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Year![]() ![]() | # Of Jobs![]() ![]() | % Of Population![]() ![]() |
---|---|---|
2021 | 2,609 | 0.00% |
2020 | 852 | 0.00% |
2019 | 824 | 0.00% |
2018 | 2,686 | 0.00% |
2017 | 2,536 | 0.00% |
Year![]() ![]() | Avg. Salary![]() ![]() | Hourly Rate![]() ![]() | % Change![]() ![]() |
---|---|---|---|
2025 | $74,085 | $35.62 | +4.0% |
2024 | $71,264 | $34.26 | +2.4% |
2023 | $69,595 | $33.46 | +0.7% |
2022 | $69,082 | $33.21 | +1.4% |
2021 | $68,125 | $32.75 | +1.3% |
Rank![]() ![]() | State![]() ![]() | Population![]() ![]() | # of Jobs![]() ![]() | Employment/ 1000ppl ![]() ![]() |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 120 | 17% |
2 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 476 | 6% |
3 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 267 | 4% |
4 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 253 | 4% |
5 | Alaska | 739,795 | 32 | 4% |
6 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 28 | 4% |
7 | Vermont | 623,657 | 23 | 4% |
8 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 190 | 3% |
9 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 187 | 3% |
10 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 104 | 3% |
11 | Hawaii | 1,427,538 | 42 | 3% |
12 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 40 | 3% |
13 | Delaware | 961,939 | 32 | 3% |
14 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 32 | 3% |
15 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 27 | 3% |
16 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 24 | 3% |
17 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 18 | 3% |
18 | New York | 19,849,399 | 440 | 2% |
19 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 218 | 2% |
20 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 42 | 2% |
Rank![]() ![]() | City![]() ![]() | # of Jobs![]() ![]() | Employment/ 1000ppl ![]() ![]() | Avg. Salary![]() ![]() |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Frankfort | 2 | 7% | $73,620 |
2 | Juneau | 2 | 6% | $74,768 |
3 | Annapolis | 2 | 5% | $76,580 |
4 | Dover | 2 | 5% | $75,775 |
5 | Little Rock | 3 | 2% | $74,633 |
6 | Columbia | 2 | 2% | $76,458 |
7 | Hartford | 2 | 2% | $77,266 |
8 | Lansing | 2 | 2% | $66,233 |
9 | Washington | 5 | 1% | $89,293 |
10 | Sacramento | 4 | 1% | $90,268 |
11 | Baton Rouge | 3 | 1% | $67,916 |
12 | Des Moines | 2 | 1% | $70,110 |
13 | Phoenix | 5 | 0% | $70,573 |
14 | Boston | 3 | 0% | $81,152 |
15 | Denver | 3 | 0% | $69,620 |
16 | Atlanta | 2 | 0% | $65,805 |
17 | Detroit | 2 | 0% | $67,056 |
18 | Indianapolis | 2 | 0% | $73,430 |
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UMass Lowell
Department of Marketing, Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Michael Ciuchta Ph.D.: Obviously we are seeing a tremendous increase in AI and other digital technologies. These will become a more crucial skill set for many careers going forward. But I wouldn't downplay the role of what are traditionally seen as soft skills like empathy, communications, and judgment. Not only can these distinguish you from robots but from your human competitors as well.
Michael Ciuchta Ph.D.: If all you want is the highest potential starting salary, then you should aim for careers that offer them. But that is a shortsighted way to view things. For example, many careers that have tournament-like pay structures (think entertainment) often have very low starting salaries but the so-called winners enjoy outsized financial gains. If you are thinking about a more traditional career, I think it's important to make sure you are more valuable to your employer than they are to you. This means you have to market yourself, both to your current employer as well as to potential ones. Of course, this approach may not be for everyone and maximizing your salary potential is only one thing you should be considering when assessing job and career opportunities.
