by our College Data Analytics Team
[Economics](/majors/social-sciences/economics/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. The highest-paying schools turn a economics degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 4 schools on the early-career earnings of their economics graduates.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools whose economics graduates go on to earn the most.
University Of South Carolina Columbia tops our 2026 list of the highest-paying economics schools in South Carolina. Located in the city of Columbia, University Of South Carolina Columbia is a public institution. Early-career economics graduates from University Of South Carolina Columbia make a median of around $68,890 per year.
Strong graduate earnings at Furman University earned it the #2 place for economics. Located in the suburb of Greenville, Furman University is a private not-for-profit institution. Economics graduates of Furman University earn a median of about $55,615 a year early in their careers.
A rank of #3 makes College Of Charleston one of the highest-paying schools for economics. Located in the city of Charleston, College Of Charleston is a public institution. Economics graduates of College Of Charleston earn a median of about $54,866 a year early in their careers.
Clemson University came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying economics schools. Clemson University is a public school located in the suburb of Clemson. Economics graduates of Clemson University earn a median of about $67,777 a year early in their careers.
This list is compiled 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 · 4 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.