The era of quantitative analysis: Mathematics leads incomes in Mexico
The Mathematics degree has surpassed General Medicine as the highest paying profession in Mexico, recording an average monthly income of 29,887 pesos compared to the 27,823 pesos earned by a general physician.
A historic trend change
According to the report Compare Careers 2026 from the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO), General Medicine had led the salary ranking for the past three years. However, the monthly advantage for Mathematics graduates now stands at 2,064 pesos more (7.4% above).
This rise is not coincidental: the real income of those who studied Mathematics increased by nearly 41% in real terms between 2020 and 2025, drastically surpassing the overall average increase of 10% for professionals in the same period. At the opposite end of the salary spectrum, the career of Curriculum Design and Pedagogy registers the lowest average at 15,934 pesos per month, marking a gap of 13,953 pesos compared to the leader of the list.
The informality gap and job placement
Despite leading average incomes, graduating in this discipline does not guarantee a uniform salary:
- Salary median: It is located at 25,901 pesos monthly.
- Distribution: 25% of graduates earn less than 19,426 pesos, while the top 25% exceed 42,736 pesos.
- Formality versus informality: Those working in the formal sector earn an average of 33,008 pesos, while mathematicians in the informal sector drop to 18,612 pesos.
The report details that the career has an unemployment rate of 1.3%. However, 22.7% of those employed work in informality and 69.6% manage to work in activities directly related to their studies.
At next+, we believe that the rise of Mathematics to the salary summit reflects how digital transformation and the rise of sectors such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, and algorithmic finance are reconfiguring the value of STEM disciplines in Mexico. Companies today pay an unprecedented premium for quantitative profiles capable of structuring and modeling complex information. For decision-makers, the challenge does not solely lie in attracting this scarce talent but in ensuring formal hiring schemes that maximize their productivity against the tempting offers from independent international markets and platforms.