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2023 Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools

482 Colleges in the United States
39,397 Bachelor's Degrees
$47,696 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a bachelor's degree in economics, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #15 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

In 2023, College Factual analyzed 482 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 39,397 bachelor's degrees in economics to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Economics School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools Your choice of economics for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality economics program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for economics students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Economics Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Economics Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Economics in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in economics. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Economics

1
491 Annual Graduates
$82,564 Median Starting Salary
$16,256 Median Student Debt

University of Chicago is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in economics. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.

Economics bachelor's degree recipients from University of Chicago get an earnings boost of around $34,868 over the typical earnings of economics majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of Chicago

2
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
161 Annual Graduates
$94,699 Median Starting Salary
$12,000 Median Student Debt

Duke University is a great decision for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in economics. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham.

Those economics students who get their bachelor's degree from Duke University receive $47,003 more than the average economics grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Duke University

3
351 Annual Graduates
$71,488 Median Starting Salary
$15,500 Median Student Debt

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in economics needs to take a look at Northwestern University. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Those economics students who get their bachelor's degree from Northwestern University earn $23,792 more than the average economics grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Northwestern University

4
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University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
222 Annual Graduates
$72,198 Median Starting Salary
$15,684 Median Student Debt

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in economics needs to look into University of Pennsylvania. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.

Those economics students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Pennsylvania make $24,502 more than the standard economics graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of Pennsylvania

5
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Yale University
New Haven, CT
188 Annual Graduates
$87,166 Median Starting Salary
$16,471 Median Student Debt

Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of New Haven.

Those economics students who get their bachelor's degree from Yale University earn $39,470 more than the average economics grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Yale University

6
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Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
211 Annual Graduates
$72,741 Median Starting Salary
$13,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the economics degree program at Vanderbilt University get $25,045 above the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Vanderbilt University

7
254 Annual Graduates
$69,070 Median Starting Salary
$19,000 Median Student Debt

Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.

Those economics students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Notre Dame make $21,374 more than the average economics graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of Notre Dame

8
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Rice University
Houston, TX
101 Annual Graduates
$87,989 Median Starting Salary
$13,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the economics program at Rice University earn $40,293 more than the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Rice University

9
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Brown University
Providence, RI
184 Annual Graduates
$64,028 Median Starting Salary
$17,250 Median Student Debt

Brown is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Providence.

Economics bachelor's degree recipients from Brown University earn a boost of approximately $16,332 above the average income of economics majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Brown University

10
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
154 Annual Graduates
$89,515 Median Starting Salary
$7,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Those economics students who get their bachelor's degree from Harvard University earn $41,819 more than the average economics graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Harvard University

11
116 Annual Graduates
$95,566 Median Starting Salary
$12,500 Median Student Debt

Claremont McKenna is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Claremont.

Bachelor's recipients from the economics program at Claremont McKenna College make $47,870 above the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Claremont McKenna College

12
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Williams College
Williamstown, MA
100 Annual Graduates
$83,280 Median Starting Salary
$14,000 Median Student Debt

Williams is a small private not-for-profit college located in the fringe town of Williamstown.

Economics bachelor's degree recipients from Williams College get an earnings boost of around $35,584 above the typical earnings of economics majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Williams College

13
758 Annual Graduates
$71,330 Median Starting Salary
$11,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the economics major at University of California - Berkeley earn $23,634 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of California - Berkeley

14
282 Annual Graduates
$73,902 Median Starting Salary
$26,923 Median Student Debt

Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.

Economics bachelor's degree recipients from Columbia University in the City of New York get an earnings boost of about $26,206 above the average income of economics graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Columbia University in the City of New York

15
116 Annual Graduates
$69,157 Median Starting Salary
$16,250 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Economics bachelor's degree recipients from Johns Hopkins University receive an earnings boost of approximately $21,461 over the average income of economics graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Johns Hopkins University

16
186 Annual Graduates
$69,416 Median Starting Salary
$15,402 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Economics bachelor's degree recipients from Cornell University receive an earnings boost of about $21,720 above the typical earnings of economics majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Cornell University

17
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA

Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Economics bachelor's degree recipients from Stanford University get an earnings boost of around $12,779 over the average income of economics majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Stanford University

18
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ

Located in the small city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.

