Ecology

Stem Major

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    Total Degrees​
    Awarded in 2024
    1,201
    growing 7.04%
    Median In-State​
    Public Tuition
    $7,800
    declining 2.46%
    Median Out-of-State​
    Private Tuition
    $44,620
    growing 2.76%
    Average Wage
    $127,420
    growing 1.76%
    People in Workforce
    3.23M
    growing 3.87%
    Average Employee Age
    41
    declining 0.138%

    About

    BiologyEcology, Evolution, Systematics, & Population Biology

    Institutions

    Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Ecology and the types of students that study this field. University of Maryland-College Park awards the most degrees in Ecology in the US, but Sterling College and Connecticut College have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Ecology.

    Tuition costs for Ecology majors are, on average, $7,800 for in-state public colleges, and $44,620 for out of state private colleges.

    The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Ecology programs are Public, 4-year or above institutions (56 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (1,018 completions).

    Institutions

    Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Ecology (2024)
    1. University of Maryland-College Park
      112 degrees awarded
    2. Utah State University
      104 degrees awarded
    3. Iowa State University
      95 degrees awarded

    The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Ecology, is Public, 4-year or above (1,018 completions in 2024).

    The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Ecology programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

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    Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

    $7,800
    Median In-State Public
    $44,620
    Median Out of State Private

    University of Maryland-College Park has the most Ecology degree recipients, with 112 degrees awarded in 2024.

    The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Ecology.

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    Specialized Colleges

    Highest Concentration Institution
    1. Sterling College
      28%
    2. Connecticut College
      5.1%
    3. The University of Montana-Western
      2.27%

    Out of all institutions that offer Ecology programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Sterling College has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Ecology, with 28%.

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    Employment

    Information on the businesses and industries that employ Biology graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

    The average salary for Biology majors is $127,420 and the most common occupations are Physicians, Postsecondary teachers, and Other Physical Scientists.

    The industry that employs the most Biology majors is General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Offices of physicians.

    Yearly Income for Common Jobs

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Ecology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.
    $127,420
    Average Wage in Workforce
    ± $1,905
    1.76%
    1 Year Growth
    ± 2.1%

    The average salary for Biology majors is $127,420 and the most common occupations are Physicians, Postsecondary teachers, and Other Physical Scientists.

    This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Biology majors.

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    Highest Paying Locations

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Ecology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.
    Highest Paying Pumas
    1. Nassau County (Northeast)--Oyster Bay Town (North) & Glen Cove City PUMA, NY
      $278,156
    2. Sioux Falls City PUMA, SD
      $277,864
    3. Houston City (Northeast)--Between Loop I-610 & Beltway TX-8 PUMA, TX
      $274,509

    This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Biology majors.

    Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Biology majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

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    Most Common

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Ecology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.

    The most common occupations for Biology majors, by number of employees, are Physicians, Postsecondary teachers, and Other Physical Scientists.

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    Most Specialized

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Ecology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.

    Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Biology majors working as Podiatrists, Biological scientists, and Optometrists.

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    Highest Paid

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Ecology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.

    The highest paid occupations by median income for Biology majors are Surgeons, Physicians, and Chief executives & legislators.

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    Occupations by Share

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Ecology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.
    3.23M
    2024 Workforce
    ± 43,685
    3.87%
    1 Year Growth
    ± 1.86%

    The number of Biology graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.87%, from 3.11M in 2023 to 3.23M in 2024.

    The largest single share of Biology graduates go on to work as Physicians (13.7%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Biology by share of the total number of graduates.

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    Most Common

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Ecology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.

    The most common industries that employ Biology majors, by number of employees, are General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, and Offices of physicians.

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    Highest Paid

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Ecology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.

    The highest paying industries of Biology majors, by average wage, are Offices of physicians, Paper & paper products merchant wholesalers, and Furniture & home furnishing merchant wholesalers.

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    Industries by Share

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Ecology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.
    3.23M
    2024 Workforce
    ± 43,685
    3.87%
    1 Year Growth
    ± 1.86%

    The number of Biology graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.87%, from 3.11M in 2023 to 3.23M in 2024.

    The industry which employs the most Biology graduates by share is General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Biology.

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    Specialty Locations

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Ecology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.
    PUMAS with a relatively high number of Biology majors
    1. Houston City (South Central)--South of US-59, West of I-45 & Inside Loop I-610 PUMA, TX
      4.75
    2. Washtenaw County (East Central)--Ann Arbor City Area PUMA, MI
      4.59
    3. San Diego County (Central)--San Diego City (Central/Mira Mesa & University Heights) PUMA, CA
      4.57

    This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Biology majors.

    Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Biology majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

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    Diversity

    Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Biology in the United States.

    The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Biology is 41.

    N/A Female employees are more likely to hold Biology degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Biology (807 students).

    Workforce Age

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Ecology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.
    41
    Average Age in 2024
    ± 0.18 Years
    0.138%
    1 Year Change
    ± 0.626%

    This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Biology. The most common ages of employees with this major are 30 and 29 years old, which represent 3.54% and 3.39% of the population, respectively.

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    Workforce Degrees

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Ecology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.

    The most common degree types held by the working population in Biology are Bachelors Degree, Professional degree, and Masters Degree.

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    Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

    Female (61.8%)
    Most Common Sex with a Degree in this Field

    This chart shows the granted degrees by sex at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Ecology.

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    Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

    Degrees
    Most Common Race or Ethnicity
    1. White
      807 degrees awarded in 2024
    2. Hispanic or Latino
      151 degrees awarded in 2024
    3. Asian
      71 degrees awarded in 2024

    This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Ecology for each race & ethnicity.

    In 2024, White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

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    Race & Ethnicity by Sex

    Degrees
    Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Sex Combination
    1. White Female
      329 degrees awarded
    2. White Male
      219 degrees awarded
    3. Hispanic or Latino Female
      73 degrees awarded

    This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Ecology.

    White Female students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and sex.

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    Global Diversity

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Ecology is from the 2 Digit Course Biology.
    Most Common Countries of Origin
    1. India
      99,261 degree recipients
    2. China
      55,667 degree recipients
    3. Korea
      28,041 degree recipients
    High Relative Number of Students
    1. United Arab Emirates
      3.29 times more than expected
    2. Saudi Arabia
      3.15 times more than expected
    3. Switzerland
      3.05 times more than expected

    There are a relatively high number of people that were born in United Arab Emirates that hold Biology degrees (3.29 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is India (99,261 degree recipients).

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    Skills

    Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Ecology field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Ecology majors need many skills, but most especially Science. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Ecology majors need more than the average amount of Programming, Science, and Mathematics.

    These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Ecology majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Programming is very distinctive for majors, but the Science, Reading Comprehension, and Writing are the three most important skills for people in the field.

    Radar Distribution

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    Bar Chart

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