and Lee University in Lexington
Top majors: Business, political science and government, accounting, research and experimental psychology, economics, and history
Median earnings four years after graduation: $101,000
WASHINGTON: City University of Seattle
Top majors: Business, information science, security science and technology, and liberal arts and humanities
Median earnings four years after graduation: $84,000
WEST VIRGINIA: University of Charleston
Top majors: Business and nursing
Median earnings four years after graduation: $69,000
WISCONSIN: Milwaukee School of Engineering in Milwaukee
Top majors: Mechanical engineering, nursing, electrical engineering, computer science, civil engineering, bioengineering, and biomedical engineering
Median earnings four years after graduation: $91,000
WYOMING: University of Wyoming in Laramie
Top majors: Psychology, nursing, criminal justice and safety studies, elementary education, marketing, and kinesiology and exercise science
Median earnings four years after graduation: $62,000
