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Public Administration Schools Near Philadelphia, PA (2026)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has 41 accredited schools offering public administration programs, with tuition ranging from $10,775 to $68,686 per year for indexed programs. Philadelphia has a population of about 1,582,432. Median household income is $60,698 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 34.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area, the top-earning public administration-related role is General and Operations Manager at a median $121,630 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Public Administration Schools to Philadelphia
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public administration programs near Philadelphia, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Philadelphia 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 Pennsylvania schools on the Pennsylvania public administration page.
Public Administration Wages Near Philadelphia
Philadelphia is part of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area (BLS area code 37980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Pennsylvania statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social and Community Service Manager | $80,810 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $78,762 |
| Urban and Regional Planner | $83,750 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $81,628 |
| General and Operations Manager | $121,630 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $118,548 |
| Management Analyst | $100,920 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $98,363 |
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.
Philadelphia at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,582,432 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $60,698 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 34.6% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 102.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Philadelphia-Area Cities With Public Administration Programs
- Camden, NJ – 5.1 mi away (74,420 pop)
- Norristown, PA – 13.5 mi away (34,370 pop)
- Chester, PA – 16.9 mi away (33,988 pop)
- Trenton, NJ – 24.6 mi away (293,697 pop)
- Wilmington, DE – 28.2 mi away (71,442 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited public administration schools are near Philadelphia, PA?
Our directory has 41 accredited schools offering public administration programs near Philadelphia. The closest is Rutgers University-Camden in Camden, NJ (4.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Strayer University-Delaware (28.5 miles). 10 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying public administration roles near Philadelphia?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public administration-related roles near Philadelphia are: General and Operations Manager ($121,630), Management Analyst ($100,920), Urban and Regional Planner ($83,750). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Pennsylvania statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Camden instead of Philadelphia?
Camden, NJ is 5.1 miles from Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia an affordable place to study public administration?
Philadelphia’s median household income of $60,698 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Philadelphia while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania
- Public Administration programs by state
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Related from Our Editorial Library
- Best Accredited Online Colleges (2026)
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- 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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