MAJORS · 51 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a geography degree worth it?
Part of Social Sciences excluding Economics — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$210,984. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$210,984
across 169 bachelor’s programs · 7,338 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$223K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
+$62K ⟷ +$352K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
12.5%
MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE
35
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$116K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$108K
Questions
- Is a geography degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 169 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Geography is +$210,984 and the median is +$223,135. 12.5% of graduates in this field never break even on the degree. The honest answer depends heavily on the specific program and school: the middle half of graduates land between +$62,242 and +$351,557.
- How long until a geography degree pays off?
- Among Geography programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 35 (FREOPP 2021). 12.5% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- Does the school matter for a geography major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Geography graduates span +$62,242 to +$351,557 — a +$289K spread within one major. The same field can be a strong trade at one school and a losing one at another, which is why the per-school number matters more than the field average.
↓ Download the data (CSV) · All 115 subfields with full statistics. Free to cite with attribution. · Methodology
Cite this:
LE TEEN (2026). “Geography: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/geography