Economics: Program Overview, Universities, Careers & Salaries
Program Overview
Economics is a rigorous academic discipline dedicated to understanding how individuals, organizations, and societies allocate limited resources to meet unlimited wants. It explores the mechanisms behind decision-making in markets, governments, and institutions, emphasizing efficiency, equity, and sustainability in resource use.
- Economic theory: Foundations of how markets function, including assumptions about rational behavior, supply and demand dynamics, and the role of incentives in shaping outcomes.
- Microeconomics: Analysis of individual and firm-level choices, pricing strategies, market structures, and the implications of competition and consumer behavior.
- Macroeconomics: Examination of large-scale economic phenomena such as inflation, unemployment, economic growth, and the impact of fiscal and monetary policy.
- Comparative economic systems: Study of different models of economic organization, including capitalism, socialism, and mixed economies, with focus on historical development and performance.
- Money and banking systems: Exploration of financial institutions, monetary policy, credit creation, interest rates, and the role of central banks in stabilizing economies.
- International economics: Investigation of global trade patterns, exchange rates, balance of payments, and the economic implications of globalization and cross-border investment.
- Quantitative analytical methods: Application of statistical, mathematical, and computational tools to model economic behavior, test hypotheses, and forecast trends.
- Policy and industry applications: Practical analysis of economic challenges in sectors like healthcare, energy, education, and public finance, with emphasis on evidence-based decision-making.
Economics Graduate Trends (2010-2024)
Economics Career Pathways & Salary Outlook
The following table presents salary data for occupations typically aligned with Economics degrees, including Managers, All Other, Economics Teachers, Postsecondary and Economists. These career paths represent common employment outcomes but are not guaranteed for all graduates. Salary ranges vary by location, employer, experience level, and specific role requirements. Nationally, these occupations employ approximately 1,772,480 professionals.
National Average Salaries
| Occupation | Median Salary | Salary Range | Total Employment | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Managers, All Other 11-9199 | $136,550 | $68,860 - $227,590 | 630,980 | $65.65 |
| Economics Teachers, Postsecondary 25-1063 | $119,980 | $57,550 - $217,160 | 12,420 | N/A |
| Economists 19-3011 | $115,440 | $62,340 - $212,710 | 15,880 | $55.50 |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education 25-2031 | $64,580 | $47,330 - $104,670 | 1,072,540 | N/A |
| Survey Researchers 19-3022 | $63,380 | $36,950 - $118,730 | 7,720 | $30.47 |
| Social Science Research Assistants 19-4061 | $58,040 | $36,410 - $100,620 | 32,940 | $27.90 |
Economics Salary Map by State
Geographic location significantly impacts earning potential for these careers. Average salaries range from $71,292 in Nebraska to $118,035 in District of Columbia—a 66% difference. The highest-paying states include District of Columbia, Delaware, and New York. Nationwide, these occupations employ over 1,772,480 professionals across all states. Explore the interactive map below to compare regional compensation and identify optimal markets for your career goals.
Average Salary Range:
Top Universities for Economics by Graduate Enrollment
Below are the top 100 institutions offering Economics programs for the 2023-2024 academic year (the most recent data reported as of 2025), ranked by the number of graduates. The highest graduate enrollment in Economics is found at University of Michigan (U‑M), Ann Arbor (757 graduates), University of Wisconsin-Madison (627 graduates), University of Connecticut (UConn) (380 graduates), Texas A & M University, College Station (374 graduates), and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill (345 graduates). Combined, these colleges produced 14,497 graduates across all degree levels. Program availability varies by award level, including Associate, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees at participating universities and schools.
