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Best Public Administration Schools Near Raleigh, NC (2026)
Raleigh, North Carolina has 11 accredited schools offering public administration programs, with tuition ranging from $3,648 to $46,958 per year for indexed programs. Raleigh has a population of about 470,763. Median household income is $82,424 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 52.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area, the top-earning public administration-related role is General and Operations Manager at a median $114,940 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Public Administration Schools to Raleigh
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public administration programs near Raleigh, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Raleigh 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 North Carolina schools on the North Carolina public administration page.
Public Administration Wages Near Raleigh
Raleigh is part of the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area (BLS area code 39580). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to North Carolina statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social and Community Service Manager | $85,850 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | $87,424 |
| Urban and Regional Planner | $84,810 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | $86,365 |
| General and Operations Manager | $114,940 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | $117,047 |
| Management Analyst | $96,820 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | $98,595 |
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.
Raleigh at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 470,763 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $82,424 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 52.9% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 98.2 (below U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Raleigh-Area Cities With Public Administration Programs
- Garner, NC – 9.6 mi away (28,776 pop)
- Cary, NC – 10.3 mi away (162,320 pop)
- Morrisville, NC – 10.7 mi away (24,732 pop)
- Wake Forest, NC – 11.6 mi away (40,112 pop)
- Apex, NC – 14.5 mi away (47,349 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited public administration schools are near Raleigh, NC?
Our directory has 11 accredited schools offering public administration programs near Raleigh. The closest is Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh, NC (3.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of North Carolina at Pembroke (85.0 miles). 9 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying public administration roles near Raleigh?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public administration-related roles near Raleigh are: General and Operations Manager ($114,940), Management Analyst ($96,820), Social and Community Service Manager ($85,850). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with North Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Garner instead of Raleigh?
Garner, NC is 9.6 miles from Raleigh 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 Raleigh an affordable place to study public administration?
Raleigh’s median household income of $82,424 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Raleigh while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and North Carolina 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 North Carolina
- Public Administration programs by state
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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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