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Best Public Policy Schools Near Jonesboro, AR (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Jonesboro, Arkansas is home to about 79,187 residents. Median household income is $52,559 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 29.8% 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 Jonesboro
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public policy programs near Jonesboro, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Jonesboro 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 Jonesboro.
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 Jonesboro
Jonesboro is part of the Jonesboro, AR metro area (BLS area code 27860). 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
$61,940
Jonesboro, AR
$72,107
Economists
$91,560
AR statewide
$106,589
Social and Community Service Managers
$56,820
Jonesboro, AR
$66,147
Survey Researchers
N/A
AR statewide
–
Compliance Officers
$56,310
Jonesboro, AR
$65,553
General and Operations Managers
$69,370
Jonesboro, AR
$80,757
Financial and Investment Analysts
$81,110
AR statewide
$94,424
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.
Jonesboro at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
79,187
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$52,559
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
29.8%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
85.9 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Jonesboro-Area Cities With Public Policy Programs
What are the highest-paying public policy roles near Jonesboro?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public policy-related roles near Jonesboro are: Economists ($91,560), Financial and Investment Analysts ($81,110), General and Operations Managers ($69,370). 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 Paragould instead of Jonesboro?
Paragould, AR is 18.7 miles from Jonesboro 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 Jonesboro an affordable place to study public policy?
Jonesboro’s median household income of $52,559 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Jonesboro 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.