| College Name | Award Levels | Graduates | Location | Control | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Michigan (U‑M) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
757 | Ann Arbor, Michigan | Public | umich.edu |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison |
Bachelor's
Other Award
|
627 | Madison, Wisconsin | Public | wisc.edu |
| University of Connecticut (UConn) |
Bachelor's
|
380 | Storrs, Connecticut | Public | uconn.edu |
| Texas A & M University |
Bachelor's
|
374 | College Station, Texas | Public | tamu.edu |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Bachelor's
|
345 | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | Public | unc.edu |
| University of California (UCI) |
Bachelor's
|
326 | Irvine, California | Public | uci.edu |
| The University of Texas |
Bachelor's
|
325 | Austin, Texas | Public | utexas.edu |
| University of Florida (UF) |
Bachelor's
|
318 | Gainesville, Florida | Public | ufl.edu |
| University of Massachusetts |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
307 | Amherst, Massachusetts | Public | umass.edu |
| Pasadena City College (PCC) |
Associate's
|
287 | Pasadena, California | Public | pasadena.edu |
| Boston University (BU) |
Bachelor's
|
264 | Boston, Massachusetts | Private | bu.edu |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) |
Bachelor's
|
257 | Champaign, Illinois | Public | illinois.edu |
| Los Angeles Pierce College (LAPC) |
Associate's
|
247 | Woodland Hills, California | Public | lapc.edu |
| Stony Brook University (SBU) |
Bachelor's
|
231 | Stony Brook, New York | Public | stonybrook.edu |
| Binghamton University |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
221 | Vestal, New York | Public | binghamton.edu |
| San Diego State University (SDSU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
216 | San Diego, California | Public | sdsu.edu |
| Rutgers University |
Bachelor's
|
216 | New Brunswick, New Jersey | Public | newbrunswick.rutgers.edu |
| Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) |
Associate's
|
215 | Santa Barbara, California | Public | sbcc.edu |
| University of Colorado Boulder (CU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
215 | Boulder, Colorado | Public | colorado.edu |
| Michigan State University (MSU) |
Bachelor's
|
203 | East Lansing, Michigan | Public | msu.edu |
| CUNY Queens College |
Bachelor's
|
196 | Queens, New York | Public | qc.cuny.edu |
| University of South Florida (USF) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
192 | Tampa, Florida | Public | usf.edu |
| The University of Alabama (UA) |
Bachelor's
|
187 | Tuscaloosa, Alabama | Public | ua.edu |
| Golden West College (GWC) |
Associate's
|
186 | Huntington Beach, California | Public | goldenwestcollege.edu |
| Grossmont College |
Associate's
|
182 | El Cajon, California | Public | grossmont.edu |
| Southern Methodist University (SMU) |
Bachelor's
|
180 | Dallas, Texas | Private | smu.edu |
| Moorpark College |
Associate's
|
177 | Moorpark, California | Public | moorparkcollege.edu |
| West Valley College (WVC) |
Associate's
|
175 | Saratoga, California | Public | westvalley.edu |
| Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC) |
Associate's
|
166 | Valley Glen, California | Public | lavc.edu |
| Missouri State University |
Other Award
|
164 | Springfield, Missouri | Public | missouristate.edu |
| Clemson University |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
159 | Clemson, South Carolina | Public | clemson.edu |
| George Mason University |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
157 | Fairfax, Virginia | Public | www2.gmu.edu |
| Frostburg State University (FSU) |
Bachelor's
|
155 | Frostburg, Maryland | Public | frostburg.edu |
| Florida International University (FIU) |
Bachelor's
|
154 | Miami, Florida | Public | fiu.edu |
| CUNY Hunter College |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
153 | New York, New York | Public | hunter.cuny.edu |
| University of Missouri (Mizzou) |
Bachelor's
|
149 | Columbia, Missouri | Public | missouri.edu |
| Syracuse University |
Bachelor's
|
145 | Syracuse, New York | Private | syracuse.edu |
| Brigham Young University (BYU) |
Bachelor's
|
145 | Provo, Utah | Private | byu.edu |
| California State University |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
144 | Sacramento, California | Public | csus.edu |
| Wake Forest University (WFC) |
Bachelor's
|
