The average hourly wage for 2020-21 bachelor’s level interns and co-ops was identical at $20.82, according to results of NACE’s 2022 Internship & Co-op Survey Report.

Both salaries continue an ascent seen in recent years. While the average hourly wage for 2020-21 interns is just $0.06 higher than that paid to interns in 2019-20, it is the highest hourly wage reported for interns and a jump of $1.28 from the average paid to 2018-19 interns ($19.54). (See Figure 1.)

The hourly average wage for 2020-21 co-ops is a gain of $0.62 from that paid to co-ops in 2019-20 ($20.20). It is also a climb of more than $2 an hour above the average hourly wage of $18.69 paid to co-ops in 2017-18.

NACE’s 2022 Internship & Co-op Survey Report provides projections for internship and co-op programs for the 2021-22 academic year, but the bulk of the information presented here represent data gathered from 2020-21 internship and co-op programs. Historical data are also provided to indicate trends. Data collection took place from November 10, 2021, to January 12, 2022. There were 183 NACE member respondents representing 22.4% of eligible member respondents. The Internship & Co-op Survey was also distributed to nonmember companies from which an additional 26 responses were received. The 2022 Internship & Co-op Survey Report is available to participants on MyNACE. Those who did not participate can find info about how to purchase the report at https://www.naceweb.org/store/2022/internship-survey-compensation-guide-combo/.