We got an interesting question from an academic adviser at a Texas university: could we tell what thetop 1 percent of earners majored in?
The writer, sly dog, was probably trying to make a point, because he wrote from a biology department, and it turns out that biology majors make up nearly 7 percent of college graduates who live in households in the top 1 percent.
According to the Census Bureau's 2010 American Community Survey, the majors that give you the best chance of reaching the 1 percent are pre-med, economics, biochemistry, zoology and, yes, biology, in that order.
Below is a chart showing the majors most likely to get into the 1 percent (excluding majors held by fewer than 50,000 people in 2010 census data). The third column shows the percentage of degree holders with that major who make it into the 1 percent. The fourth column shows the percent of the 1 percent (among college grads) that hold that major. In other words, more than one in 10 people with a pre-med degree make it into the 1 percent, and about 1 in 100 of the 1 percenters with degrees majored in pre-med.
[Also see: 5 Winning Careers for 2012]
[Also see: 5 Winning Careers for 2012]
Of course, choice of major is not the only way to increase your chances of reaching the 1 percent, if that is your goal. There is also the sector you choose.
A separate analysis of census data on occupations showed that one in eight lawyers, for example, are in the 1 percent -- unless they work for a Wall Street firm, when their chances increase to one in three. Among chief executives, fewer than one in five rank among the 1 percent, but their chances increase if the company produces medical supplies (one in four) or drugs (two in five). Hollywood writers? One in nine are 1 percenters. Television or radio writers? One in 14. Newspaper writers and editors? One in 62.
A separate analysis of census data on occupations showed that one in eight lawyers, for example, are in the 1 percent -- unless they work for a Wall Street firm, when their chances increase to one in three. Among chief executives, fewer than one in five rank among the 1 percent, but their chances increase if the company produces medical supplies (one in four) or drugs (two in five). Hollywood writers? One in nine are 1 percenters. Television or radio writers? One in 14. Newspaper writers and editors? One in 62.
Undergraduate Degree / Total / % Who Are 1 Percenters / Share of All 1 Percenters
| Health and Medical Preparatory Programs | 142,345 | 11.8% | 0.9% |
| Economics | 1,237,863 | 8.2% | 5.4% |
| Biochemical Sciences | 193,769 | 7.2% | 0.7% |
| Zoology | 159,935 | 6.9% | 0.6% |
| Biology | 1,864,666 | 6.7% | 6.6% |
| International Relations | 146,781 | 6.7% | 0.5% |
| Political Science and Government | 1,427,224 | 6.2% | 4.7% |
| Physiology | 98,181 | 6.0% | 0.3% |
| Art History and Criticism | 137,357 | 5.9% | 0.4% |
| Chemistry | 780,783 | 5.7% | 2.4% |
| Molecular Biology | 64,951 | 5.6% | 0.2% |
| Area, Ethnic and Civilization Studies | 184,906 | 5.2% | 0.5% |
| Finance | 1,071,812 | 4.8% | 2.7% |
| History | 1,351,368 | 4.7% | 3.3% |
| Business Economics | 108,146 | 4.6% | 0.3% |
| Miscellaneous Psychology | 61,257 | 4.3% | 0.1% |
| Philosophy and Religious Studies | 448,095 | 4.3% | 1.0% |
| Microbiology | 147,954 | 4.2% | 0.3% |
| Chemical Engineering | 347,959 | 4.1% | 0.8% |
| Physics | 346,455 | 4.1% | 0.7% |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Administration | 334,016 | 3.9% | 0.7% |
| Accounting | 2,296,601 | 3.9% | 4.7% |
| Mathematics | 840,137 | 3.9% | 1.7% |
| English Language and Literature | 1,938,988 | 3.8% | 3.8% |
| Miscellaneous Biology | 52,895 | 3.7% | 0.1% |
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