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Best Public Policy Schools Near Jacksonville, NC (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Jacksonville, North Carolina is home to about 73,507 residents. Median household income is $54,069 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 25.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In North Carolina, the top-earning public policy-related role is Economists at a median $136,150 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Public Policy Schools to Jacksonville
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public policy programs near Jacksonville, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Jacksonville 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 Jacksonville.
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.
Jacksonville is part of the Jacksonville, NC metro area (BLS area code 27340). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to North Carolina statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Political Scientists
N/A
NC statewide
–
Management Analysts
$91,170
Jacksonville, NC
$98,990
Economists
$136,150
NC statewide
$147,828
Social and Community Service Managers
$75,400
Jacksonville, NC
$81,868
Survey Researchers
$96,560
NC statewide
$104,843
Compliance Officers
$75,360
Jacksonville, NC
$81,824
General and Operations Managers
$91,100
Jacksonville, NC
$98,914
Financial and Investment Analysts
$102,390
NC statewide
$111,173
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.
Jacksonville at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
73,507
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$54,069
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
25.0%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
92.1 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Jacksonville-Area Cities With Public Policy Programs
What are the highest-paying public policy roles near Jacksonville?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public policy-related roles near Jacksonville are: Economists ($136,150), Financial and Investment Analysts ($102,390), Survey Researchers ($96,560). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with North Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Havelock instead of Jacksonville?
Havelock, NC is 30.7 miles from Jacksonville 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 Jacksonville an affordable place to study public policy?
Jacksonville’s median household income of $54,069 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Jacksonville while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and North Carolina 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.