Melissa Zimdars: Recognize that your first career opportunity won't be your last. If the job you land after college does not have opportunities for growth or advancement, it's imperative that you keep an eye out for them elsewhere as you continue to gain experience in your field.
University of Cincinnati Clermont College
Communication Disorders Sciences And Services
Fawen Zhang PhD: This is perfect! Thank you so much. We will be sure to feature your response in the article and send a draft over for your review before we promote it.
Dr. Xiaolong Shao: If you want to maximize your salary potential as a new graduate, I believe it's important to first understand the job market well. Look for positions with less competition, and don't hesitate to put your personal interests aside for the time being. Do some research about what special skills are highly valued in the industry, such as revenue management, event planning, or culinary arts. Then, enhance your credibility by obtaining different certifications or attending relevant training programs. Many higher education institutions offer excellent training and certification programs. Also, keep an eye on industry trends, build your network, and consider the economy, or political environment when choosing where to work. This is a continuous process, but the key to maximizing your salary is to spend time understanding what unique values that make you irreplaceable.
Dr. Xiaolong Shao: I believe there are many important skills that play important roles in succeeding in the hospitality industry. As a researcher who focuses on sustainable products and consumer behaviors, I can see that the hospitality industry evolves with a growing focus on sustainability and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles. I believe that graduates must cultivate a diverse skill set to thrive in the field over the next 3-5 years. For example, proficiency in sustainability skills/practices, including resource management and eco-friendly technologies, is important, as well as analytical skills for assessing environmental impact and progress towards sustainability goals. Also, effective communication and stakeholder engagement are very important for garnering support for these ESG initiatives.
Victor Menaldo: Interacting with AI and knowing how to best exploit it to get the most out of it: increase productivity and value added in whatever field one is in.
Tyra Byers: I question whether this is the key driver for employees looking to enter the sustainability field. There is growing evidence that the current generation values work that feels meaningful, and offers work life balance, as much as they value a high salary. I don't have any specific advice in terms of salary maximization.
University of Southern Maine
Specialized Sales, Merchandising And Marketing Operations
Tove Rasmussen: Tove Rasmussen advises graduates beginning their career in the field to...
Tove Rasmussen: Tove Rasmussen believes that the skills that will become more important and prevalent in the field in the next 3-5 years are...
Timothy Rich PhD: Think about the types of jobs that interest you and the skills necessary for those jobs early. So many students start thinking about post-graduation life spring their senior year, when it should be an incremental process much earlier. Another pieces of advice would be to talk to faculty and alum about your interests, find internship or research opportunities when possible, and try to figure out early your strengths and weaknesses. It's easy for students, especially high performing ones, to not fully consider what their weaknesses are. I encourage students to jot down what they see as their skills too and to share them with others. It helps them to identify what's a common skill versus something that might make them stick out.
University of South Florida
Sustainability Studies
Thomas Culhane: I would (and do) give graduates the same advice my journalist father gave to my graduating class when I was young: 'Only Connect'. Dad was certain, and I am now too, that the most important career skill in general and specifically for the sustainability field is to develop and constantly strengthen your ability to connect different ideas and fields. Our PCGS program is unabashedly interdisciplinary. I teach the 'Navigating the Food Energy Water Nexus' and 'Waste Not Want Not: Reconsidering Refuse as Resource' courses, as well as being the director of our Climate Mitigation and Adaptation program and teaching science communication and technical skills through our 'Envisioning Sustainability' and 'Sustainable Design Laboratory' Courses and they ALL overlap and they all demand 'Nexus Thinking' – the ability to see the rhizomal/neuronal connections between each area of study.
John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, And Group Studies
Professor Shonna Trinch Ph.D.: Being able to negotiate a salary is also a skill that students need to learn and one that is rarely taught in college. Students need to be able to ask for more than they are offered, but also take jobs at entry levels, prove themselves and then ask for an increase in pay six months into the job after they have shown that they are doing the work and achieving their goals.
