by our College Data Analytics Team
[Economics](/majors/social-sciences/economics/) graduates earn very different salaries depending on where they study. The highest-paying schools turn a economics degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 100 schools on the early-career earnings of their economics graduates.
What’s on this page:
Where you study economics affects what graduates go on to earn. That is why we developed our Highest Paid Economics Graduates ranking. It looks at the median early-career salaries graduates earn, so you can find the schools whose economics degrees pay off the most.
We offer a number of rankings, including this Highest Paid Economics Graduates list, to help you decide. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
Want to compare schools head to head? Try our College Combat tool to weigh the factors that matter most to you.
Learn more about our methodology
If you want to know which schools send economics graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
Duke University earned the #1 spot for highest-paid economics graduates in the United States. Set in the city of Durham, Duke University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career economics graduates from Duke University make a median of around $171,986 per year.
A rank of #2 makes Harvard University one of the highest-paying schools for economics. Harvard University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cambridge. Early-career economics graduates from Harvard University make a median of around $161,251 per year.
Strong graduate earnings at Stanford University earned it the #3 place for economics. Set in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution. Economics graduates of Stanford University earn a median of about $148,692 a year early in their careers.
A rank of #4 makes Dartmouth College one of the highest-paying schools for economics. Located in the town of Hanover, Dartmouth College is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, economics degree recipients from Dartmouth College typically earn about $153,295 annually.
A rank of #5 makes University Of Chicago one of the highest-paying schools for economics. Set in the city of Chicago, University Of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, economics degree recipients from University Of Chicago typically earn about $157,181 annually.
1
2
3
4
5
Amherst College ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying economics schools. Located in the city of Amherst, Amherst College is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, economics degree recipients from Amherst College typically earn about $150,151 annually.
Claremont Mckenna College placed #7 among the highest-paying schools for economics. Set in the suburb of Claremont, Claremont Mckenna College is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career economics graduates from Claremont Mckenna College make a median of around $151,744 per year.
University Of Pennsylvania came in at #8 for economics graduate earnings this year. University Of Pennsylvania is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia. Students who complete the economics program here go on to a median salary of roughly $152,236.
Middlebury College landed the #9 spot for economics salaries this year. Middlebury College is a private not-for-profit school located in the town of Middlebury. Early-career economics graduates from Middlebury College make a median of around $150,031 per year.
Williams College landed the #10 spot for economics salaries this year. Williams College is a private not-for-profit school located in the town of Williamstown. Economics graduates of Williams College earn a median of about $150,862 a year early in their careers.
Barnard College earned the #11 position for economics graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of New York, Barnard College is a private not-for-profit institution. Economics graduates of Barnard College earn a median of about $136,964 a year early in their careers.
Johns Hopkins University ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying economics schools. Johns Hopkins University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Baltimore. Students who complete the economics program here go on to a median salary of roughly $145,452.
Carnegie Mellon University ranked #13 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying economics schools. Carnegie Mellon University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Pittsburgh. After graduating, economics degree recipients from Carnegie Mellon University typically earn about $132,407 annually.
Columbia University In The City Of New York earned the #14 position for economics graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of New York, Columbia University In The City Of New York is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the economics program here go on to a median salary of roughly $134,398.
Princeton University landed the #15 spot for economics salaries this year. Princeton University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Princeton. Early-career economics graduates from Princeton University make a median of around $103,041 per year.
Cornell University came in at #16 for economics graduate earnings this year. Cornell University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Ithaca. Students who complete the economics program here go on to a median salary of roughly $129,667.
Colby College came in at #17 for economics graduate earnings this year. Set in the town of Waterville, Colby College is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the economics program here go on to a median salary of roughly $142,245.
Yale University landed the #18 spot for economics salaries this year. Yale University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of New Haven. Students who complete the economics program here go on to a median salary of roughly $131,171.
Vanderbilt University placed #19 among the highest-paying schools for economics. Set in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the economics program here go on to a median salary of roughly $128,449.
Saint Josephs University ranked #20 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying economics schools. Located in the city of Philadelphia, Saint Josephs University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the economics program here go on to a median salary of roughly $101,844.
Washington And Lee University ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying economics schools. Located in the town of Lexington, Washington And Lee University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, economics degree recipients from Washington And Lee University typically earn about $145,820 annually.
Northwestern University landed the #22 spot for economics salaries this year. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Evanston. Students who complete the economics program here go on to a median salary of roughly $125,639.
Swarthmore College ranked #23 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying economics schools. Located in the suburb of Swarthmore, Swarthmore College is a private not-for-profit institution. Economics graduates of Swarthmore College earn a median of about $136,021 a year early in their careers.
Sacred Heart University came in at #24 for economics graduate earnings this year. Sacred Heart University is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Fairfield. Economics graduates of Sacred Heart University earn a median of about $99,167 a year early in their careers.
University Of California Berkeley earned the #25 position for economics graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Berkeley, University Of California Berkeley is a public institution. Economics graduates of University Of California Berkeley earn a median of about $125,636 a year early in their careers.
These schools also send economics graduates into strong-paying careers this year:
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
These institutions also earned high marks for economics graduate pay:
| Rank | College | Location | Avg Salary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #51 | Fairfield University | Fairfield, CT | $97,565 | Full Report |
| #52 | University Of Virginia Main Campus | Charlottesville, VA | $95,941 | Full Report |
| #53 | Lafayette College | Easton, PA | $106,100 | Full Report |
| #54 | Bucknell University | Lewisburg, PA | $101,580 | Full Report |
| #55 | New York University | New York, NY | $105,120 | Full Report |
| #56 | Carleton College | Northfield, MN | $107,997 | Full Report |
| #57 | Union College New York | Schenectady, NY | $113,427 | Full Report |
These schools earned honorable mentions for economics graduate pay:
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their economics graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 100 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.