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Best Public Policy Schools Near Gadsden, AL (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Gadsden, Alabama has 4 accredited schools offering public policy programs. Gadsden has a population of about 33,086. In Alabama, the top-earning public policy-related role is Economists at a median $129,960 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Public Policy Schools to Gadsden
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public policy programs near Gadsden, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Gadsden city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
Average net price (lower is better) 20%
Retention rate 15%
Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Gadsden.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Alabama schools on the Alabama public policy page.
Public Policy Wages Near Gadsden
Gadsden is part of the Gadsden, AL metro area (BLS area code 23460). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Alabama statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Political Scientists
N/A
AL statewide
–
Management Analysts
$108,040
AL statewide
$126,068
Economists
$129,960
AL statewide
$151,645
Social and Community Service Managers
$73,920
Gadsden, AL
$86,254
Survey Researchers
N/A
AL statewide
–
Compliance Officers
$69,990
Gadsden, AL
$81,669
General and Operations Managers
$91,470
Gadsden, AL
$106,733
Financial and Investment Analysts
$91,290
AL statewide
$106,523
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.
Gadsden at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
85.7 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Gadsden-Area Cities With Public Policy Programs
How many accredited public policy schools are near Gadsden, AL?
Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering public policy programs near Gadsden. The closest is Oakwood University in Huntsville, AL (63.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Emory University (98.1 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying public policy roles near Gadsden?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public policy-related roles near Gadsden are: Economists ($129,960), Management Analysts ($108,040), General and Operations Managers ($91,470). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Alabama statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Albertville instead of Gadsden?
Albertville, AL is 20.8 miles from Gadsden and has its own set of local public policy programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
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.
Data verified: September 5, 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.
