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# Best Economics Programs in Pennsylvania (2026)

Updated September 30, 2026

This page ranks the 28 Economics programs in Pennsylvania by median earnings of Economics graduates four years after completing. [Carnegie Mellon University](/school/carnegie-mellon-university/majors/) leads the list with median earnings of $144,886 for its graduates four years after completing, and [University of Pennsylvania](/school/university-of-pennsylvania/majors/) follows at $129,985.

The figures range from $144,886 to $42,682, with a median of $82,114 across the listed schools. For 2 of the 28 programs the earnings figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.

The list includes 7 public and 21 private nonprofit institutions. University of Pennsylvania ranks 52nd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania posts the lowest average net price at $15,699.

Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania admits 93% of applicants, the highest admission rate on the page.

## The ranked list

28 schools in list order

| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Carnegie Mellon University · Pittsburgh, PA | $144,886 | $31,944 | $9,097 | 11.7% |
|  | [Carnegie Mellon University](/school/carnegie-mellon-university/majors/) reports [median earnings of $144,886](/school/carnegie-mellon-university/outcomes/) for its Economics graduates four years after completing, the highest on this list. |
| 2 | University of Pennsylvania · Philadelphia, PA | $129,985 | $28,699 | \-$3,012\* | 5.4% |
|  | [University of Pennsylvania](/school/university-of-pennsylvania/majors/) [admits 5% of applicants](/school/university-of-pennsylvania/admissions/) and posts median earnings of $129,985 for its Economics graduates four years after completing. |
| 3 | Swarthmore College · Swarthmore, PA | $128,051 | $23,149 | $7,690 | 7.5% |
|  | [Swarthmore College](/school/swarthmore-college/majors/) carries an [average net price of $23,149](/school/swarthmore-college/cost/) and its Economics graduates earn a median of $128,051 four years after completing. |
| 4 | Lafayette College · Easton, PA | $112,864 | $34,433 | $12,716 | 31.5% |
|  | [Lafayette College](/school/lafayette-college/majors/) ranks 4th on this list, with [median earnings of $112,864](/school/lafayette-college/outcomes/) for its Economics graduates four years after completing. |
| 5 | Haverford College · Haverford, PA | $112,050 | $25,314 | $7,531 | 12.4% |
|  | Graduates across all fields who borrowed left [Haverford College](/school/haverford-college/majors/) with a [median of $13,621](/school/haverford-college/outcomes/) in federal loans, while its Economics graduates earned a median of $112,050 four years after completing. |
| 6 | Bucknell University · Lewisburg, PA | $108,422 | $40,766 | $20,980 | 28.9% |
|  | [Bucknell University](/school/bucknell-university/majors/) reports [median earnings of $108,422](/school/bucknell-university/outcomes/) for its Economics graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $40,766. |
| 7 | Villanova University · Villanova, PA | $100,288 | $43,756 | $17,823 | 27.0% |
|  | [Villanova University](/school/villanova-university/majors/) [ranks 263rd on Azimuth's composite ranking](/school/villanova-university/) among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Economics graduates earn a median of $100,288 four years after completing. |
| 8 | Drexel University · Philadelphia, PA | $98,178 | $38,509 | $28,055 | 79.4% |
|  | [Drexel University](/school/drexel-university/majors/) [admits 79% of applicants](/school/drexel-university/admissions/), and its Economics graduates earn a median of $98,178 four years after completing. |
| 9 | Gettysburg College · Gettysburg, PA | $94,295 | $31,490 | $13,625 | 38.9% |
|  | Gettysburg College reports median federal debt of $26,812 among Economics completers who borrowed, alongside median earnings of $94,295 four years after completing. |
| 10 | Lebanon Valley College · Annville, PA | $93,878 | $26,979 | $20,788 | 83.8% |
|  | Lebanon Valley College ranks 10th on this list, with an average net price of $26,979 and median earnings of $93,878 for its Economics graduates four years after completing. |
| 11 | Muhlenberg College · Allentown, PA | $93,760 | $28,905 | $12,302 | 72.0% |
|  | Muhlenberg College reports median earnings of $93,760 for its Economics graduates four years after completing, and carries an average net price of $12,302 for families earning under $30,000. |
| 12 | Franklin and Marshall College · Lancaster, PA | $90,368 | $36,425 | $12,321 | 28.2% |
|  | Franklin and Marshall College ranks 496th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Economics graduates earn a median of $90,368 four years after completing. |
| 13 | Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia · Philadelphia, PA | $87,943 | $29,689 | $22,570 | 88.8% |
|  | [Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia](/school/saint-josephs-university-philadelphia/majors/) [admits 89% of applicants](/school/saint-josephs-university-philadelphia/admissions/) and reports median earnings of $87,943 for its Economics graduates four years after completing. |
| 14 | Susquehanna University · Selinsgrove, PA | $82,999 | $28,819 | $19,757 | 81.4% |
|  | [Susquehanna University](/school/susquehanna-university/majors/) has a [median federal debt of $27,000](/school/susquehanna-university/cost/) across all of the school's borrowers who completed, and its Economics completers earn a median of $82,999 four years after completing. |
| 15 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus · University Park, PA | $81,228 | $32,875 | $19,845 | 60.6% |