Those economics students who get their bachelor's degree from Princeton University make $34,265 more than the standard economics graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Princeton University

19
Dartmouth crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH
174 Annual Graduates
$85,069 Median Starting Salary
$15,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the town of Hanover, Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Economics bachelor's degree recipients from Dartmouth College get an earnings boost of about $37,373 over the typical earnings of economics graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Dartmouth College

20
796 Annual Graduates
$52,741 Median Starting Salary
$15,000 Median Student Debt

UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Bachelor's recipients from the economics degree program at University of California - Los Angeles get $5,045 above the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of California - Los Angeles

21
63 Annual Graduates
$78,188 Median Starting Salary
$23,250 Median Student Debt

Carnegie Mellon is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Pittsburgh.

Economics bachelor's degree recipients from Carnegie Mellon University earn a boost of about $30,492 above the average earnings of economics graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Carnegie Mellon University

22
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
372 Annual Graduates
$64,785 Median Starting Salary
$18,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Chestnut Hill, Boston College is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the economics program at Boston College earn $17,089 above the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Boston College

23
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Georgetown University
Washington, DC
150 Annual Graduates
$68,490 Median Starting Salary
$17,500 Median Student Debt

Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington.

Those economics students who get their bachelor's degree from Georgetown University make $20,794 more than the typical economics grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Georgetown University

24
618 Annual Graduates
$62,024 Median Starting Salary
$18,742 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Economics bachelor's degree recipients from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor earn a boost of around $14,328 above the typical earnings of economics graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

25
97 Annual Graduates
$61,591 Median Starting Salary
$13,960 Median Student Debt

WUSTL is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Saint Louis.

Those economics students who get their bachelor's degree from Washington University in St Louis make $13,895 more than the standard economics grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Washington University in St Louis

Rest of the Top Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools

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26
27
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
28
29
30
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New York University
New York, NY
31

32
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA

33
Colgate crest
Colgate University
Hamilton, NY
34
35
Pomona crest
Pomona College
Claremont, CA
36
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Tufts University
Medford, MA
37
38
39
40

41

42
43
44
Lafayette crest
Lafayette College
Easton, PA
45
46
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Barnard College
New York, NY
47
Bucknell crest
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA
48
Bowdoin crest
Bowdoin College
Brunswick, ME
49
Amherst crest
Amherst College
Amherst, MA

Additional Award Winners

This list shows the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 482 different United States economics schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
50 Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX
51 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
52 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
53 Wellesley College Wellesley, MA
54 University of Delaware Newark, DE
55 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
56 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
57 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
58 University of Florida Gainesville, FL
59 Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX
60 Northeastern University Boston, MA
61 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
62 Villanova University Villanova, PA
63 Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA
64 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
64 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
66 Colorado School of Mines Golden, CO
67 Brandeis University Waltham, MA
68 Middlebury College Middlebury, VT
69 American University Washington, DC
70 Binghamton University Vestal, NY
71 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
72 Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Economics students that almost earned our Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
73 College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA
74 Denison University Granville, OH
75 Hamilton College Clinton, NY
76 University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA
77 Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA
78 Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
79 Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA
80 Bates College Lewiston, ME
81 University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA
82 Haverford College Haverford, PA
83 Colby College Waterville, ME
84 Trinity College Hartford, CT
85 Carleton College Northfield, MN
86 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
87 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
88 Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA
89 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
90 DePauw University Greencastle, IN
91 Grinnell College Grinnell, IA
92 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
93 Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO
94 Fordham University Bronx, NY
95 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
96 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH

Economics by Region

View the Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

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Economics is one of 12 different types of Social Sciences programs to choose from.

Economics Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Economics 24,212
Econometrics & Quantitative Economics 14,028
Development Economics & International Development 336
Applied Economics 330
International Economics 276
Other Economics 215

Majors Similar to Economics

Related Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 43,812
Sociology 29,576
Criminology 9,710
International Relations & National Security 9,158
Anthropology 8,890
General Social Sciences 6,378
Geography & Cartography 4,409
Other Social Sciences 1,669
Urban Studies 1,051
Sociology & Anthropology 541

Notes and References

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