2026 Best Applied Economics Schools in the The Plains States Region
Applied Economics is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.
For its 2026 ranking, College Factual looked at 7 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for applied economics students pursuing a degree.
What’s on this page:
Best Schools for Applied Economics in the The Plains States Region
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the applied economics degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Applied Economics
Leading the list is University Of Minnesota Twin Cities, our #1 school for applied economics. Located in the city of Minneapolis, University Of Minnesota Twin Cities is a very large public university. The six-year graduation rate is 85%. There were roughly 22 applied economics students who graduated with this degree at University Of Minnesota Twin Cities in the most recent data year. Graduates of the applied economics program make about $56,902 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $21,500 to complete this degree.
See the full applied economics program report for University Of Minnesota Twin Cities
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 7 schools evaluated.
- 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.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