137 | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | Private | wfu.edu |
| Saddleback College |
Associate's
|
129 | Mission Viejo, California | Public | saddleback.edu |
| University of Houston (UH) |
Bachelor's
|
129 | Houston, Texas | Public | uh.edu |
| College of the Holy Cross |
Bachelor's
|
128 | Worcester, Massachusetts | Private | holycross.edu |
| University at Buffalo (UB) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
126 | Buffalo, New York | Public | buffalo.edu |
| Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
125 | Manchester, New Hampshire | Private | snhu.edu |
| University of Maryland (UMBC) |
Bachelor's
|
118 | Baltimore, Maryland | Public | umbc.edu |
| CUNY City College (CCNY) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
117 | New York, New York | Public | ccny.cuny.edu |
| University of Minnesota (UMN) |
Bachelor's
|
110 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Public | twin-cities.umn.edu |
| University of Arizona |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
109 | Tucson, Arizona | Public | arizona.edu |
| University of California (UCSC) |
Bachelor's
|
104 | Santa Cruz, California | Public | ucsc.edu |
| University of Miami (UM) |
Bachelor's
|
103 | Coral Gables, Florida | Private | miami.edu |
| Sierra College |
Associate's
|
102 | Rocklin, California | Public | sierracollege.edu |
| Folsom Lake College (FLC) |
Associate's
|
96 | Folsom, California | Public | flc.losrios.edu |
| University of Iowa |
Bachelor's
|
94 | Iowa City, Iowa | Public | uiowa.edu |
| Texas Christian University (TCU) |
Bachelor's
|
93 | Fort Worth, Texas | Private | tcu.edu |
| Southwestern College (SWC) |
Associate's
|
91 | Chula Vista, California | Public | swccd.edu |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) |
Bachelor's
|
91 | Blacksburg, Virginia | Public | vt.edu |
| Diablo Valley College (DVC) |
Associate's
|
90 | Pleasant Hill, California | Public | dvc.edu |
| William & Mary (W&M) |
Bachelor's
|
88 | Williamsburg, Virginia | Public | wm.edu |
| Bucknell University |
Bachelor's
|
86 | Lewisburg, Pennsylvania | Private | bucknell.edu |
| Cuesta College |
Associate's
|
83 | San Luis Obispo, California | Public | cuesta.edu |
| College of the Canyons |
Associate's
|
82 | Santa Clarita, California | Public | canyons.edu |
| James Madison University (JMU) |
Bachelor's
|
80 | Harrisonburg, Virginia | Public | jmu.edu |
| California State University (CSUN) |
Bachelor's
|
79 | Northridge, California | Public | csun.edu |
| American University (AU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
78 | Washington, District of Columbia | Private | american.edu |
| Swarthmore College |
Bachelor's
|
78 | Swarthmore, Pennsylvania | Private | swarthmore.edu |
| Santa Clara University (SCU) |
Bachelor's
|
77 | Santa Clara, California | Private | scu.edu |
| United States Military Academy (USMA) |
Bachelor's
|
76 | West Point, New York | Public | westpoint.edu |
| El Camino Community College District (ECC) |
Associate's
|
75 | Torrance, California | Public | elcamino.edu |
| Santa Monica College (SMC) |
Associate's
|
75 | Santa Monica, California | Public | smc.edu |
| De Anza College |
Associate's
|
74 | Cupertino, California | Public | deanza.edu |
| University of South Carolina (USC) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
74 | Columbia, South Carolina | Public | sc.edu |
| University of Massachusetts |
Bachelor's
|
73 | Boston, Massachusetts | Public | umb.edu |
| St Lawrence University |
Bachelor's
|
73 | Canton, New York | Private | stlawu.edu |
| Cerritos College |
Associate's
|
72 | Norwalk, California | Public | cerritos.edu |
| University of Georgia (UGA) |
Bachelor's
|
72 | Athens, Georgia | Public | uga.edu |
| Georgia State University |
Bachelor's
|
71 | Atlanta, Georgia | Public | gsu.edu |
| Columbia University in the City of New York |
Bachelor's
Post-Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
70 | New York, New York | Private | columbia.edu |
| College of San Mateo (CSM) |
Associate's
|
68 | San Mateo, California | Public | collegeofsanmateo.edu |
| Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) |
Bachelor's
|
68 | Cleveland, Ohio | Private | case.edu |
| Mt San Jacinto Community College District (MSJC) |
Associate's
|
67 | San Jacinto, California | Public | msjc.edu |
| Indiana University (IUB) |
Bachelor's
|
67 | Bloomington, Indiana | Public | indiana.edu |
| American River College (ARC) |
Associate's
|
