2025 Best Economics Schools in California
48
Colleges in California
10,639
Economics Degrees Awarded
$55,327
Avg Early-Career Salary
Economics is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #19 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 48 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Economics Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 10,639 degrees in economics annually.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Economics School
The economics program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Economics rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for economics schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Pick Your Economics Degree Level
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Economics Schools in California list to help you make the college decision.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.
Best Schools for Economics in California
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the economics degree levels they offer.
10 Top California Schools in Economics
University of California - Berkeley is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in economics. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were about 830 economics students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. Those economics students who get their degree from University of California - Berkeley receive $25,119 more than the average economics grad.
More information about a degree in economics from University of California - Berkeley
Stanford University is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in economics. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #10 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.
There were approximately 149 economics students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year. Those economics students who get their degree from Stanford University receive $42,777 more than the average economics grad.
More information about a degree in economics from Stanford University
Masters
Degree Type
MS in Applied Economics
Program Name
If you're the kind of person who enjoys working with numbers and solving tough problems, a graduate degree in economics may be for you.
More information about a degree in MS in Applied Economics from Southern New Hampshire University
University of California - Los Angeles is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in economics. UCLA is a very large public university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.
There were approximately 1052 economics students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available. Those economics students who get their degree from University of California - Los Angeles earn $6,764 more than the standard economics student.
More information about a degree in economics from University of California - Los Angeles
Every student pursuing a degree in economics has to check out University of California - Santa Barbara. UCSB is a fairly large public university located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara. A Best Colleges rank of #47 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.
There were approximately 679 economics students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent data year. Those economics students who get their degree from University of California - Santa Barbara earn $11,007 more than the typical economics student.
More information about a degree in economics from University of California - Santa Barbara
Claremont McKenna is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Claremont. A Best Colleges rank of #43 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Claremont McKenna is a great college overall.
There were roughly 129 economics students who graduated with this degree at Claremont McKenna in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the economics program at Claremont McKenna College make $34,178 above the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in economics from Claremont McKenna College
Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were approximately 377 economics students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the economics program make an average of $57,060 for their early career.
More information about a degree in economics from University of Southern California
UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Davis. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.
There were roughly 614 economics students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the economics program make an average of $50,295 for their early career.
More information about a degree in economics from University of California - Davis
Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.
There were roughly 455 economics students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, economics degree recipients usually earn around $51,192 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in economics from University of California - San Diego
Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.
There were about 482 economics students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the economics program make around $44,087 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in economics from University of California - Irvine
SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Santa Clara. A Best Colleges rank of #53 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SCU is a great university overall.
There were about 108 economics students who graduated with this degree at SCU in the most recent year we have data available. Economics degree recipients from Santa Clara University get an earnings boost of approximately $21,279 over the typical earnings of economics graduates.
More information about a degree in economics from Santa Clara University
