ROI Major

Business/Managerial Economics at University of Georgia

GA · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 52.06

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business/Managerial Economics degree from University of Georgia earn a median salary of $82,370 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in GA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $91,017. The degree typically pays for itself in 5.1 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$59,411

Typical Career

$82,370

Top Performers

$111,499

Estimated break-even: 5.1 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$549

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $6,864. Most students can comfortably afford about a $549 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 2.1x more than the average US high school graduate and 1.1x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Georgia buys what costs $0.91 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Professional, Scientific & Technical Services, Educational Services, Health Care & Social Assistance.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 19.5%
Educational Services 17.1%
Health Care & Social Assistance 11.7%

Institution-wide industry mix for bachelor's graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$91,017

Nominal: $82,370 in Georgia (COL 90.5% of national avg) · 10.5% higher purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

5.1 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $38,340 $54,498 $69,850
5 Years After Graduation $59,411 $82,370 $111,499
10 Years After Graduation $75,966 $108,573 $162,120

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $82,370 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in GA, which has a cost-of-living index of 90.5% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $82,370 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9050) = $91,017 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates with a degree in Business/Managerial Economics from the University of Georgia experience a promising earnings trajectory. One year post-graduation, median earnings stand at $54,498, which increases to $82,370 after five years and reaches $108,573 after a decade. When considering purchasing power, the five-year salary adjusts to a national equivalent of $91,016.57, reflecting the degree's value in the job market and the cost of living in Georgia, which has a lower cost of living index (0.905) compared to the national average.

The top industries that graduates enter include Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (19.5%), Educational Services (17.1%), and Health Care & Social Assistance (11.7%). This diverse range of sectors indicates a broad applicability of the degree. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 5.1 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this degree appears favorable, suggesting that graduates can expect a solid financial payoff over time.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Business/Managerial Economics degree at University of Georgia stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.

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