Best Economics Programs in the United States (2026)
Updated
This page ranks 412 Economics programs across the United States by median earnings of Economics graduates four years after completing. Williams College ranks 1st on this list, reporting median earnings of $166,678 for its graduates four years after completing.
Across the listed programs, the figure ranges from $166,678 to $20,373, with a median of $75,360. For 67 of the 412 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
Public institutions account for 51% of the list, with 212 public and 200 private nonprofit schools represented. CUNY Hunter College posts the lowest average net price at $2,984, while University of California-San Diego ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams College · Williamstown, MA | $166,678 | $17,716 | -$2,610* | 8.3% |
| Williams College reports median earnings of $166,678 for its Economics graduates four years after completing, with 107 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 2 | Duke University · Durham, NC | $161,149 | $29,612 | $735 | 5.7% |
| Duke University admits 6% of applicants and its Economics completers who borrowed left with a median of $13,187 in federal loans. | |||||
| 3 | Princeton University · Princeton, NJ | $160,763 | $6,128 | $41 | 4.6% |
| Princeton University carries an average net price of $6,128 and ranks 68th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 4 | University of Chicago · Chicago, IL | $159,578 | $14,860 | -$1,264* | 4.5% |
| University of Chicago ranks 4th on this list and shows median earnings of $159,578 for its Economics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | Harvard University · Cambridge, MA | $155,592 | $19,066 | $8,697 | 3.7% |
| Harvard University has an admission rate of 4% and an average net price of $19,066. | |||||
| 6 | Dartmouth College · Hanover, NH | $152,929 | $29,519 | $41 | 5.4% |
| Dartmouth College posts median federal debt of $18,132 among Economics completers who borrowed, alongside median earnings of $152,929 four years after completing. | |||||
| 7 | Claremont McKenna College · Claremont, CA | $146,524 | $28,849 | $15,308 | 9.6% |
| Claremont McKenna College ranks 169th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports 129 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 8 | Carnegie Mellon University · Pittsburgh, PA | $144,886 | $31,944 | $9,097 | 11.7% |
| Carnegie Mellon University shows an average net price of $31,944 and median earnings of $144,886 for its Economics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 9 | Yale University · New Haven, CT | $142,936 | $23,777 | $17,633 | 3.9% |
| Yale University admits 4% of applicants and its Economics completers who borrowed left with a median of $12,562 in federal loans. | |||||
| 10 | Amherst College · Amherst, MA | $141,730 | $23,367 | $1,086 | 9.0% |
| Amherst College ranks 10th on this list and carries an average net price of $23,367. | |||||
| 11 | Vanderbilt University · Nashville, TN | $140,337 | $15,846 | $3,414 | 5.9% |
| Vanderbilt University reports median earnings of $140,337 for its Economics graduates four years after completing, with 251 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 12 | Cornell University · Ithaca, NY | $137,935 | $28,690 | $1,776 | 8.8% |
| Cornell University has an admission rate of 9% and ranks 47th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 13 | Columbia University in the City of New York · New York, NY | $137,710 | $21,590 | $4,570 | 4.0% |
| Columbia University in the City of New York admits 4% of applicants and reports median earnings of $137,710 for its Economics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 14 | University of California-Berkeley · Berkeley, CA | $135,050 | $13,481 | $5,311 | 11.0% |
| University of California-Berkeley ranks 4th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and its Economics graduates posted median earnings of $135,050 four years after completing. | |||||
| 15 | Hamilton College · Clinton, NY | $130,633 | $28,985 | $8,028 | 13.6% |
| Hamilton College shows an average net price of $8,028 for families earning under $30,000, alongside median earnings of $130,633 for its Economics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 16 | University of Pennsylvania · Philadelphia, PA | $129,985 | $28,699 | -$3,012* | 5.4% |
| University of Pennsylvania ranks 16th on this list, and its Economics completers who borrowed left with a median federal debt of $14,621. | |||||
| 17 | Rice University · Houston, TX | $129,575 | $13,370 | $5,827 | 8.0% |
| Rice University reports median earnings of $129,575 for its Economics graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $13,370. | |||||
| 18 | Colgate University · Hamilton, NY | $128,887 | $28,786 | $6,086 | 13.9% |
| Colgate University ranks 403rd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and its Economics graduates posted median earnings of $128,887 four years after completing. | |||||
| 19 | Johns Hopkins University · Baltimore, MD | $128,882 | $18,809 | $428 | 6.4% |
| Johns Hopkins University shows an average net price of $428 for families earning under $30,000, and its Economics completers who borrowed left with a median federal debt of $12,250. | |||||
| 20 | Swarthmore College · Swarthmore, PA | $128,051 | $23,149 | $7,690 | 7.5% |
| Swarthmore College admits 7% of applicants and reports median earnings of $128,051 for its Economics graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 21 | Northwestern University · Evanston, IL | $126,006 | $29,167 | $1,764 | 7.7% |
| Northwestern University ranks 21st on this list, with an average net price of $1,764 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 22 | Brown University · Providence, RI | $124,508 | $25,184 | -$420* | 5.4% |
| Brown University reports median earnings of $124,508 for its Economics graduates four years after completing, and its completers who borrowed left with a median federal debt of $13,000. | |||||
| 23 | Tufts University · Medford, MA | $123,809 | $39,998 | $11,284 | 11.5% |
| Tufts University ranks 297th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and its Economics graduates posted median earnings of $123,809 four years after completing. | |||||
| 24 | Middlebury College · Middlebury, VT | $123,477 | $31,483 | $12,723 | 10.8% |
| Middlebury College admits 11% of applicants and shows an average net price of $31,483. | |||||
| 25 | Colorado College · Colorado Springs, CO | $122,998 | $33,375 | $9,217 | 18.5% |
| Colorado College reports median earnings of $122,998 for its Economics graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $9,217 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
* 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 the United States appear. The figure is the median for federally aided completers of the program who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after completing. For 67 of the 412 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 gap between Williams College and Duke University is $5,529, and the spread from the top to the bottom of the list reaches $146,305.
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