Business Visualizations

New Study Ranks College Degrees by Return on Investment

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With the high cost of college tuition making headlines, choosing a college major wisely becomes a crucial financial decision. Student Choice has analyzed college majors by their return on investment (ROI) and created a graph that ranks degrees by their ROI. Passion is certainly an important factor in choosing a college major, but knowing the ROI of a major helps prospective students plan for their future and understand their future financial prospects. This graph is a powerful tool for navigating a competitive job market.

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The Most Popular College Degrees Ranked by Return on Investment (ROI) After 5 Years in the Workforce

We can see STEM dominating the results, with an Engineering degree claiming the highest ROI at 326.6%. Computer Science earns second place with a 310.3% ROI, and Nursing has a 280.9% ROI. Student Choice gathered its data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and compared five-year earnings to the cost of four years of college tuition. Unfortunately, Liberal Arts subjects are at the bottom of the list, although they still show a positive ROI. Education majors have a 169.8% ROI and Fine Arts have the lowest ROI at 163.3%.

The team also provided data on individual professions for which these majors qualify. The highest-paid engineers appear to be Aerospace engineers, with a whopping 427% ROI on their engineering degrees. Computer and IT Systems Managers with a degree in Computer Science have an even greater ROI, at 553.7%. Although Liberal Arts degrees have the lowest ROIs, there are still significant opportunities available in specific arts-related professions. For example, marketing managers can achieve a 511.4% ROI and earn degrees in Liberal Arts, Fine Arts, or Graphic Design to qualify. Art Directors show strong earning potential within the creative sector, with a 347.9% ROI.

Some might look at this data and conclude that they can aim for some of these careers without a four-year degree. Others might research how much more they would earn in the career path with a four-year degree. Many employers are willing to pay higher salaries to employees with higher levels of education. Some sectors offer student loan forgiveness options, which can help maximize ROI. There’s a public education loan forgiveness program that forgives student loans for teachers who work in low-income school districts for a certain length of time. Borrowers may find more flexible loan solutions from credit unions compared to federal loan systems as well. Data like this is key to helping prospective students plan for the future and achieve the best ROI.

While the data is useful and well-presented, all prospective students should consider several angles when making an important decision, like which major to declare. In addition to ROI, consider your personal instincts, financial circumstances, skills, and potential career satisfaction. While financial security is important and a strong ROI will help you secure it, job satisfaction is an important aspect of future happiness. Even so, Student Choice’s work here can help all prospective students plan for their financial future.

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Business Visualizations

Study Examines the Logo Rebrands That Led to Big Increases in Web Traffic

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Logos are among the most dramatic and important aspects of marketing, shaping how consumers view a brand in ways that aren’t always visible. Logo designs are based on psychology, which informs us how shapes and colors make us feel, and how they can shape a brand’s trustworthiness and credibility. If a brand changes its logo, it must be done with care and intention, and with a clear reason to justify the switch. The team at LogoMaker displays the most effective logo switches and rebrands in a graphic based on increased web traffic.

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The 35 Logo Redesigns and Rebrands That Led to the Greatest Increases in Web Traffic

The team chose web traffic as an indicator of a successful logo because in the world of marketing, clicks and traffic are closely linked with sales and brand awareness. It’s a quantifiable way to measure customer behavior. The team used SEMrush traffic data to estimate traffic changes in the three months leading up to their rebrand announcement, compared with the two months after the launch. Their graph isolates traffic rates to the time of the rebrand to get the most accurate depiction of the effects. The team also helpfully included the old and new logos so readers can form their own opinions about changes.

According to the team’s results, these were the brands with the biggest traffic increases after their new logo launched:

  • Pfizer
  • MLB
  • Premier League
  • The Guardian
  • Southwest
  • VISA
  • Target
  • Jaguar
  • IHOP
  • Spotify

We see a wide range of industries represented in these results. Pfizer takes the lead after redesigning its logo from a pill shape to a double helix. This is also a good example of other factors, in addition to the rebrand, causing the traffic spikes. The rebrand occurred in 2021, the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the world was hoping for a company like Pfizer to develop an effective vaccine.

After Pfizer, we see a few sports leagues on the chart. Major League Soccer, or MLS, is in second place, followed by the UK’s Premier League in third. Both of them dramatically simplified their logos, making them clearer and possibly more memorable, as the increased traffic indicates. In fact, many of the companies on the list seem to have opted for simpler logo designs. This is quite possibly so the logos are more visible when they’re small, like on a phone screen. This could also reflect a changing aesthetic, shifting from the more stylized and classical designs of the 90s and 00s to today’s more bold, minimalist style.

The trend toward minimalist logo redesign reflects evolving consumer preferences and the demands of digital media. Companies across diverse industries, from pharmaceuticals to sports and retail, are embracing simpler, more impactful designs that enhance brand recognition and visibility in an increasingly mobile world. These changes not only boost traffic but also demonstrate how branding adapts to cultural shifts and technological advancements, helping organizations stay relevant and competitive in today’s fast-paced landscape.

