Elmhurst, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs. Elmhurst has a population of about 45,538. Median household income is $145,374 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 63.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the top-earning public administration-related role is General and Operations Manager at a median $109,390 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Public Administration Schools to Elmhurst
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public administration programs near Elmhurst, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Elmhurst 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 Elmhurst.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$60,327
Avg net price
$11,745/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 79%
- Programs offered: 63
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$68,740
Avg net price
$10,974/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 79%
- Programs offered: 140
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$68,751
Avg net price
$30,902/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 86%
- Programs offered: 166
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
71%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$71,530
Avg net price
$36,079/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 83%
- Programs offered: 168
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$45,799
Avg net price
$12,641/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 54%
- Programs offered: 46
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
50%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$48,712
Avg net price
$20,194/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 62%
- Programs offered: 80
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
55%
Graduation rate
74%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$82,592
Avg net price
$18,425/yr
TuitionIn‑state$52,386
Out‑of‑state$52,386
Key stats- Retention rate: 86%
- Programs offered: 76
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois public administration page.
Public Administration Wages Near Elmhurst
Elmhurst is part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (BLS area code 16980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Social and Community Service Manager | $79,150 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $76,400 |
| Urban and Regional Planner | $98,840 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $95,405 |
| General and Operations Manager | $109,390 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $105,589 |
| Management Analyst | $105,090 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $101,438 |
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.
Elmhurst at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 45,538 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $145,374 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 63.0% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 103.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Elmhurst-Area Cities With Public Administration Programs
- Villa Park, IL – 1.9 mi away (21,882 pop)
- Lombard, IL – 4.1 mi away (43,815 pop)
- Melrose Park, IL – 4.1 mi away (25,229 pop)
- Addison, IL – 4.1 mi away (36,902 pop)
- Maywood, IL – 5.2 mi away (23,756 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited public administration schools are near Elmhurst, IL?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs near Elmhurst. The closest is Dominican University in River Forest, IL (6.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Loyola University Chicago (16.4 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying public administration roles near Elmhurst?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public administration-related roles near Elmhurst are: General and Operations Manager ($109,390), Management Analyst ($105,090), Urban and Regional Planner ($98,840). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Illinois statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Villa Park instead of Elmhurst?
Villa Park, IL is 1.9 miles from Elmhurst and has its own set of local public administration programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Elmhurst an affordable place to study public administration?
Elmhurst’s median household income of $145,374 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Elmhurst while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Illinois 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 Public Administration Programs
Other Programs Available in Elmhurst
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Elmhurst:
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- Journalism programs in Elmhurst, IL
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- Financial Technology programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Forensic Accounting programs in Elmhurst, IL
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- Organizational Leadership programs in Elmhurst, IL
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- Nonprofit Management programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Operations Management programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Real Estate programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Recreation Management programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Retail Management programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Risk Management programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Statistics programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Taxation programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Corrections programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Crime Analysis programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Criminal Justice Administration programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Criminology programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Cybercrime programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Emergency Management programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Fire Science programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Forensic Science programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Legal Services programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Legal Studies programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Paralegal programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Security Management programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Cloud Computing programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Computer Engineering programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Innovation programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Mobile App Development programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Software Development programs in Elmhurst, IL
- User Experience programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Web Development programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Artificial Intelligence programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Machine Learning programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Supply Chain Management programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Data Analytics programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Public Health programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Human Resources programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Project Management programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Special Education programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Homeland Security programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Marketing programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Finance programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Kinesiology programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Sports Management programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Early Childhood Education programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Elementary Education programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Biology programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Communications programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Graphic Design programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Human Services programs in Elmhurst, IL
- MBA programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Criminal Justice programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Nursing programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Business Administration programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Computer Science programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Psychology programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Education programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Engineering programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Technology programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Liberal Arts programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Healthcare programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Cybersecurity programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Accounting programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Healthcare Administration programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Social Work programs in Elmhurst, IL
- Counseling programs in Elmhurst, IL
Data verified: August 31, 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.
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