By Eric Yan and Sarah Girma

The Class of 2024 began college scattered around the world, from childhood bedrooms to time zones on the opposite side of the globe to even the Radcliffe Quad. But after three years in Cambridge, Harvard’s newly minted graduates will soon converge on familiar locations and careers.

Almost half of those surveyed from the Class of 2024 will remain in the Northeast, with New York and Massachusetts as the most popular locations. The majority — 58 percent — of Harvard’s graduating class will immediately enter the workforce, and more than half will take jobs in finance, tech, or consulting, up slightly from 41 percent last year. Two in five seniors taking a job will command starting salaries well into the six figures.

In line with previous years, approximately 21 percent of respondents from the Class of 2024 will further their education at graduate or professional schools. Ten percent of surveyed Harvard seniors will pursue a fellowship, an increase from last year’s figure of 6 percent, while another 8 percent remain undecided.

New Faces, Same Places

Though the vast majority of Harvard’s graduating class will move out of Cambridge shortly after commencement, many seniors won’t go far. The Big Apple remains highly appealing, with nearly one-quarter of fresh graduates moving to New York. Massachusetts comes in second, attracting one in five surveyed seniors, and 11 percent will fly across the country to the sunny state of California.

Eleven percent of respondents will be moving internationally, most of whom are relocating to Europe, which will welcome 7 percent of surveyed Harvard graduates. Two percent will move to Asia, while 1 percent will find their new home in Latin America.

As expected, postgrad destinations correlate strongly with career plans. Almost two-thirds — 64 percent — of surveyed seniors working in finance will be in New York, while the nation’s capital will welcome half of those pursuing jobs in government or politics. Europe is the top destination for those pursuing fellowships, attracting 28 percent of such graduates.

Premier Careers

Finance, tech, and consulting jobs remain the three most popular industries for Harvard graduates starting their careers, consistent with past years.

Approximately 21 percent of graduates this year will take jobs in finance, and 16 percent of seniors will start in tech — a modest uptick from last year’s 12 percent figure. The fraction of graduates going into consulting fell to 13 percent from 19 percent last year. Nine percent of Harvard seniors will work in academia or research.

Career choices differ somewhat between genders, most starkly in tech and finance: While 20 percent of surveyed male graduates plan to work in tech, just 13 percent of female graduates plan to do the same. Similarly, 26 percent of surveyed male graduates opted for careers in finance, compared to just 18 percent of female graduates.

Family income also played a role in seniors’ career choices. For respondents with a family income under $40,000, academia and finance were the top fields, with 19 percent opting for each. By contrast, a third of seniors who said their family earned $500,000 or more plan to enter finance while just 9 percent plan to take a job in academia.

Lofty Salaries

As in previous years, most Harvard seniors set to enter the workforce will earn salaries far outpacing those of other college graduates in the United States.

Forty percent of graduates who said they have jobs lined up will earn more than $110,000, and more than two-thirds will earn more than $70,000 — a figure more than $10,000 higher than the national median starting salary of U.S. college graduates.

Graduates who said they were entering finance, tech, and consulting reported far higher earnings than their peers. Among surveyed seniors taking jobs in tech, almost half will earn more than $130,000, and nearly three-quarters will make more than $110,000. In finance, roughly 28 percent of respondents will see a payday of more than $130,000, and 72 percent will earn more than $110,000.

Half of surveyed Harvard seniors entering consulting will earn between $110,000 and $120,000, and 11 percent will receive salaries higher than that. On the other end of the spectrum, more than four in five set to work in academia or research reported a starting salary under $70,000.

Personal Finances, Family Circumstances

Family considerations weighed heavily on many graduates when choosing careers. Almost 30 percent of surveyed Harvard seniors said their family’s socioeconomic status greatly informed their career plans postgrad, and 46 percent said such considerations informed their plans somewhat.

Approximately 61 percent of respondents reported that they expect to have some level of financial support from their family, with 20 percent saying they will receive support for rent and other living expenses.

Among graduates who said their family’s socioeconomic status greatly informed their job choices, 33 percent said they expect to receive substantial financial support from their family, compared to just 14 and 13 percent of respondents who said family considerations somewhat or did not inform their career plans, respectively.

Student debt will also play a factor in some graduates’ financial planning, with 12 percent of surveyed seniors reporting that they will graduate with loans. Of those graduates, 39 percent said their loans affected their postgraduate plans, while 61 percent said they did not.