Early-Career Compensation Research
Graduate Salary Guide 2026
What employers actually pay new grads — by major, city, and industry. From $40,000 for Education to $145,000 for Computer Science in San Francisco, the full picture of what a diploma is worth in 2026.
Biggest Finding
The gap between the highest and lowest-paid majors is $105,000 in year one.
A top-quartile CS graduate in San Francisco ($145,000) and a median-earning Education major in a rural market ($40,000) start their careers nearly three times apart in nominal income — a gap that compounds dramatically over a career.
Starting Salary by Major (2026)
Median starting salary and top-25th-percentile salary for new graduates (0–1 year of experience) in their highest-concentration employment city. All figures in USD.
| Major | Median Starting |
|---|---|
Computer Science | $105,000 |
Electrical Engineering | $92,000 |
Mechanical Engineering | $78,000 |
Finance | $72,000 |
Accounting | $58,000 |
Nursing | $68,000 |
Marketing | $52,000 |
Biology | $45,000 |
Psychology | $42,000 |
Education | $40,000 |
Sources: NACE Salary Survey (2025–2026), BLS OES, LinkedIn New Graduate Insights, employer reported data. Figures represent offers to US domestic graduates at US-based employers.
City Multiplier: Same Role, Different Pay
Location is the single biggest lever on your starting salary outside of your major. A new Computer Science graduate taking their first role as a software engineer can expect dramatically different offers based purely on geography.
| City / Market | New Grad CS Salary |
|---|---|
| San Francisco / Bay Area | $145,000 |
| Seattle | $138,000 |
| New York City | $130,000 |
| Austin | $118,000 |
| Chicago | $112,000 |
| Denver | $108,000 |
| Miami | $98,000 |
| Rural / Midwest Average | $78,000 |
Remote work caveat:Many new grads are now hired remotely at San Francisco or New York pay scales while living in lower-cost markets. This is increasingly common at FAANG and late-stage startups, but rarer at companies with fewer than 500 employees. Always ask whether a role's comp is location-adjusted.
Career Advice
How to Negotiate Your First Offer
Research consistently shows that new graduates who negotiate receive an average of $5,000–$11,000 morethan those who accept the first offer — yet only 38% attempt to negotiate. Here's what works:
- 1
Never name a number first — ask for their budget range before anchoring your expectations.
- 2
Use the 10–20% rule: research suggests asking 10–20% above your target lands the target 73% of the time.
- 3
Negotiate the full package: signing bonus, remote flexibility, stock/RSU cliff date, and PTO all have dollar value.
- 4
Your first salary is the base for every raise, bonus, and competing offer for the next 3–5 years — a $5K gain now is worth $15K–$25K over that horizon.
Methodology
Graduate salary data is drawn from three primary sources: the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) First Destination Survey 2025–2026, which collects reported salary data from institutions nationwide; BLS Occupational Employment Statistics for entry-level (0–2 year experience) salary bands; and LinkedIn New Graduate Salary Insights, which aggregates self-reported and employer-verified data from profiles identifying as recent graduates within 12 months of graduation.
"Top 25%" represents the 75th percentile of reported starting salaries for graduates within the first 12 months of employment in the named field. "Top Entry City" denotes the metropolitan area with the highest concentration of entry-level employment in that major's primary industry, not necessarily the highest-paying city for that role.
City salary figures for Computer Science represent actual reported offers to new CS graduates for software engineering roles at companies headquartered in or primarily hiring for those markets. Remote roles paying local market rates are excluded to ensure geographic comparability.
Data as of January–June 2026. Cite as "Official Salary Graduate Salary Guide 2026 (officialsalary.com/reports/graduate-salary-guide-2026)." Licensed CC BY 4.0.
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Career counselors, university offices, and journalists: this data is free to publish and cite. Please attribute Official Salary (officialsalary.com). Direct link: officialsalary.com/reports/graduate-salary-guide-2026
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