66 | Sacramento, California | Public | arc.losrios.edu |
| Evergreen Valley College (EVC) |
Associate's
|
66 | San Jose, California | Public | evc.edu |
| Oregon State University (OSU) |
Bachelor's
|
66 | Corvallis, Oregon | Public | oregonstate.edu |
| Las Positas College (LPC) |
Associate's
|
66 | Livermore, California | Public | laspositascollege.edu |
| Miami University |
Bachelor's
|
65 | Oxford, Ohio | Public | miamioh.edu |
| CUNY Bernard M Baruch College |
Bachelor's
|
64 | New York, New York | Public | baruch.cuny.edu |
| Florida Atlantic University (FAU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
63 | Boca Raton, Florida | Public | fau.edu |
| Trinity College |
Bachelor's
|
61 | Hartford, Connecticut | Private | trincoll.edu |
| University of Central Florida (UCF) |
Bachelor's
|
61 | Orlando, Florida | Public | ucf.edu |
| Cabrillo College |
Associate's
|
60 | Aptos, California | Public | cabrillo.edu |
| California State University (CSULB) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
60 | Long Beach, California | Public | csulb.edu |
| University of Hawaii (UHM) |
Bachelor's
|
60 | Honolulu, Hawaii | Public | manoa.hawaii.edu |
| University of Cincinnati (UC) |
Bachelor's
|
59 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Public | uc.edu |
| East Los Angeles College (ELAC) |
Associate's
|
58 | Monterey Park, California | Public | elac.edu |
| Orange Coast College (OCC) |
Associate's
|
58 | Costa Mesa, California | Public | orangecoastcollege.edu |
| California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) |
Bachelor's
|
57 | San Luis Obispo, California | Public | calpoly.edu |
| San Francisco State University (SFSU) |
Bachelor's
|
56 | San Francisco, California | Public | sfsu.edu |
| University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) |
Bachelor's
|
56 | Chicago, Illinois | Public | uic.edu |
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to the most common questions about Economics programs
How much can I earn with a Economics degree?
Salaries for Economics graduates vary by role and location. Managers, All Other earn a median of $136,550 annually, while Economics Teachers, Postsecondary earn around $119,980. Geographic location significantly impacts earnings—professionals in District of Columbia average $118,035 compared to $71,292 in Nebraska. Approximately 1,772,480 professionals work in related occupations nationwide.
Salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS program, May 2024. Earnings vary by experience, employer, and market conditions.
Which universities have the largest Economics programs?
Currently 659 accredited institutions offer Economics degrees across the U.S. Programs with the highest enrollment include University of Michigan (U‑M), Ann Arbor (757 graduates), University of Wisconsin-Madison (627 graduates), and University of Connecticut (UConn) (380 graduates).
Program size doesn't necessarily indicate quality—consider factors like faculty expertise, production opportunities, location, and available degree levels when choosing a school.
Data based on IPEDS program completions for 2023-2024 academic year. Numbers reflect programs where students graduated.
Is enrollment in Economics growing or declining?
Graduate numbers have decreased over the past decade, rising from 33,812 in 2010 to a peak of 31,167 in 2020, before declining slightly to 21,627 in 2023-24. This represents a 36% decrease overall from 2010.
The field remains specialized with consistent demand, though opportunities are most concentrated in major metropolitan areas with active arts scenes like New York, California, and Illinois.
Graduate enrollment data from IPEDS, 2010-2024 academic years. Trends reflect reported completions at participating institutions.
What career paths are available with a Economics degree?
This degree prepares you for roles such as Managers, All Other, Economics Teachers, Postsecondary, and Economists. Related occupations employ approximately 1,772,480 professionals nationwide.
Skills in project management, creative leadership, and collaboration also transfer to event planning, arts administration, marketing, and corporate training roles. Many professionals work freelance or on a project basis across theatre, film, and live events.
Career pathways mapped using CIP-SOC crosswalk from the National Center for Education Statistics. Employment data from BLS OEWS May 2024.
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