Recent Graduate Salary
$12.5K - $17.5K
4% of jobs
$17.5K - $22.5K
3% of jobs
$22.5K - $27.5K
8% of jobs
$31K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$27.5K - $32.5K
14% of jobs
$32.5K - $37.5K
20% of jobs
The median wage is $37.7K / yr.
$37.5K - $42.5K
26% of jobs
$42.5K - $47.5K
11% of jobs
$47.5K - $52.5K
8% of jobs
$52.5K - $57.5K
3% of jobs
$57.5K - $62.5K
1% of jobs
$62.5K - $67.5K
1% of jobs
$12.5K
$38K
$69K
$40,672
/year
$19.55
/hour
Recent Graduate Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$40,672
Columbus
Ohio
$39,285
Do you get a good deal as a Recent Graduate?
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How much does a Recent Graduate make?
As of Jul 27, 2026, the average annual pay for a Recent Graduate in the United States is $40,672 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $19.55 an hour. This is the equivalent of $782/week or $3,389/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $69,000 and as low as $12,500, the majority of Recent Graduate salaries currently range between $31,500 (25th percentile) to $44,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $54,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Recent Graduate varies greatly (by as much as 13000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Recent Graduate in your area makes on average $39,285 per year, or $1,387 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $40,672. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Recent Graduate salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Recent Graduate jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Recent Graduate on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Recent Graduate Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Recent Graduate job is above the national average. Topping the list is Teller, AK, , with Nome, AK, and Cupertino, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Cupertino, CA, beats the national average by $9,506 (23.4%), and Teller, AK, furthers that trend with another $9,945 (24.5%) above the $40,672 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Recent Graduate appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 5% between Teller, AK, and Palo Alto, CA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Recent Graduate role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Teller, AK | $50,617 | $24.34 |
Nome, AK | $50,453 | $24.26 |
Cupertino, CA | $50,178 | $24.12 |
National, MD | $49,839 | $23.96 |
Berkeley, CA | $49,800 | $23.94 |
Hanalei, HI | $49,183 | $23.65 |
Sitka, AK | $48,996 | $23.56 |
Mountain View, CA | $47,980 | $23.07 |
San Francisco, CA | $47,918 | $23.04 |
Palo Alto, CA | $47,810 | $22.99 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Recent Graduate Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Recent Graduate category.
For example Telecommunication Engineer jobs pay as much as $60,030 (147.6%) more than the average Recent Graduate salary of $40,672. If you're qualified, finding work as a Telecommunication Engineer may help you make more money than that of the average Recent Graduate position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Telecommunication Engineer | $100,702 | $48.41 |
Horizontal Construction Engineer | $88,563 | $42.58 |
Entry Level Facilities Engineer | $88,534 | $42.56 |
Engineer And Geologist | $77,030 | $37.03 |
Illinois Tollway | $58,335 | $28.05 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
