Best Public Administration Schools Near Johnston, IA (2026)

Johnston, Iowa has 4 accredited schools offering public administration programs, with tuition ranging from $9,936 to $52,130 per year for indexed programs. Johnston has a population of about 24,196. Median household income is $103,430 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 57.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area, the top-earning public administration-related role is General and Operations Manager at a median $98,780 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Public Administration Schools to Johnston

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public administration programs near Johnston, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Johnston 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 Iowa schools on the Iowa public administration page.


Public Administration Wages Near Johnston

Johnston is part of the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area (BLS area code 19780). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Iowa statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Social and Community Service Manager$73,840Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA$80,523
Urban and Regional Planner$85,980Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA$93,762
General and Operations Manager$98,780Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA$107,721
Management Analyst$90,730Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA$98,942

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.


Johnston at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population24,196Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$103,430Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+57.9%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)91.7 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Johnston-Area Cities With Public Administration Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public administration schools are near Johnston, IA?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering public administration programs near Johnston. The closest is Drake University in Des Moines, IA (6.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Northern Iowa (86.3 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying public administration roles near Johnston?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public administration-related roles near Johnston are: General and Operations Manager ($98,780), Management Analyst ($90,730), Urban and Regional Planner ($85,980). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Iowa statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Urbandale instead of Johnston?

Urbandale, IA is 4.6 miles from Johnston 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 Johnston an affordable place to study public administration?

Johnston’s median household income of $103,430 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Johnston while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Iowa 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 Johnston

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

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.