The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School has released its MBA employment report for the Class of 2024, and graduates maintained the school’s record median salary of $175,000 for another year running.
Of the 916 graduating Wharton MBA students, 69 percent (634 students) sought employment. Just over 93 percent of MBA graduates seeking employment received a job offer within three months of graduation, while 88.2 percent had accepted job offers.
Out of the 201 graduates not seeking employment, 117 returned to their pre-MBA companies. Roughly a quarter (55 students) were self-employed or starting their own business.
Wharton MBA Employment Report 2024: Industry and Regional Placement
Financial services careers are traditionally the most popular for Wharton MBAs, and that trend continued with the MBA Class of 2024. A breakdown of the 36.6 percent employed in finance reveals that 15.2 percent pursued investment banking/brokerage and nearly 10 percent landed in PE/buyouts/other. Consulting held on to second place at 25.2 percent, followed by technology at 14.1 percent, each only a three percent dip from last year. Five percent pursued roles in health care. Media, entertainment & sports rounded out the top five industry choices at three percent.
| Financial Services | 36.6% | $175,000 |
| Consulting | 25.2% | $190,000 |
| Technology | 14.1% | $162,750 |
| Health Care | 5% | $163,000 |
| Media, Entertainment, Sports | 3% | $140,000 |
Ninety-four percent of graduates accepted jobs in the U.S. Nearly 47 percent of graduates found work in the Northeast. The West was next most popular at 21.5 percent. The Mid-Atlantic states were the career destination for 12 percent of Wharton MBAs. Five percent headed to the Southwest and 4.7 percent to the South. Just 3.6 percent settled in the Midwest U.S. Nearly four percent found work in the Midwest U.S. Six percent headed abroad, with nearly four percent settling in Asia and nearly two percent in Europe.
| Northeast | 46.8% | $175,000 |
| West | 21.5% | $175,000 |
| Mid-Atlantic | 12% | $175,000 |
| Southwest | 5% | $192,000 |
| South | 4.7% | $175,000 |
The overall U.S.-based median salary was $175,000. In the Southwest, the median salary reached the highest at $192,000, followed by $189,000 in the Midwest. The highest salaries by industry were found in legal and professional services, with the median reported at $225,000. Of the more popular industry choices, consulting landed the high median salary of $190,000 while financial services came in at $175,000 overall.
