Best Public Administration Schools Near Joplin, MO (2026)

Joplin, Missouri has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs, with tuition ranging from $7,750 to $36,745 per year for indexed programs. Joplin has a population of about 52,218. Median household income is $51,154 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 26.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Joplin, MO-KS metro area, the top-earning public administration-related role is Management Analyst at a median $82,760 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Public Administration Schools to Joplin

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


Public Administration Wages Near Joplin

Joplin is part of the Joplin, MO-KS metro area (BLS area code 27900). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Missouri statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Social and Community Service Manager$62,930Joplin, MO-KS$73,431
Urban and Regional Planner$80,720MO statewide$94,189
General and Operations Manager$79,300MO statewide$92,532
Management Analyst$82,760Joplin, MO-KS$96,569

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.


Joplin at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population52,218Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$51,154Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+26.4%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)85.7 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Joplin-Area Cities With Public Administration Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public administration schools are near Joplin, MO?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs near Joplin. The closest is Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, MO (2.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Rogers State University (81.7 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public administration-related roles near Joplin are: Management Analyst ($82,760), Urban and Regional Planner ($80,720), General and Operations Manager ($79,300). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Missouri statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Pittsburg instead of Joplin?

Pittsburg, KS is 25.7 miles from Joplin 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 Joplin an affordable place to study public administration?

Joplin’s median household income of $51,154 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Joplin while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Missouri 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 Joplin

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

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.