Top Anthropology Programs in California by Earnings (2026)
Updated
This page ranks the 26 Anthropology programs in California by the median earnings of Anthropology graduates four years after completing. University of California-Berkeley leads with $64,359, followed by Sonoma State University at $62,674 and San Francisco State University at $61,300.
Across the listed schools, median earnings range from $64,359 to $25,194, with a median of $49,518.
Every program on the list belongs to a public institution. University of California-San Diego ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among the 1,467 public and private nonprofit four-year institutions Azimuth ranks nationally.
California State University-Los Angeles posts the lowest average net price at $3,967, and California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt reports the highest admission rate at 98%.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Berkeley · Berkeley, CA | $64,359 | $13,481 | $5,311 | 11.0% |
| University of California-Berkeley ranks 1st on this list, with median earnings of $64,359 for its graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 2 | Sonoma State University · Rohnert Park, CA | $62,674 | $12,885 | $8,310 | 93.4% |
| Sonoma State University reports median earnings of $62,674 for its graduates four years after completing and a median federal debt of $17,614 among Anthropology completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 3 | San Francisco State University · San Francisco, CA | $61,300 | $12,278 | $9,341 | 96.4% |
| San Francisco State University shows an average net price of $9,341 for families earning under $30,000 alongside median earnings of $61,300 for its graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 4 | University of California-San Diego · La Jolla, CA | $56,982 | $12,470 | $7,525 | 26.7% |
| University of California-San Diego ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, with median earnings of $56,982 for its graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | University of California-Davis · Davis, CA | $56,836 | $14,741 | $9,211 | 41.8% |
| Admitting 42% of applicants, University of California-Davis posts median earnings of $56,836 for its graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | University of California-Santa Barbara · Santa Barbara, CA | $56,238 | $16,109 | $9,231 | 33.0% |
| A public university in Santa Barbara, University of California-Santa Barbara has an average net price of $16,109 and an admission rate of 33%. | |||||
| 7 | University of California-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA | $54,905 | $12,548 | $5,579 | 9.0% |
| Median earnings of $54,905 for University of California-Los Angeles's graduates four years after completing come alongside an admission rate of 9%. | |||||
| 8 | California State University-Fullerton · Fullerton, CA | $54,092 | $6,555 | $3,315 | 90.5% |
| California State University-Fullerton reports an average net price of $6,555 and median federal debt of $16,419 among Anthropology completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 9 | San Diego State University · San Diego, CA | $53,991 | $15,364 | $9,910 | 36.2% |
| San Diego State University ranks 36th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, with median earnings of $53,991 for its graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 10 | University of California-Santa Cruz · Santa Cruz, CA | $52,315 | $17,890 | $8,717 | 65.8% |
| University of California-Santa Cruz reports median earnings of $52,315 for its graduates four years after completing, with 110 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 11 | California State University-Channel Islands · Camarillo, CA | $51,951 | $9,849 | $6,857 | 94.8% |
| California State University-Channel Islands admits 95% of applicants, with a median federal debt of $19,375 among Anthropology completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 12 | University of California-Irvine · Irvine, CA | $50,850 | $14,251 | $8,123 | 28.6% |
| An average net price of $8,123 for families earning under $30,000 accompanies University of California-Irvine's median earnings of $50,850 for its graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 13 | California State University-San Marcos · San Marcos, CA | $49,848 | $10,229 | $6,230 | 95.1% |
| California State University-San Marcos reports median earnings of $49,848 for its Anthropology graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $10,229. | |||||
| 14 | California State University-Fresno · Fresno, CA | $49,187 | $7,000 | $5,105 | 95.3% |
| With a cohort of 30 graduates, California State University-Fresno ranks 26th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 15 | California State University-Sacramento · Sacramento, CA | $48,367 | $9,338 | $6,501 | 94.0% |
| California State University-Sacramento admits 94% of applicants and posts median federal debt of $18,750 among Anthropology completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 16 | California State University-Long Beach · Long Beach, CA | $47,166 | $10,440 | $7,183 | 46.3% |
| Ranking 16th on this list, California State University-Long Beach shows median earnings of $47,166 four years after completing and an average net price of $7,183 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 17 | California State University-Stanislaus · Turlock, CA | $46,321 | $6,067 | $3,938 | 98.1% |
| California State University-Stanislaus reports an average net price of $6,067 and median federal debt of $13,540 across all of the school's borrowers who completed. | |||||
| 18 | University of California-Riverside · Riverside, CA | $45,821 | $14,304 | $8,852 | 76.4% |
| University of California-Riverside posts median earnings of $45,821 for its Anthropology graduates four years after completing, with a cohort of 110. | |||||
| 19 | California State University-Northridge · Northridge, CA | $43,192 | $7,021 | $4,905 | 93.5% |
| Ranking 7th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, California State University-Northridge reports an average net price of $4,905 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 20 | California State University-Chico · Chico, CA | $43,153 | $14,480 | $9,902 | 92.7% |
| California State University-Chico admits 93% of applicants and shows median federal debt of $18,263 among Anthropology completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 21 | California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt · Arcata, CA | $41,464 | $13,171 | $8,483 | 98.2% |
| An average net price of $13,171 and median earnings of $41,464 for its Anthropology graduates four years after completing are reported by California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt. | |||||
| 22 | California State University-San Bernardino · San Bernardino, CA | $40,417 | $4,564 | $2,681 | 93.7% |
| With an average net price of $2,681 for families earning under $30,000, California State University-San Bernardino ranks 43rd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 23 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona · Pomona, CA | $37,443 | $11,531 | $7,851 | 75.2% |
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona posts median federal debt of $9,500 among Anthropology completers who borrowed and admits 75% of applicants. | |||||
| 24 | California State University-Dominguez Hills · Carson, CA | $33,281 | $8,615 | $7,303 | 93.3% |
| Ranking 24th on this list, California State University-Dominguez Hills reports median earnings of $33,281 four years after completing and an average net price of $8,615. | |||||
| 25 | University of California-Merced · Merced, CA | $26,353 | $11,983 | $7,945 | 90.5% |
| University of California-Merced reports median earnings of $26,353 for its Anthropology graduates four years after completing, with a cohort of 17. | |||||
| 26 | California State University-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA | $25,194 | $3,967 | $2,877 | 91.3% |
| With an average net price of $3,967, California State University-Los Angeles admits 91% of applicants and ranks 3rd on Azimuth's composite ranking among the 1,467 public and private nonprofit four-year institutions Azimuth ranks nationally. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Anthropology graduates four years after completing, or two years for programs that report only a two-year figure, highest first. The figure captures federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after they finished the program. For 3 of the 26 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost of attendance, or the characteristics of the students who enroll, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The gap between first and second is $1,685, with University of California-Berkeley at $64,359 and Sonoma State University at $62,674.
Related rankings
- Best Anthropology Programs in the United States
- Best Colleges in California
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- Anthropology Programs in Georgia
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