If you want to join the ranks of the America’s wealthiest 1%, the New York Times’s Economix blog thinks you might want to change your major. The blog analyzed census data and found that the majors with the best chance of making it into the upper-crust of American society are:
- Pre-med: Of those who major in pre-med programs, 11.8% make it into the 1%. However, just 0.9% of all 1-percenters majored in pre-med.
- Economics: Of those who major in econ, 8.2% reach the 1%. And a relatively large share—5.4%—of 1-percenters are econ majors.
- Biochemistry: Biochemical science majors have a 7.2% chance of getting into the 1%. Just 0.7% of 1-percenters majored in biochem.
- Zoology: Of zoology majors, 6.9% are in the 1%. Of 1-percenters, 0.6% are zoology majors.
- Biology: Biology majors have a 6.7% chance of landing a spot in the 1%. But a whopping 6.6% of 1-percenters majored in bio, the largest share on the list.
So what do you think? Do any of these surprise you? Are you thinking about changing your major? Would you change your major just to change your projected socio-economic status?
