Best Public Administration Schools Near Bristol, TN (2026)

Updated August 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Bristol, Tennessee has 4 accredited schools offering public administration programs, with tuition ranging from $7,579 to $37,736 per year for indexed programs. Bristol has a population of about 27,490. Median household income is $55,007 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 29.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA metro area, the top-earning public administration-related role is General and Operations Manager at a median $97,450 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Public Administration Schools to Bristol

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

Public Administration Wages Near Bristol

Bristol is part of the Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA metro area (BLS area code 28700). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Tennessee statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Social and Community Service Manager$83,070Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA$96,146
Urban and Regional Planner$78,970TN statewide$91,400
General and Operations Manager$97,450Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA$112,789
Management Analyst$93,610Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA$108,345

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.

Bristol at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population27,490Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$55,007Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+29.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)86.4 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Bristol-Area Cities With Public Administration Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public administration schools are near Bristol, TN?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering public administration programs near Bristol. The closest is Appalachian State University in Boone, NC (37.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Lincoln Memorial University (80.2 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public administration-related roles near Bristol are: General and Operations Manager ($97,450), Management Analyst ($93,610), Social and Community Service Manager ($83,070). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Tennessee statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Johnson City instead of Bristol?

Johnson City, TN is 17.6 miles from Bristol 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 Bristol an affordable place to study public administration?

Bristol’s median household income of $55,007 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Bristol while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Tennessee 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 Bristol

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

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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