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Best Public Policy Schools Near Wilmington, NC (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Wilmington, North Carolina is home to about 118,578 residents. Median household income is $63,900 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 45.8% 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 Wilmington
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public policy programs near Wilmington, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Wilmington 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 Wilmington.
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.
Wilmington is part of the Wilmington, NC metro area (BLS area code 48900). 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
$86,960
Wilmington, NC
$90,207
Economists
$136,150
NC statewide
$141,234
Social and Community Service Managers
$77,860
Wilmington, NC
$80,768
Survey Researchers
$96,560
NC statewide
$100,166
Compliance Officers
$74,430
Wilmington, NC
$77,210
General and Operations Managers
$90,270
Wilmington, NC
$93,641
Financial and Investment Analysts
$87,970
Wilmington, NC
$91,255
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.
Wilmington at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
118,578
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$63,900
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
45.8%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
96.4 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Wilmington-Area Cities With Public Policy Programs
What are the highest-paying public policy roles near Wilmington?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public policy-related roles near Wilmington are: Economists ($136,150), Survey Researchers ($96,560), General and Operations Managers ($90,270). 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 Jacksonville instead of Wilmington?
Jacksonville, NC is 45.6 miles from Wilmington 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 Wilmington an affordable place to study public policy?
Wilmington’s median household income of $63,900 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Wilmington 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.
