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2024 Best Economics Schools in North Carolina

13 Colleges in North Carolina
1,297 Economics Degrees Awarded
$50,101 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #19 in popularity, economics is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 13 schools in North Carolina to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of economics. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,297 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 North Carolina 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. We derive our Best Overall Economics School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

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

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Economics Schools in North Carolina list to help you make the college decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Economics in North Carolina

The schools below may not offer all types of economics degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top North Carolina Schools in Economics

1
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
288 Economics Degrees Awarded
11.1% Growth in Graduates

Duke University is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in economics. Duke is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Durham. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.

There were about 288 economics students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the economics degree program at Duke University make $44,598 above the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in economics from Duke University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
469 Economics Degrees Awarded
10.7% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill if you wish to pursue a degree in economics. Located in the city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #43 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.

There were roughly 469 economics students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the economics program at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earn $7,210 more than the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in economics from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

3
Wake Forest University crest
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
120 Economics Degrees Awarded
2.5% Growth in Graduates

Wake Forest University is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in economics. Located in the city of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #128 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Wake Forest University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 120 economics students who graduated with this degree at Wake Forest University in the most recent year we have data available. Economics degree recipients from Wake Forest University receive an earnings boost of approximately $6,999 over the average earnings of economics graduates.

More information about a degree in economics from Wake Forest University

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In NC
44 Economics Degrees Awarded

It is difficult to beat Elon University if you wish to pursue a degree in economics. Elon is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the midsize suburb of Elon. A Best Colleges rank of #235 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Elon is a great university overall.

There were about 44 economics students who graduated with this degree at Elon in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in economics from Elon University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In NC

Located in the city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #92 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means NC State is a great university overall.

There were about 25 economics students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in economics from North Carolina State University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In NC
42 Economics Degrees Awarded

UNC Charlotte is a fairly large public university located in the city of Charlotte. A Best Colleges rank of #378 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNC Charlotte is a great university overall.

There were approximately 42 economics students who graduated with this degree at UNC Charlotte in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in economics from University of North Carolina at Charlotte

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
37 Economics Degrees Awarded
$40,724 Median Starting Salary

Appalachian State is a very large public university located in the distant town of Boone. This university ranks 9th out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were about 37 economics students who graduated with this degree at Appalachian State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the economics program state that they receive average early career wages of $40,724.

More information about a degree in economics from Appalachian State University

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
13th Most Popular In NC
31.3% Growth in Graduates

UNCW is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Wilmington. This university ranks 10th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 16 economics students who graduated with this degree at UNCW in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in economics from University of North Carolina at Wilmington

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
68 Economics Degrees Awarded
$39,460 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Greenville, ECU is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 7th out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 68 economics students who graduated with this degree at ECU in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the economics program earn around $39,460 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in economics from East Carolina University

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Economics Degrees Awarded
39.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Greensboro, UNC Greensboro is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 12th out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were roughly 43 economics students who graduated with this degree at UNC Greensboro in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the economics program state that they receive average early career earnings of $33,326.

More information about a degree in economics from University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Best Economics Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Economics Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Georgia287641
Florida2821,443
Virginia2741,327
Tennessee269436
South Carolina248316
Kentucky244221
Louisiana242206
Mississippi23463
Arkansas234103
Alabama233107
West Virginia20742

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
General Economics762
Econometrics & Quantitative Economics535

View All Economics Concentrations >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Political Science & Government1,761
Sociology992
Anthropology424
Geography & Cartography265
General Social Sciences125
International Relations & National Security88
Sociology & Anthropology13
Archeology8

View All Economics Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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