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 highest-paying schools turn a economics degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
College Factual analyzed 3 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the highest-paying economics schools.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools whose economics graduates go on to earn the most.
Centre College tops our 2026 list of the highest-paying economics schools in Kentucky. Centre College is a private not-for-profit school located in the town of Danville. Economics graduates of Centre College earn a median of about $84,284 a year early in their careers.
A rank of #2 makes Western Kentucky University one of the highest-paying schools for economics. Western Kentucky University is a public school located in the city of Bowling Green. Early-career economics graduates from Western Kentucky University make a median of around $54,462 per year.
Students chasing top earnings in economics will find them at University Of Kentucky, which ranked #3. Located in the city of Lexington, University Of Kentucky is a public institution. After graduating, economics degree recipients from University Of Kentucky typically earn about $62,955 annually.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries 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 · 3 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.