How Much Do College Graduates Earn in Arizona, USA?
Each year, the Arizona Board of Regents publishes a report detailing the in-state wages earned by Arizona graduates from public universities. The latest report was issued in March 2026 and used wage data for graduates over the last 30 years. The wage data include only wages earned in Arizona. Median wage calculations are limited to graduates who earned Arizona wages in all four quarters of 2024. The report summarizes results for Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Arizona. It also includes information on student debt. This article will focus on workforce persistence and median wage results for the University of Arizona.
First, a large share of University of Arizona graduates remained in the state for work. Resident undergraduate alumni were the most likely to remain in the state for work. In the first year after graduation, 72% of resident undergraduate alumni worked in Arizona, compared to 17% of non-resident undergraduate alumni.
The share of graduates working in Arizona generally declined over time. This is a common pattern in state-level alumni wage data. Thirty years after graduation, 37% of resident undergraduate alumni were working in the state, compared to 10% of non-resident undergraduate alumni.
Second, median wages earned by University of Arizona graduates tended to rise as time passed. For resident undergraduate alumni, the median wage increased from $48,400 in the first year after graduation to $98,800 by the 30th year after graduation (Figure 1). The median wage for non-resident undergraduate alumni working in the state rose from $55,200 to $117,000.
Figure 1: 2024 Median Arizona Wages Earned by Resident and Non-Resident Undergraduate Alumni from the University of Arizona
Median wages of University of Arizona alumni varied considerably across instructional programs (Figure 2). Among reported instructional programs for 2019-2023 undergraduate alumni with Arizona wages in all four quarters of 2024, median wages were highest in engineering; engineering technologies and engineering-related fields; military technologies and applied sciences; computer and information sciences and support services; business, management, marketing, and related support services; and physical sciences. Median wages were lowest in visual and performing arts; English language, literature, and letters; and area, ethnic, cultural, gender, and group studies.
Figure 2: Median 2024 Arizona Wages of 2019-2023 Undergraduate Alumni by Instructional Program
Overall, the report notes that individuals with higher levels of educational attainment tend to earn more. Using 2024 ACS 1-Year Estimates for Arizona, median annual earnings in 2024 inflation-adjusted dollars among individuals age 25 and older were $82,162 for those with a graduate or professional degree, compared to $67,466 for those with a bachelor’s degree and $41,518 for those with a high school diploma or equivalent.¹
1 U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 1-Year Estimates, Table B20004, Arizona.
