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Best Business Economics Schools by Graduate Salary & ROI (2026)

81 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Business Economics, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Business Economics graduate earns $53,331/yr across 81 schools.

What do Business Economics graduates do? See career paths and salaries →

Why BYU's ROI is Off the Charts

Brigham Young University's #1 spot is a story of economics, driven by a staggering 51.1x ROI. The university's affiliation with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints allows it to heavily subsidize tuition, resulting in a 4-year cost of just $25,984. This low cost, combined with strong graduate earnings of $75,227, mathematically guarantees a high ROI. More importantly, BYU's powerful and deeply integrated global alumni network functions as an elite career placement service, funneling graduates into management and finance roles nationwide.

The Public School Takeover of Business Econ

The top 20 is almost entirely composed of large public universities (18 of 20). This isn't an accident. These institutions are designed to be economic engines for their states, creating direct pipelines into major regional industries. The clustering in California (4 schools) and Georgia (4 schools) reflects strong local demand in tech, logistics, and corporate finance. For students, this means deep recruiting benches from local Fortune 500s and a built-in alumni network right where the jobs are.

How a For-Profit Cracked the Top 10

Seeing Ashford University at #6 is surprising, as for-profit schools rarely appear in top-tier rankings. Its high earnings ($66,360/yr) are likely explained by its student body: Ashford traditionally served working adults seeking to upskill for promotions, not 18-year-old freshmen. This can inflate post-graduation salary data. Note that Ashford has since been acquired and is now the University of Arizona Global Campus, a move intended to lend it the academic rigor and oversight of a major public research university.

AI Won't Take Your Job, It Will Change Your Job

Every program on this list faces high AI exposure (avg. 56.7%), but this doesn't mean the degree is obsolete. It means the job of a managerial economist is shifting. AI will automate the routine data collection and analysis that once defined junior-level roles. Your value in 2030 won't be running the numbers, but questioning the data, interpreting the model's output, and translating complex quantitative insights into strategy for executives. This degree is becoming less about calculation and more about critical thinking and high-stakes communication.

