by our College Data Analytics Team
[Economics](/majors/social-sciences/economics/) graduates earn very different salaries depending on where they study. The highest-paying schools turn a economics degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
College Factual analyzed 5 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.
For graduate earnings in economics, no school beat Vanderbilt University this year. Vanderbilt University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville. Economics graduates of Vanderbilt University earn a median of about $128,449 a year early in their careers.
Rhodes College produces some of the highest-paid graduates in economics, landing the #2 spot this year. Rhodes College is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Memphis. Students who complete the economics program here go on to a median salary of roughly $89,072.
Students chasing top earnings in economics will find them at Sewanee The University Of The South, which ranked #3. Located in the rural area of Sewanee, Sewanee The University Of The South is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the economics program here go on to a median salary of roughly $77,878.
A rank of #4 makes The University Of Tennessee At Chattanooga one of the highest-paying schools for economics. The University Of Tennessee At Chattanooga is a public school located in the city of Chattanooga. Early-career economics graduates from The University Of Tennessee At Chattanooga make a median of around $57,397 per year.
A rank of #5 makes The University Of Tennessee one of the highest-paying schools for economics. Located in the city of Knoxville, The University Of Tennessee is a public institution. Early-career economics graduates from The University Of Tennessee make a median of around $72,348 per year.
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 · 5 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.