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2024 Best Economics Schools in Pennsylvania

31 Colleges in Pennsylvania
2,417 Economics Degrees Awarded
$48,918 Avg Early-Career Salary
Economics is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #19 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 31 schools in Pennsylvania to determine which ones were the best for economics students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,417 degrees in economics during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Economics School

Best Economics Schools in Pennsylvania The economics program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Economics rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for economics schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Economics Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Economics
Master's Degrees in Economics
Doctor's Degrees in Economics

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Economics Schools in Pennsylvania list, to help you choose the best school for you. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Economics in Pennsylvania

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the economics degree levels they offer.

10 Top Pennsylvania Schools in Economics

1
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
273 Economics Degrees Awarded
4.8% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in economics needs to check out University of Pennsylvania. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were roughly 273 economics students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent data year. Those economics students who get their degree from University of Pennsylvania make $23,280 more than the standard economics student.

More information about a degree in economics from University of Pennsylvania

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
76 Economics Degrees Awarded
13.2% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in economics has to look into Carnegie Mellon University. Carnegie Mellon is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Pittsburgh. A Best Colleges rank of #9 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Carnegie Mellon is a great university overall.

There were roughly 76 economics students who graduated with this degree at Carnegie Mellon in the most recent year we have data available. Those economics students who get their degree from Carnegie Mellon University make $29,270 more than the standard economics student.

More information about a degree in economics from Carnegie Mellon University

3
Swarthmore crest
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
60 Economics Degrees Awarded
$56,029 Median Starting Salary

Swarthmore College is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in economics. Located in the large suburb of Swarthmore, Swarthmore is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #46 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Swarthmore is a great college overall.

There were roughly 60 economics students who graduated with this degree at Swarthmore in the most recent data year. Those economics students who get their degree from Swarthmore College receive $7,111 more than the average economics grad.

More information about a degree in economics from Swarthmore College

4
Lafayette crest
Lafayette College
Easton, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
110 Economics Degrees Awarded
$63,927 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat Lafayette College if you wish to pursue a degree in economics. Located in the large suburb of Easton, Lafayette is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #96 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Lafayette is a great college overall.

There were roughly 110 economics students who graduated with this degree at Lafayette in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the economics major at Lafayette College earn $15,009 more than the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in economics from Lafayette College

5
Bucknell crest
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
135 Economics Degrees Awarded
7.4% Growth in Graduates

Bucknell is a small private not-for-profit university located in the distant town of Lewisburg. A Best Colleges rank of #66 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Bucknell is a great university overall.

There were roughly 135 economics students who graduated with this degree at Bucknell in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the economics degree program at Bucknell University earn $12,123 above the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in economics from Bucknell University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
212 Economics Degrees Awarded
7.5% Growth in Graduates

Pitt is a very large public university located in the city of Pittsburgh. A Best Colleges rank of #79 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Pitt is a great university overall.

There were about 212 economics students who graduated with this degree at Pitt in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the economics program state that they receive average early career income of $39,278.

More information about a degree in economics from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

7
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
147 Economics Degrees Awarded
16.3% Growth in Graduates

Villanova is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Villanova. A Best Colleges rank of #70 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Villanova is a great university overall.

There were roughly 147 economics students who graduated with this degree at Villanova in the most recent year we have data available. Those economics students who get their degree from Villanova University receive $11,455 more than the typical economics student.

More information about a degree in economics from Villanova University

8
Haverford crest
Haverford College
Haverford, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Economics Degrees Awarded
$60,876 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Haverford, Haverford is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #177 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Haverford is a great college overall.

There were roughly 31 economics students who graduated with this degree at Haverford in the most recent data year. Those economics students who get their degree from Haverford College earn $11,958 more than the average economics graduate.

More information about a degree in economics from Haverford College

9
Gettysburg crest
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
66 Economics Degrees Awarded
$52,365 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Gettysburg, Gettysburg is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #276 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Gettysburg is a great college overall.

There were about 66 economics students who graduated with this degree at Gettysburg in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the economics major at Gettysburg College get $3,447 more than the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in economics from Gettysburg College

10
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
50 Economics Degrees Awarded
$58,175 Median Starting Salary

Drexel is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #125 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Drexel is a great university overall.

There were approximately 50 economics students who graduated with this degree at Drexel in the most recent data year. Economics degree recipients from Drexel University earn a boost of approximately $9,257 above the typical income of economics graduates.

More information about a degree in economics from Drexel University

Best Economics Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Economics Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New York 333 5,213
Maryland 279 1,613
New Jersey 273 843
District of Columbia 188 737
Delaware 175 173

View All Rankings >

One of 13 majors within the Social Sciences area of study, Economics has other similar majors worth exploring.

Economics Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Economics 1,420
Econometrics & Quantitative Economics 885
Applied Economics 66
Development Economics & International Development 34
Other Economics 9
International Economics 3

View All Economics Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 2,088
Sociology 868
Geography & Cartography 678
International Relations & National Security 535
Anthropology 349
General Social Sciences 266
Other Social Sciences 127
Urban Studies 82
Sociology & Anthropology 50
Archeology 34

View All Economics Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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