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2024 Best Economics Schools in Pennsylvania

31 Colleges in Pennsylvania
2,191 Economics Degrees Awarded
$48,747 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 2,191 degrees in economics during the 2021-2022 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
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
281 Economics Degrees Awarded
2.8% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in economics has to take a look at University of Pennsylvania. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were approximately 281 economics students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent year we have data available. Those economics students who get their degree from University of Pennsylvania receive $23,451 more than the typical economics student.

More information about a degree in economics from University of Pennsylvania

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
68 Economics Degrees Awarded
$78,188 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in economics needs to take a look at Carnegie Mellon University. Carnegie Mellon is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Pittsburgh. A Best Colleges rank of #9 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Carnegie Mellon is a great university overall.

There were approximately 68 economics students who graduated with this degree at Carnegie Mellon in the most recent data year. Economics degree recipients from Carnegie Mellon University get an earnings boost of around $29,441 above the typical income of economics majors.

More information about a degree in economics from Carnegie Mellon University

3
Swarthmore crest
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
80 Economics Degrees Awarded
25.0% Growth in Graduates

Swarthmore College is a great decision for students interested in a degree in economics. Located in the 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 80 economics students who graduated with this degree at Swarthmore in the most recent year we have data available. Economics degree recipients from Swarthmore College receive an earnings boost of approximately $7,282 over the typical earnings of economics graduates.

More information about a degree in economics from Swarthmore College

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
140 Economics Degrees Awarded
21.4% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat Lafayette College if you want 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 approximately 140 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 $15,180 above the typical graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in economics from Lafayette College

5
Bucknell crest
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
133 Economics Degrees Awarded
$61,041 Median Starting Salary

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

There were roughly 133 economics students who graduated with this degree at Bucknell in the most recent year we have data available. Economics degree recipients from Bucknell University receive an earnings boost of approximately $12,294 over the average earnings of economics graduates.

More information about a degree in economics from Bucknell University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
186 Economics Degrees Awarded
$39,278 Median Starting Salary

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

There were approximately 186 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 report average early career earnings of $39,278.

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

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
124 Economics Degrees Awarded
$60,373 Median Starting Salary

Villanova is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large 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 124 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 make $11,626 more than the typical economics grad.

More information about a degree in economics from Villanova University

8
Haverford crest
Haverford College
Haverford, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$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 approximately 23 economics students who graduated with this degree at Haverford in the most recent year we have data available. Economics degree recipients from Haverford College get an earnings boost of approximately $12,129 above the typical earnings of economics graduates.

More information about a degree in economics from Haverford College

9
Gettysburg crest
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
74 Economics Degrees Awarded
10.8% Growth in Graduates

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 schools nationwide means Gettysburg is a great college overall.

There were approximately 74 economics students who graduated with this degree at Gettysburg in the most recent data year. Economics degree recipients from Gettysburg College receive an earnings boost of approximately $3,618 above the average income of economics graduates.

More information about a degree in economics from Gettysburg College

10
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
58 Economics Degrees Awarded
13.8% Growth in Graduates

Drexel is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large 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 58 economics students who graduated with this degree at Drexel in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the economics program at Drexel University make $9,428 above the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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.

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
New York3335,213
Maryland2791,613
New Jersey273843
District of Columbia188737
Delaware175173

View All Rankings >

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

Economics Focus Areas

MajorAnnual Graduates
Econometrics & Quantitative Economics1,158
General Economics927
Applied Economics67
Development Economics & International Development25
Other Economics13
International Economics1

View All Economics Concentrations >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Political Science & Government2,049
Sociology880
Geography & Cartography665
International Relations & National Security522
Anthropology378
General Social Sciences231
Other Social Sciences170
Urban Studies59
Sociology & Anthropology48
Archeology20

View All Economics Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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