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Best Economics Schools Near Wilkes-Barre, PA (2026)
Updated September 6, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania has 5 accredited schools offering economics programs. Wilkes-Barre has a population of about 44,217. Median household income is $47,970 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 19.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Pennsylvania, the top-earning economics-related role is Economist at a median $115,000 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Economics Schools to Wilkes-Barre
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer economics programs near Wilkes-Barre, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Wilkes-Barre city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
Average net price (lower is better) 20%
Retention rate 15%
Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Wilkes-Barre.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Pennsylvania schools on the Pennsylvania economics page.
Economics Wages Near Wilkes-Barre
Wilkes-Barre is part of the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA metro area (BLS area code 42540). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Pennsylvania statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Economist
$115,000
PA statewide
$122,863
Financial and Investment Analyst
$76,340
Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA
$81,560
Statistician
$93,830
PA statewide
$100,246
Management Analyst
$93,150
Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA
$99,519
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.
Wilkes-Barre at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
44,217
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$47,970
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
19.4%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
93.6 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Wilkes-Barre-Area Cities With Economics Programs
How many accredited economics schools are near Wilkes-Barre, PA?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering economics programs near Wilkes-Barre. The closest is King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, PA (0.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Muhlenberg College (48.9 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying economics roles near Wilkes-Barre?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying economics-related roles near Wilkes-Barre are: Economist ($115,000), Statistician ($93,830), Management Analyst ($93,150). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Pennsylvania statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Scranton instead of Wilkes-Barre?
Scranton, PA is 15.4 miles from Wilkes-Barre 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 Wilkes-Barre an affordable place to study economics?
Wilkes-Barre’s median household income of $47,970 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Wilkes-Barre while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Pennsylvania 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.
Data verified: September 6, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-2035) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
