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.
For its 2026 highest-paid-graduates ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find where economics graduates earn the most.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools whose economics graduates go on to earn the most.
Leading the list is Kansas State University, our #1 for economics graduate salaries in Kansas. Kansas State University is a public school located in the city of Manhattan. Students who complete the economics program here go on to a median salary of roughly $75,615.
Students chasing top earnings in economics will find them at University Of Kansas, which ranked #2. Set in the city of Lawrence, University Of Kansas is a public institution. Early-career economics graduates from University Of Kansas make a median of around $77,286 per year.
Fort Hays State University came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying economics schools. Set in the town of Hays, Fort Hays State University is a public institution. After graduating, economics degree recipients from Fort Hays State University typically earn about $50,690 annually.
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 · 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.