Law & Public
What you can do with Public Administration
Manage the public sector: budgets, policy, and programs that serve communities.
- Careers
- 9
- Early career
- $55,000
- Mid-career
- $80,000
- Growing fast
- 2 of 9
How these numbers work: A major does not have its own salary. Early and mid-career pay is what people who hold this degree earn at the start of their careers and midway through them. Career pay comes from the 9 careers a Public Administration degree commonly leads to, and counts everyone in those jobs, including people who have been doing them for thirty years. The two answer different questions, which is why they do not match.
The New York Fed does not report Public Administration on its own. Its early and mid-career figures here are for Public Policy and Law, the broader group it places this major in.
47% of people with this degree go on to a graduate degree, so the higher-paying careers below usually mean more school after the bachelor's.
2 of 9 careers this degree leads to are projected to grow faster than average from 2024 to 2034. Of those, Administrative Services Manager has the most openings, about 23,200 a year.
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9 careers this degree leads to
Administrative Services Manager
$114,130Run the support operations every organization depends on: records, office services, and administrative teams.
- Middle half of workers
- $86,460 to $157,420
- Growth
- Faster than average
- Openings a year
- 23,200
Work-life66Remote42- Operations Administration
- Records Management
- Vendor Coordination
- Budgeting
School Principal (K-12 Administrator)
$105,870Lead a school: set its academic direction, manage its staff and budget, and own the culture students learn in.
- Middle half of workers
- $86,040 to $134,630
- Growth
- Declining
- Openings a year
- 20,800
Work-life56Remote51- Instructional Leadership
- Staff Management
- Budgeting
- Communication
College Administrator (Postsecondary)
$104,590Run the programs behind higher education: admissions, student services, academic operations, and research administration.
- Middle half of workers
- $80,870 to $144,370
- Growth
- Slower than average
- Openings a year
- 15,100
Work-life60Remote67- Program Administration
- Policy
- Budgeting
- Critical Thinking
Emergency Management Director
$93,330Plan how cities and organizations survive disasters, then lead the response when they hit.
- Middle half of workers
- $67,910 to $126,490
- Growth
- About average
- Openings a year
- 1,000
Work-life47Remote12- Disaster Planning
- Incident Command
- Coordination
- Public Communication
Budget Analyst
$91,640Build and police the budgets that keep organizations solvent, checking estimates for accuracy and compliance.
- Middle half of workers
- $75,320 to $114,220
- Growth
- Slower than average
- Openings a year
- 3,100
Work-life64Remote66- Budgeting
- Forecasting
- Mathematics
- Attention to Detail
Community Services Manager
$80,390Lead the programs and nonprofits that serve communities: plan services, manage staff, and prove impact.
- Middle half of workers
- $64,290 to $103,200
- Growth
- Faster than average
- Openings a year
- 18,600
Work-life59Remote71- Program Management
- Grant Writing
- Staff Leadership
- Community Engagement
Criminal Justice / Law Enforcement
$76,210Maintain law and order, prevent crime, and protect communities.
- Middle half of workers
- $59,290 to $97,600
- Growth
- About average
- Openings a year
- 53,700
Work-life32Remote5Satisfaction62- Law Enforcement
- Critical Thinking
- Communication
- Problem Solving
Fundraiser
$72,550Raise the money that keeps nonprofits, universities, and campaigns running, from events to major gifts.
- Middle half of workers
- $57,480 to $92,180
- Growth
- About average
- Openings a year
- 10,200
Work-life52Remote33- Donor Relations
- Grant Writing
- Event Planning
- Storytelling
Firefighter
$59,280Respond when lives and property are at risk: fight fires, run rescues, and handle medical emergencies.
- Middle half of workers
- $44,490 to $77,250
- Growth
- About average
- Openings a year
- 27,100
Work-life56- Fire Suppression
- Emergency Response
- Physical Fitness
- Teamwork
Related majors
Set on Public Administration?
Save it as your major and PlanexAI will shape your dashboard, career matches, and study plan around it.
Where these pay figures come from
Early and mid-career pay is the median annual wage of full-time workers who hold a bachelor's degree in that major, ages 22 to 27 and ages 35 to 45, from 2024 data. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (IPUMS). Published as Outcomes by Major by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Career pay is the annual wage of everyone working in that occupation, not only recent graduates, so it includes people who have done the job for decades. The middle half is the 25th to the 75th percentile. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).
All figures are national. What you earn depends on where you work, who you work for, and how far you take the degree.