Professor Shonna Trinch Ph.D.: Analysis and critical thinking, writing and making strong arguments are indispensable job market skills. Concepts such as 'ethnicity,' 'gender' and 'minority' are constructed in social and historical spaces and times, and students with college degrees can help de-naturalize these categories to make others understand how policy, programming and marketing might not be achieving their stated goals.
Stephanie Lain Ph.D.: I would advise graduates to be open to considering jobs in lots of different fields. The skills acquired through their major- such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and writing- are ones that transfer well to a variety of situations.
Dr. Paige Novak P.E. (Minnesota), BCEE: Ask questions, stay curious and open minded, take opportunities to learn and develop new skills.
Coastal Carolina University
Intelligence, Command Control And Information Operations
Mark Chandler: First, focus on being good at your job. Focus on learning your specific assigned area. Get the basics down – analytic skills, communication skills. Build a strong work ethic and professional foundation. If you can find a good mentor, link up with them. Be willing to go the “extra mile” in being a team player and doing things to help others on the team, and put in the hours. In intelligence, you will not always like what policy makers do or say. It’s not our job to agree or disagree with the policy, our job is to study the situation, present the facts and then present a fact-based analytic assessment. Keep opinion, bias, and politics out of our work. This will be a challenge, but it’s one you have to recognize in order to not succumb to it.
Mark Stehr PhD: At the start of your career, it's very important to land a role where you learn a lot and find good mentors. The additional skills will pay dividends as your career progresses.
Michael Rosino PhD: First, I would suggest taking stock of your community or the communities where you would like to work or serve and looking at the local demographics, opportunities, institutions, and organizations. You can then use those resources to network by contacting others who do the type of work you are interested in. Building your reputation and connections with others in the career or field, whether in the space of policy work, nonprofit organizations, business, law, or education, will help you gain further access to mentorship and opportunities. Another suggestion I would give is to develop and refine an area of expertise, whether that is a specific type of research skill or topic to help figure out what your network should look like (for instance, connecting with other folks passionate about health equity, housing, environment, consumer insights, opinion data, etc.) Look at what areas of the economy are growing or what complex problems are emerging as there are always organizations and institutions that will be addressing those issues and opportunities. The payoffs of networking may not come immediately but they will absolutely help down the line in terms of resources and opportunities and help you feel less alone in your work.
Mary Rodena-Krasan Ph.D.: A degree in German Studies is extraordinarily flexible, giving you a skill set that makes you suitable to a variety of fields. Be open to every opportunity and never underestimate the skill sets learning a new language has afforded you - cross-cultural competence, interlinguistic technological adeptness, problem solving, information analysis, and critical thinking. Employers want someone they don't have to hand-hold. Studying a foreign language requires a lot of self-initiative - apply that to every assignment at the job and don't be afraid to suggest approaches! Your ability to undertake something new and be successful has already been proven by your German studies degree!
Lars Kotthoff: Anything and everything related to AI, but in particular being able to cut through the hype and being able to assess new technologies realistically.
Dr. Mark Evans: Add value beyond what you are asked to do. Take ownership of your work. Volunteer for the most difficult jobs and clients.
Dr. Mark Evans: Don't stop learning. Treat your first job like more graduate school. Learn everything you can.
Joseph Dorsey Ph.D.: There are many positions out there in the public, private and non-profit sectors for Sustainability Officers, Sustainability Managers, Sustainability Coordinators, Sustainability Planners, and Sustainability Consultants. But not all sustainability related jobs have “sustainability” in the title. Jobs that focus on environment, resiliency, green technology, renewable energy, water management, food systems, climate, biodiversity, tourism, transportation, public health, and policy implementation, among others, could have sustainability components that can assure a long-term career in the field. I often tell my students that the jobs in sustainability that they seek may not exist yet, but once they have the appropriate education, training, and skills to address certain problems in the future, they’ll either create the position themselves or the position will appear in the job market due to timeliness and relevant necessity.