2026 Highest Paid Business Managerial Economics Grads in California

[Business Managerial Economics](/majors/business-management-marketing-sales/business-managerial-economics/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. The highest-paying schools turn a business managerial economics degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
For its 2026 highest-paid-graduates ranking, College Factual looked at 6 schools to find where business managerial economics graduates earn the most.
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2026 Highest Paid Business Managerial Economics Grads in California
Below are the schools whose business managerial economics graduates go on to earn the most.
Highest Paid Business Managerial Economics Graduates
Leading the list is Ashford University, our #1 for business managerial economics graduate salaries in California. Located in the city of San Diego, Ashford University is a private for-profit institution. Students who complete the business managerial economics program here go on to a median salary of roughly $86,666.
A rank of #2 makes Westmont College one of the highest-paying schools for business managerial economics. Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, Westmont College is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career business managerial economics graduates from Westmont College make a median of around $88,820 per year.
Strong graduate earnings at Chapman University earned it the #3 place for business managerial economics. Chapman University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Orange. After graduating, business managerial economics degree recipients from Chapman University typically earn about $89,309 annually.
University Of California Santa Cruz came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying business managerial economics schools. Located in the city of Santa Cruz, University Of California Santa Cruz is a public institution. After graduating, business managerial economics degree recipients from University Of California Santa Cruz typically earn about $89,932 annually.
Students chasing top earnings in business managerial economics will find them at University Of California Irvine, which ranked #5. Set in the city of Irvine, University Of California Irvine is a public institution. Business Managerial Economics graduates of University Of California Irvine earn a median of about $74,617 a year early in their careers.
California State University Long Beach earned the #6 position for business managerial economics graduate earnings this year. California State University Long Beach is a public school located in the city of Long Beach. Early-career business managerial economics graduates from California State University Long Beach make a median of around $66,980 per year.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries business managerial economics graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 6 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Graduate earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard) field-of-study earnings.
More about our data sources and methodologies.