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Geographic Differences in the Earnings of Economics Majors

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  • Winters, John V.

    (Iowa State University)

  • Xu, Weineng

    (University of Arkansas, Fayetteville)

Abstract

Economics has been shown to be a relatively high earning college major, but geographic differences in earnings have been largely overlooked. This paper uses the American Community Survey to examine geographic differences in both absolute earnings and relative earnings for economic majors. We find that there are substantial geographic differences in both the absolute and relative earnings of economics majors even controlling for individual characteristics such as age and advanced degrees. We argue that mean earnings in specific labor markets are a better measure of the benefits of majoring in economics than simply looking at national averages.

Suggested Citation

  • Winters, John V. & Xu, Weineng, 2013. "Geographic Differences in the Earnings of Economics Majors," IZA Discussion Papers 7584, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp7584
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. John V. Winters, 2017. "Do earnings by college major affect graduate migration?," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 59(3), pages 629-649, November.
    2. John V. Winters & Weineng Xu, 2014. "Geographic Differences in the Earnings of Economics Majors," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(3), pages 262-276, September.
    3. Cai, Zhengyu & Winters, John V., 2017. "Self-employment differentials among foreign-born STEM and non-STEM workers," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 371-384.
    4. John V. Winters, 2016. "Is economics a good major for future lawyers? Evidence from earnings data," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(2), pages 187-191, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    local labor markets; economics major; earnings differentials; college education;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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