by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2025, College Factual analyzed 34 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Economics Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,821 bachelor's degrees in economics to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of economics for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality economics program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for economics students working on their bachelor's degree.
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 Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list to help you make the college decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in economics.
It is hard to beat University of Minnesota - Twin Cities if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in economics. UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis.
Economics bachelor's degree recipients from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities get an earnings boost of approximately $4,317 over the average income of economics graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
It's difficult to beat Washington University in St Louis if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in economics. WUSTL is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.
Economics bachelor's degree recipients from Washington University in St Louis receive an earnings boost of about $13,740 above the average income of economics graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Washington University in St Louis
It is hard to beat University of Iowa if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in economics. Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population.
Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the economics program earn about $50,223 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of Iowa
Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in economics needs to check out St Olaf College. Located in the distant town of Northfield, St. Olaf is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Those economics students who get their bachelor's degree from St Olaf College make $3,653 more than the standard economics student.
More information about a bachelor’s in economics from St Olaf College
Located in the distant town of Northfield, Carleton is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Economics bachelor's degree recipients from Carleton College receive an earnings boost of approximately $13,982 over the average income of economics graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Carleton College
Located in the city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a very large student population.
Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the economics program earn around $45,420 in their early career salary.
More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of Kansas
Grinnell is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Grinnell.
After graduating, economics bachelor's recipients generally earn an average of $46,791 in their early careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Grinnell College
Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Macalester is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Economics bachelor's degree recipients from Macalester College earn a boost of around $7,167 over the average income of economics graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in economics from Macalester College
UST MN is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Saint Paul.
Economics bachelor's degree recipients from University of St Thomas Minnesota earn a boost of about $7,738 above the average income of economics graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of St Thomas Minnesota
Located in the large city of Lincoln, UNL is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in economics from University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Explore the best economics schools for a specific state in the Plains States Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 228 | 333 |
| Minnesota | 215 | 778 |
| Iowa | 197 | 307 |
| Kansas | 184 | 318 |
| Nebraska | 180 | 95 |
| North Dakota | 149 | 21 |
| South Dakota | 148 | 34 |
Economics is one of 13 different types of Social Sciences programs to choose from.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Economics | 999 |
| Econometrics & Quantitative Economics | 510 |
| International Economics | 236 |
| Applied Economics | 54 |
| Other Economics | 13 |
| Development Economics & International Development | 9 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Political Science & Government | 2,042 |
| Sociology | 1,074 |
| Anthropology | 497 |
| General Social Sciences | 305 |
| International Relations & National Security | 236 |
| Geography & Cartography | 198 |
| Sociology & Anthropology | 62 |
| Urban Studies | 45 |
| Archeology | 5 |
| Other Social Sciences | 4 |