Rock Island, Illinois has 2 accredited schools offering public administration programs. Rock Island has a population of about 36,758. Median household income is $57,292 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 22.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL metro area, the top-earning public administration-related role is Management Analyst at a median $93,530 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Public Administration Schools to Rock Island
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public administration programs near Rock Island, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Rock Island 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 Rock Island.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$57,808
Avg net price
$13,391/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 70%
- Programs offered: 92
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$58,709
Avg net price
$18,838/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 77%
- Programs offered: 44
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
71%
Graduation rate
65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$66,099
Avg net price
$17,028/yr
TuitionIn‑state$39,200
Out‑of‑state$39,200
Key stats- Retention rate: 81%
- Programs offered: 85
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$57,103
Avg net price
$9,833/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 78%
- Programs offered: 48
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
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
47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$58,169
Avg net price
$12,329/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 58%
- Programs offered: 54
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$58,656
Avg net price
$10,970/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 75%
- Programs offered: 61
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
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois public administration page.
Public Administration Wages Near Rock Island
Rock Island is part of the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL metro area (BLS area code 19340). 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 | $66,300 | Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | $74,411 |
| Urban and Regional Planner | $88,300 | Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | $99,102 |
| General and Operations Manager | $91,140 | Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | $102,290 |
| Management Analyst | $93,530 | Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | $104,972 |
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.
Rock Island at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 36,758 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $57,292 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 22.4% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 89.1 (below U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Rock Island-Area Cities With Public Administration Programs
- Moline, IL – 4.8 mi away (42,250 pop)
- Davenport, IA – 6.0 mi away (288,233 pop)
- Bettendorf, IA – 8.6 mi away (35,727 pop)
- East Moline, IL – 10.7 mi away (21,135 pop)
- Muscatine, IA – 25.4 mi away (26,481 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited public administration schools are near Rock Island, IL?
Our directory has 2 accredited schools offering public administration programs near Rock Island. The closest is University of Iowa in Iowa City, IA (51.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Northern Illinois University (99.0 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying public administration roles near Rock Island?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public administration-related roles near Rock Island are: Management Analyst ($93,530), General and Operations Manager ($91,140), Urban and Regional Planner ($88,300). 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 Moline instead of Rock Island?
Moline, IL is 4.8 miles from Rock Island 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 Rock Island an affordable place to study public administration?
Rock Island’s median household income of $57,292 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Rock Island 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 Rock Island
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Rock Island:
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- Crime Analysis programs in Rock Island, IL
- Criminal Justice Administration programs in Rock Island, IL
- Criminology programs in Rock Island, IL
- Cybercrime programs in Rock Island, IL
- Emergency Management programs in Rock Island, IL
- Fire Science programs in Rock Island, IL
- Forensic Science programs in Rock Island, IL
- Legal Services programs in Rock Island, IL
- Legal Studies programs in Rock Island, IL
- Paralegal programs in Rock Island, IL
- Security Management programs in Rock Island, IL
- Cloud Computing programs in Rock Island, IL
- Computer Engineering programs in Rock Island, IL
- Innovation programs in Rock Island, IL
- Mobile App Development programs in Rock Island, IL
- Software Development programs in Rock Island, IL
- User Experience programs in Rock Island, IL
- Web Development programs in Rock Island, IL
- Artificial Intelligence programs in Rock Island, IL
- Machine Learning programs in Rock Island, IL
- Supply Chain Management programs in Rock Island, IL
- Data Analytics programs in Rock Island, IL
- Public Health programs in Rock Island, IL
- Human Resources programs in Rock Island, IL
- Project Management programs in Rock Island, IL
- Special Education programs in Rock Island, IL
- Homeland Security programs in Rock Island, IL
- Marketing programs in Rock Island, IL
- Finance programs in Rock Island, IL
- Kinesiology programs in Rock Island, IL
- Sports Management programs in Rock Island, IL
- Early Childhood Education programs in Rock Island, IL
- Elementary Education programs in Rock Island, IL
- Biology programs in Rock Island, IL
- Communications programs in Rock Island, IL
- Graphic Design programs in Rock Island, IL
- Human Services programs in Rock Island, IL
- MBA programs in Rock Island, IL
- Criminal Justice programs in Rock Island, IL
- Nursing programs in Rock Island, IL
- Business Administration programs in Rock Island, IL
- Computer Science programs in Rock Island, IL
- Psychology programs in Rock Island, IL
- Education programs in Rock Island, IL
- Engineering programs in Rock Island, IL
- Technology programs in Rock Island, IL
- Liberal Arts programs in Rock Island, IL
- Healthcare programs in Rock Island, IL
- Cybersecurity programs in Rock Island, IL
- Accounting programs in Rock Island, IL
- Healthcare Administration programs in Rock Island, IL
- Social Work programs in Rock Island, IL
- Counseling programs in Rock Island, 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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