Programs Ranked

Avg Earnings

$53,331/yr

Avg DW Score

59/100

AI Risk

Very High

57% task exposure

All Business Economics Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

#	School	DW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	Brigham Young University Provo, UT · Private nonprofit	78 75–79	$75,227/yr	51.1x
2	University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA · Public	77 74–79	$83,604/yr	20.5x
3	University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, SC · Public	73 70–74	$62,692/yr	19.0x
4	The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL · Public	72 69–73	$55,550/yr	20.7x
5	University of Arizona Tucson, AZ · Public	71 68–73	$56,114/yr	18.0x
6	Ashford University San Diego, CA · Private for-profit	71 68–72	$66,360/yr	15.5x
7	CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, NY · Public	71 67–72	$57,909/yr	24.4x
8	North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC · Public	71 68–73	$60,369/yr	21.7x
9	University of North Texas Denton, TX · Public	71 68–72	$54,058/yr	20.4x
10	Georgia College & State University Milledgeville, GA · Public	70 67–72	$49,187/yr	25.8x
11	University of Georgia Athens, GA · Public	70 67–71	$53,094/yr	19.3x
12	Miami University-Oxford Oxford, OH · Public	69 66–71	$60,596/yr	13.1x
13	Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH · Public	69 66–71	$61,979/yr	15.1x
14	Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA · Public	69 66–71	$51,932/yr	31.1x
15	University of California-Davis Davis, CA · Public	68 64–69	$54,546/yr	14.0x
16	University of Central Florida Orlando, FL · Public	68 65–69	$47,648/yr	29.5x
17	University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR · Public	67 64–68	$54,471/yr	17.4x
18	University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA · Public	67 64–68	$52,029/yr	14.4x
19	Georgia State University Atlanta, GA · Public	67 64–68	$49,368/yr	21.0x
20	Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL · Public	67 64–68	$53,219/yr	14.9x
21	University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE · Public	67 63–68	$55,404/yr	16.4x
22	Villanova University Villanova, PA · Private nonprofit	67 64–68	$82,212/yr	4.8x
23	University of Louisville Louisville, KY · Public	66 63–67	$48,050/yr	15.7x
24	Ball State University Muncie, IN · Public	65 62–67	$53,319/yr	15.4x
25	University of Kentucky Lexington, KY · Public	65 62–66	$51,081/yr	13.7x
26	University of Idaho Moscow, ID · Public	64 63–66	$44,655/yr	20.5x
27	Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA · Private nonprofit	64 61–66	$81,796/yr	3.4x
28	Texas State University San Marcos, TX · Public	64 61–65	$49,831/yr	14.6x
29	Arkansas Tech University Russellville, AR · Public	63 62–64	$44,146/yr	20.2x
30	Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI · Public	63 60–65	$53,536/yr	11.8x
31	SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, NY · Public	63 63–64	$41,859/yr	21.7x
32	The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX · Public	63 61–64	$44,424/yr	18.9x
33	Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA · Public	62 64–63	$39,233/yr	36.4x
34	University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC · Public	62 61–64	$43,826/yr	22.2x
35	Ohio University-Eastern Campus Saint Clairsville, OH · Public	62 59–63	$60,236/yr	23.4x
36	Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus Chillicothe, OH · Public	62 59–63	$60,236/yr	23.4x
37	Ohio University-Southern Campus Ironton, OH · Public	62 59–63	$60,236/yr	23.4x
38	Ohio University-Lancaster Campus Lancaster, OH · Public	62 59–63	$60,236/yr	23.4x
39	Ohio University-Zanesville Campus Zanesville, OH · Public	62 59–63	$60,236/yr	23.4x
40	Colorado State University Pueblo Pueblo, CO · Public	61 59–63	$48,389/yr	15.4x
41	Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH · Public	61 58–62	$51,622/yr	11.8x
42	Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit	60 57–62	$61,333/yr	3.9x
43	Bentley University Waltham, MA · Private nonprofit	60 57–61	$68,627/yr	3.1x
44	State University of New York at Cortland Cortland, NY · Public	60 61–61	$40,517/yr	20.3x
45	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN · Public	60 59–61	$44,025/yr	13.2x
46	Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA · Public	60 58–61	$45,370/yr	11.4x
47	University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA · Public	59 58–60	$44,277/yr	12.1x
48	University of Miami Coral Gables, FL · Private nonprofit	59 56–60	$63,662/yr	3.0x
49	DePaul University Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit	59 56–60	$53,682/yr	4.5x
50	University of Dayton Dayton, OH · Private nonprofit	59 56–61	$55,871/yr	4.1x
51	Marquette University Milwaukee, WI · Private nonprofit	59 55–60	$53,345/yr	4.1x
52	California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA · Public	58 60–59	$38,967/yr	22.9x
53	Baylor University Waco, TX · Private nonprofit	58 55–60	$60,575/yr	3.3x
54	Wheaton College Wheaton, IL · Private nonprofit	57 54–58	$55,300/yr	3.8x
55	University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Norman, OK · Public	57 54–58	$55,460/yr	13.5x
56	Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ · Public	56 53–57	$47,379/yr	10.7x
57	Westmont College Santa Barbara, CA · Private nonprofit	56 53–58	$54,457/yr	3.3x
58	Washington University in St Louis Saint Louis, MO · Private nonprofit	55 52–56	$106,701/yr	3.2x
59	Ohio University-Main Campus Athens, OH · Public	55 52–56	$60,236/yr	10.0x
60	Hampden-Sydney College Hampden-Sydney, VA · Private nonprofit	55 51–56	$52,087/yr	3.1x
61	Chapman University Orange, CA · Private nonprofit	54 51–56	$54,064/yr	2.6x
62	The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX · Public	54 51–55	$53,984/yr	10.5x
63	Boise State University Boise, ID · Public	52 50–54	$46,511/yr	12.2x
64	University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL · Public	51 51–53	$42,357/yr	15.6x
65	University of Maine at Farmington Farmington, ME · Public	51 49–53	$48,263/yr	10.0x
66	University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC · Public	51 50–52	$43,790/yr	13.4x
67	South Dakota State University Brookings, SD · Public	50 49–52	$45,123/yr	11.1x
68	Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ · Private nonprofit	49 47–51	$66,877/yr	2.3x
69	Capital University Columbus, OH · Private nonprofit	48 45–50	$59,203/yr	2.5x
70	University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA · Public	47 50–48	$37,496/yr	10.1x
71	University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA · Public	46 44–48	$46,170/yr	5.7x
72	Wofford College Spartanburg, SC · Private nonprofit	46 43–47	$48,055/yr	2.2x
73	University of Memphis Memphis, TN · Public	46 49–47	$37,534/yr	12.1x
74	Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Cupey Campus San Juan, PR · Private nonprofit	46 48–46	$38,577/yr	12.9x
75	Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA · Public	45 45–46	$42,491/yr	7.9x
76	Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO · Private nonprofit	45 42–47	$49,314/yr	2.1x
77	Beloit College Beloit, WI · Private nonprofit	45 42–46	$54,111/yr	1.3x
78	Oklahoma State University-Main Campus Stillwater, OK · Public	44 45–45	$40,413/yr	8.9x
79	Greensboro College Greensboro, NC · Private nonprofit	43 42–44	$42,816/yr	4.2x
80	Belmont University Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit	40 39–41	$43,422/yr	1.6x
81	Utica University Utica, NY · Private nonprofit	23 25–24	$22,841/yr	1.3x

Scores calculated using College Scorecard, BLS, and AI task-exposure data. See full methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Business Economics?

Based on our DegreeOutlook Score, Brigham Young University ranks #1 for Business Economics with a score of 78/100 and graduate earnings of $75,227/yr.

How much do Business Economics graduates earn?

Across 81 schools, Business Economics graduates earn an average of $53,331/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $106,701/yr.

Is Business Economics a good major for AI resistance?

Business Economics has an average AI task exposure of 57%, rated "Very High". This field has significant AI exposure. Check individual program pages for scenario analysis.