by our College Data Analytics Team
[Economics](/majors/social-sciences/economics/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. The schools below stand out for the salaries their economics graduates go on to command.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 16 schools on the early-career earnings of their economics graduates.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools send economics graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
University Of Chicago earned the #1 spot for highest-paid economics graduates in Illinois. University Of Chicago is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. After graduating, economics degree recipients from University Of Chicago typically earn about $157,181 annually.
A rank of #2 makes Northwestern University one of the highest-paying schools for economics. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Evanston. Early-career economics graduates from Northwestern University make a median of around $125,639 per year.
Strong graduate earnings at Illinois Wesleyan University earned it the #3 place for economics. Located in the city of Bloomington, Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the economics program here go on to a median salary of roughly $92,056.
University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying economics schools. Located in the city of Champaign, University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a public institution. After graduating, economics degree recipients from University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign typically earn about $91,191 annually.
Strong graduate earnings at Wheaton College Illinois earned it the #5 place for economics. Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Wheaton. Economics graduates of Wheaton College Illinois earn a median of about $62,889 a year early in their careers.
Lake Forest College placed #6 among the highest-paying schools for economics. Located in the suburb of Lake Forest, Lake Forest College is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the economics program here go on to a median salary of roughly $73,747.
Depaul University came in at #7 for economics graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Chicago, Depaul University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, economics degree recipients from Depaul University typically earn about $87,081 annually.
Illinois State University placed #8 among the highest-paying schools for economics. Set in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State University is a public institution. Economics graduates of Illinois State University earn a median of about $71,687 a year early in their careers.
Northern Illinois University ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying economics schools. Set in the suburb of Dekalb, Northern Illinois University is a public institution. Economics graduates of Northern Illinois University earn a median of about $69,275 a year early in their careers.
Olivet Nazarene University placed #10 among the highest-paying schools for economics. Olivet Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Bourbonnais. Students who complete the economics program here go on to a median salary of roughly $54,169.
University Of Illinois At Chicago placed #11 among the highest-paying schools for economics. Set in the city of Chicago, University Of Illinois At Chicago is a public institution. Economics graduates of University Of Illinois At Chicago earn a median of about $75,992 a year early in their careers.
North Central College landed the #12 spot for economics salaries this year. Located in the city of Naperville, North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career economics graduates from North Central College make a median of around $52,728 per year.
Northeastern Illinois University placed #13 among the highest-paying schools for economics. Set in the city of Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University is a public institution. Economics graduates of Northeastern Illinois University earn a median of about $64,799 a year early in their careers.
Monmouth College landed the #14 spot for economics salaries this year. Set in the town of Monmouth, Monmouth College is a private not-for-profit institution. Economics graduates of Monmouth College earn a median of about $47,048 a year early in their careers.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying economics schools. Located in the town of Carbondale, Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public institution. Early-career economics graduates from Southern Illinois University Carbondale make a median of around $54,554 per year.
Knox College ranked #16 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying economics schools. Knox College is a private not-for-profit school located in the town of Galesburg. After graduating, economics degree recipients from Knox College typically earn about $69,504 annually.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their economics graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 16 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.
More about our data sources and methodologies.