Best Economics Schools Near Berkeley, CA (2026)

Berkeley, California has 49 accredited schools offering economics programs, with tuition ranging from $1,258 to $67,778 per year for indexed programs. Berkeley has a population of about 120,223. Median household income is $108,558 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 75.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, the top-earning economics-related role is Economist at a median $142,400 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Economics Schools to Berkeley

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer economics programs near Berkeley, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Berkeley city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

No school data available.

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California economics page.


Economics Wages Near Berkeley

Berkeley is part of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area (BLS area code 41860). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Economist$142,400San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$123,183
Financial and Investment Analyst$130,520San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$112,907
Statistician$135,960CA statewide$117,612
Management Analyst$126,730San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$109,628

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Berkeley at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population120,223Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$108,558Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+75.1%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)115.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Berkeley-Area Cities With Economics Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited economics schools are near Berkeley, CA?

Our directory has 49 accredited schools offering economics programs near Berkeley. The closest is Berkeley City College in Berkeley, CA (0.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of San Francisco (11.6 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying economics roles near Berkeley?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying economics-related roles near Berkeley are: Economist ($142,400), Statistician ($135,960), Financial and Investment Analyst ($130,520). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in El Cerrito instead of Berkeley?

El Cerrito, CA is 3.6 miles from Berkeley and has its own set of local economics programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Berkeley an affordable place to study economics?

Berkeley’s median household income of $108,558 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Berkeley while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Economics Programs

Other Programs Available in Berkeley

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Berkeley:

Data verified: August 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.