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Best Public Administration Schools Near Zion, IL (2026)
Zion, Illinois has 19 accredited schools offering public administration programs, with tuition ranging from $8,616 to $68,322 per year for indexed programs. Zion has a population of about 24,466. Median household income is $62,574 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 16.1% 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 Zion
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public administration programs near Zion, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Zion 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 Illinois schools on the Illinois public administration page.
Public Administration Wages Near Zion
Zion 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.
Zion at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 24,466 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $62,574 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 16.1% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 103.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Zion-Area Cities With Public Administration Programs
- Pleasant Prairie, WI – 5.0 mi away (20,734 pop)
- Waukegan, IL – 6.3 mi away (88,182 pop)
- Gurnee, IL – 7.6 mi away (30,957 pop)
- Kenosha, WI – 8.8 mi away (124,580 pop)
- North Chicago, IL – 9.9 mi away (29,951 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited public administration schools are near Zion, IL?
Our directory has 19 accredited schools offering public administration programs near Zion. The closest is Northwestern University in Evanston, IL (29.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (52.2 miles). 10 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying public administration roles near Zion?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public administration-related roles near Zion 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 Pleasant Prairie instead of Zion?
Pleasant Prairie, WI is 5.0 miles from Zion 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 Zion an affordable place to study public administration?
Zion’s median household income of $62,574 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Zion 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
- Is a Public Administration degree worth it?
- Main Public Administration degree guide
- Online Public Administration programs in Illinois
- Public Administration programs by state
Other Programs Available in Zion
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Zion:
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- Early Childhood Education programs in Zion, IL
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- Criminal Justice programs in Zion, IL
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- Business Administration programs in Zion, IL
- Computer Science programs in Zion, IL
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- Engineering programs in Zion, IL
- Technology programs in Zion, IL
- Liberal Arts programs in Zion, IL
- Healthcare programs in Zion, IL
- Cybersecurity programs in Zion, IL
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- Healthcare Administration programs in Zion, IL
- Social Work programs in Zion, IL
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Related from Our Editorial Library
- Best Accredited Online Colleges (2026)
- Best Online Colleges Ranking
- Effective Learning Strategies for Online Students
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.
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