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Best Economics Schools in California

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2023 Best Economics Schools in California

23 Colleges
$48,538 Avg Salary
$16,731 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Economics School for You

In 2020-2021, 736 degrees and certificates were awarded to economics students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #35 most popular major in the state.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Best Economics Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 23 schools in California to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Economics Schools in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Economics Colleges.

Top 10 Best Economics Schools

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Stanford University the best school in California for economics students. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Read full report on Economics at Stanford University

Out of the 23 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the # 2 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.

Full Economics at University of California - Berkeley Report

The excellent programs at University of Southern California helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best economics schools in California. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Economics Schools in California list. UCLA is a very large public school located in the city of Los Angeles.

Full Economics at University of California - Los Angeles Report

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Claremont Graduate University is a great place for economics students. Located in the suburb of Claremont, Claremont Graduate University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Full Economics at Claremont Graduate University Report

University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #6 on this year’s Best Economics Schools in California list. UCSB is a very large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara.

Read full report on Economics at University of California - Santa Barbara

With a ranking of #7, University of California - San Diego did quite well on this year’s best schools for economics students. Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for economics students. It came in at #8 on the list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.

Full Economics at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report

University of California - Irvine did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for economics students. It came in at #9 on the list. UC Irvine is a fairly large public school located in the city of Irvine.

Read full report on Economics at University of California - Irvine

University of California - Davis ranked #10 on this year’s Best Economics Schools in California list. UC Davis is a very large public school located in the suburb of Davis.

Full Economics at University of California - Davis Report

Best Economics Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Economics Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 50
Oregon 64
Nevada 16
Hawaii 11
Alaska 1

One of 12 majors within the area of study, economics has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
International Relations & National Security 5,010
Political Science & Government 2,664
Geography & Cartography 2,315
Sociology 1,907
Anthropology 1,446

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 23 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to pixabay.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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