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Best Public Policy Schools Near Hot Springs, AR (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Hot Springs, Arkansas is home to about 38,023 residents. Median household income is $46,441 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 27.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Arkansas, the top-earning public policy-related role is Economists at a median $91,560 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Public Policy Schools to Hot Springs
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public policy programs near Hot Springs, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Hot Springs 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 Hot Springs.
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 Arkansas schools on the Arkansas public policy page.
Public Policy Wages Near Hot Springs
Hot Springs is part of the Hot Springs, AR metro area (BLS area code 26300). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Arkansas statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Political Scientists
N/A
AR statewide
–
Management Analysts
$67,260
Hot Springs, AR
$78,483
Economists
$91,560
AR statewide
$106,838
Social and Community Service Managers
$51,780
Hot Springs, AR
$60,420
Survey Researchers
N/A
AR statewide
–
Compliance Officers
$48,430
Hot Springs, AR
$56,511
General and Operations Managers
$62,810
Hot Springs, AR
$73,291
Financial and Investment Analysts
$81,110
AR statewide
$94,644
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.
Hot Springs at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
38,023
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$46,441
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
27.7%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
85.7 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Hot Springs-Area Cities With Public Policy Programs
What are the highest-paying public policy roles near Hot Springs?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public policy-related roles near Hot Springs are: Economists ($91,560), Financial and Investment Analysts ($81,110), Management Analysts ($67,260). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Arkansas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Benton instead of Hot Springs?
Benton, AR is 27.8 miles from Hot Springs 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.
Is Hot Springs an affordable place to study public policy?
Hot Springs’s median household income of $46,441 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Hot Springs while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Arkansas 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.
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.