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Business Visualizations

Find the Places in the U.S. Where People Are Most Eager to Find a Job

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Job searching is stressful and the current employment market isn’t the strongest. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says that the average job search lasts 23.3 weeks. That’s a long haul. The World Economic Forum does see the market becoming more dynamic soon with new and emerging job opportunities. Qualtrics added to this top with a new map showing where we’ll find the most active job seekers in the U.S. They drew on data from the BLS’s American Time Use Survey.

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Where in the United States are people the most eager to get a job?

The team’s main visual for their data is a color-coded map of the 50 states, ranked by the percentage of residents who reported engaging in job-seeking activities. These could include looking for work, wanting a job, submitting applications, intending to seek work soon, looking at job ads, or attending job training. Five states had to be excluded from the ranking because of insufficient survey data. This included Hawaii, Vermont, North Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

These states were found to have the most people wanting new jobs:

  1. Alaska — 23.81% (standout leader)
  2. Idaho — 17.24%
  3. California — 13.33%
  4. Oklahoma — 12.5%
  5. Nevada & New Hampshire — tied at 11.9%
  6. Iowa — 11.28%
  7. Washington — 9.95%
  8. Oregon — 9.04%
  9. Virginia — 8.84%

This list shows Western and Pacific states dominating the top. Alaska as a standout leader might come as a surprise because it’s not due to a job shortage. There is actually a workforce shortage in Alaska. In 2024, Alaska created 5,400 new jobs with more expected in 2025. $20 billion in infrastructure development is expected to generate 20,000 more jobs by 2030. So, Alaska’s high job-seeking activity reflects a growing, dynamic economy with ample room for pivots and career changes.

States with the lowest rankings were Kentucky (1.32%), Arkansas (1.83%), and Missouri (3.26%). These states may have lower unemployment rates, different market conditions, or demographic factors that influenced their ranking. The data make it clear that job-seeking activity varies widely by state, tied to local economic conditions, perhaps more so than national trends. Job seekers should take advantage of training programs, the federal jobs board, and role-specific job search sites. It also shows that securing talent is only one step toward building a loyal, long-term workforce. Only 42% of workers feel engaged, which is a major reason they may seek new jobs.

Beyond a snapshot of where Americans are currently looking for work, these data points to a bigger reality: labor-market “energy” is uneven, and high job-seeking activity can signal opportunity as much as instability. In states like Alaska, movement may reflect an expanding, restructuring economy in which workers feel empowered (or required) to pivot as new roles and industries emerge. For job seekers, the practical takeaway is to align search strategy with local conditions. Prioritize skills-building and credentials that travel across employers, use targeted boards and training pipelines, and treat mobility as a long-term advantage rather than a short-term disruption. Organizations and individuals that read these regional signals early and invest accordingly will be best positioned to thrive as the economy continues to evolve.

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Business Visualizations

Research Uncovers the Industries with the Highest Turnover Rates in the U.S.

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The Qualtrics research team examined the employee turnover rates across American industries to identify which sectors struggle the most with workforce retention and which offer the greatest stability. The team defined a turnover rate as the percentage of hires, layoffs, and quits among an industry’s workforce. Turnover rates can vary widely across industries and can indicate a range of conditions for workers, from economic instability to dangerous jobs with high injury rates. High turnover can also be very costly for the businesses within those industries.

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The team created a chart to visualize data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They measured hire rates, layoff/discharge rates, and quit rates. Here are the top 5 results from each category:

The highest hiring rates: Arts, entertainment, and recreation; accommodation and food services; leisure and hospitality; retail trade; and professional and business services.

The highest layoff/discharge rates: Arts, entertainment, and recreation; professional and business services; construction; transportation, warehousing, and utilities; and mining and logging.

The highest quit rates: Accommodation and food services; leisure and hospitality; retail trade; professional and business services; trade, transportation, and utilities.

Arts and entertainment stand out as a highly unstable industry with high hiring and layoff rates, meaning it has by far the highest turnover. On the low end of these measures, we find the federal government and finance sectors.

High turnover rates should concern more than employees. They don’t favor businesses either. Hiring new workers can be very expensive, as the business must cover job advertising, recruitment agency fees, training costs, and other onboarding expenses. According to Cornell University, it costs an average of $5,864 to replace an employee. If we examine the high-turnover food service industry, we find that a restaurant with 50 employees would need to replace two employees per month at a 4.7% turnover rate. Over the course of the year, replacing two employees a month would cost the restaurant $150,000. Setting aside the costs, high turnover can disrupt workflow and add workload and stress for staff, lowering morale, quality, and brand reputation. We saw this happen in another high-turnover industry. Both the Screen Actors’ Guild and the Writers’ Guild have made headlines for massive strikes that delayed film projects for years.

The team pointed out that a report from the Society for Human Resource Management identified the top three reasons for turnover as employee dissatisfaction with compensation, lack of career development, and workplace inflexibility. These are all common factors in the industries with the highest rates. Industries like food service, retail, and hospitality all have high levels of burnout, employees who feel they’re in stagnant careers, and demanding schedules that require work on weekends and holidays. These factors create unsatisfied workers who don’t stick around in the industry.

The COVID-19 pandemic led many people to consider the importance of workplace safety and a work culture that makes employees feel the company takes their health seriously. There were high turnover rates during this time across industries, and we learned that many companies fell short in protecting workers from illness. The Qualtrics study is packed full of data points with far-reaching implications like these.

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