|  | [Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus](/school/pennsylvania-state-university-main-campus/majors/) ranks 15th on this list and posts [median earnings of $81,228](/school/pennsylvania-state-university-main-campus/outcomes/) for its Economics graduates four years after completing, from a cohort of 369 graduates. |
| 16 | Allegheny College · Meadville, PA | $79,018 | $22,940 | $18,495 | 54.6% |
|  | With an average net price of $22,940, Allegheny College reports median earnings of $79,018 for its Economics graduates four years after completing. |
| 17 | Dickinson College · Carlisle, PA | $78,378 | $37,607 | $40,755 | 42.1% |
|  | Dickinson College carries a median federal debt of $19,000 among Economics completers who borrowed, alongside median earnings of $78,378 four years after completing. |
| 18 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus · Pittsburgh, PA | $76,549 | $30,434 | $14,709 | 58.1% |
|  | [University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus](/school/university-of-pittsburgh-pittsburgh-campus/majors/) [ranks 485th on Azimuth's composite ranking](/school/university-of-pittsburgh-pittsburgh-campus/) among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $76,549 for its Economics graduates four years after completing. |
| 19 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania · Indiana, PA | $75,865 | $16,804 | $12,364 | 90.8% |
|  | [Indiana University of Pennsylvania](/school/indiana-university-of-pennsylvania/majors/) shows an [average net price of $16,804](/school/indiana-university-of-pennsylvania/cost/) and median earnings of $75,865 for its Economics graduates four years after completing. |
| 20 | Ursinus College · Collegeville, PA | $75,573 | $30,536 | $20,622 | 91.8% |
|  | Ursinus College admits 92% of applicants, and its Economics graduates have median earnings of $75,573 four years after completing. |
| 21 | Moravian University · Bethlehem, PA | $74,527 | $30,670 | $24,609 | 54.2% |
|  | Moravian University reports a median federal debt of $26,848 among Economics completers who borrowed and median earnings of $74,527 four years after completing. |
| 22 | Temple University · Philadelphia, PA | $73,154 | $28,198 | $22,694 | 80.4% |
|  | [Temple University](/school/temple-university/majors/) [ranks 125th on Azimuth's composite ranking](/school/temple-university/) among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Economics graduates earn a median of $73,154 four years after completing. |
| 23 | Washington & Jefferson College · Washington, PA | $72,305 | $25,002 | $15,265 | 80.6% |
|  | With an average net price of $25,002, Washington & Jefferson College reports median earnings of $72,305 for its Economics graduates four years after completing. |
| 24 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania · Slippery Rock, PA | $69,371 | $19,608 | $12,555 | 71.5% |
|  | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania's borrowers who completed across all fields left with a median federal debt of $25,000, and its Economics completers earn a median of $69,371 four years after completing. |
| 25 | Millersville University of Pennsylvania · Millersville, PA | $65,946 | $20,787 | $14,565 | 86.2% |
|  | Millersville University of Pennsylvania reports median earnings of $65,946 for its Economics graduates four years after completing, alongside an admission rate of 86%. |
| 26 | Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania · Bloomsburg, PA | $62,798 | $15,699 | $11,374 | 93.1% |
|  | With an [average net price of $15,699,](/school/commonwealth-university-of-pennsylvania/cost/) [Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania](/school/commonwealth-university-of-pennsylvania/majors/) is the lowest on this list and ranks 401st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. |
| 27 | University of Scranton · Scranton, PA | $47,260 | $32,568 | $23,896 | 81.2% |
|  | [University of Scranton](/school/university-of-scranton/majors/), a private nonprofit university in Scranton, shows [median earnings of $47,260](/school/university-of-scranton/outcomes/) for its Economics graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $23,896 for families earning under $30,000. |
| 28 | Lycoming College · Williamsport, PA | $42,682 | $19,140 | $12,151 | 74.1% |
|  | Lycoming College admits 74% of applicants and its Economics graduates earned a median of $42,682 four years after completing, with a cohort of 12 graduates in the earnings cohort. |

\* Net price can be negative: when grants and scholarships exceed the listed cost of attendance, students can receive the difference as a refund for other expenses.

## How this list is ordered

Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Economics graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in Pennsylvania appear. The figures are medians for federally aided completers of Economics programs who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after completing. For 2 of the 28 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The range from Carnegie Mellon University at $144,886 to the lowest listed program at $42,682 spans $102,204, with a gap of $14,901 between Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pennsylvania.

## Related rankings

-   [Best Economics Programs in the United States](/rankings/best-economics-programs/)
-   [Best Colleges in Pennsylvania](/rankings/best-colleges-in-pennsylvania/)
-   [Top Economics Programs in Florida by Earnings](/rankings/best-economics-programs-in-florida/)
-   [Top Economics Programs in Georgia by Earnings](/rankings/best-economics-programs-in-georgia/)
-   [Best Economics Programs in California](/rankings/best-economics-programs-in-california/)
-   [Best Economics Programs in Indiana](/rankings/best-economics-programs-in-indiana/)
-   Social Sciences Colleges in Pennsylvania for Social Mobility