Best Economist programs in Minnesota, ranked by enrollment
Conduct research, prepare reports, or formulate plans to address economic problems related to the production and distribution of goods and services or monetary and fiscal policy.
24 schools in Minnesota run programs that feed this job, graduating 667 people a year. The job pays a median of $105,120 in Minnesota across about 500 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Minnesota that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
10 programs in Minnesota that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Minnesota (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Minnesota page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economicsmain feeder CIP 45.0603In Minnesota → | 266 | 39.9% | 8 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 2 | Economics, Generalmain feeder CIP 45.0601In Minnesota → | 239 | 35.8% | 16 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 3 | CIP 27.0305In Minnesota → | 94 | 14.1% | 2 | $60,930 | $21,143 |
| 4 | Applied Economicsmain feeder CIP 45.0602In Minnesota → | 29 | 4.3% | 1 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 5 | CIP 51.2007In Minnesota → | 12 | 1.8% | 1 | $48,728 | $23,761 |
| 6 | Economics, Othermain feeder CIP 45.0699In Minnesota → | 8 | 1.2% | 2 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 7 | CIP 01.0103In Minnesota → | 7 | 1.0% | 3 | $47,242 | $19,964 |
| 8 | CIP 45.1004In Minnesota → | 6 | 0.9% | 1 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 9 | International Economicsmain feeder CIP 45.0605In Minnesota → | 4 | 0.6% | 2 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 10 | CIP 45.0604In Minnesota → | 2 | 0.3% | 1 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
Top 24 schools in Minnesota
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 10 of the 24 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN Public · 6 feeder programs | 372 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | $56,902 | 85% | — | 80% |
| 2 | St Olaf College Northfield, MN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 70 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | $56,238 | 84% | $18,124 | 48% |
| 3 | Macalester College Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 45 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | $59,752 | 87% | $21,441 | 29% |
| 4 | University of St Thomas Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 29 | Economics, General | $60,323 | 76% | $28,888 | 85% |
| 5 | Carleton College Northfield, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 27 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | $66,567 | 90% | $18,669 | 20% |
| 6 | Gustavus Adolphus College Saint Peter, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 17 | Economics, General | $52,439 | 77% | $21,607 | 61% |
| 7 | Saint Johns University Collegeville, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 17 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | $54,752 | 75% | $19,900 | 91% |
| 8 | University of Minnesota - Duluth Duluth, MN Public · 2 feeder programs | 13 | Economics, General | $50,873 | 65% | — | 89% |
| 9 | Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Economics, General | — | 54% | — | 88% |
| 10 | Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN Public · 2 feeder programs | 10 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | — | 40% | — | 95% |
| 11 | Metropolitan State University Saint Paul, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Economics, General | — | 44% | — | 99% |
| 12 | Minnesota State University Moorhead Moorhead, MN Public · 2 feeder programs | 7 | Economics, General | — | 57% | — | 59% |
| 13 | Augsburg University Minneapolis, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Economics, Other | $45,720 | 52% | $23,585 | 82% |
| 14 | University of Northwestern - St Paul Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Political Economy | — | 68% | $23,114 | 93% |
| 15 | Central Lakes College - Brainerd Brainerd, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Agricultural Economics | — | 53% | — | — |
| 16 | Hamline University Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Economics, General | — | 60% | $20,981 | 88% |
| 17 | St Catherine University Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 5 | Economics, General | $64,916 | 61% | $21,042 | 92% |
| 18 | Bemidji State University Bemidji, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Economics, General | — | 48% | — | 56% |
| 19 | Concordia College at Moorhead Moorhead, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Financial Mathematics | — | 61% | $23,425 | 63% |
| 20 | University of Minnesota - Morris Morris, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Economics, General | — | 63% | — | 75% |
| 21 | Winona State University Winona, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Economics, General | — | 57% | — | 75% |
| 22 | Bethel University Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Economics, General | — | 71% | $25,225 | 88% |
| 23 | College of Saint Benedict Saint Joseph, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Economics, General | — | 77% | $22,583 | 92% |
| 24 | Riverland Community College Austin, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Agricultural Economics | — | 52% | — | — |
All 24 schools in Minnesota
Every school in Minnesota with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | Minneapolis | Public | 372 | 6 |
| St Olaf College | Northfield | Private not-for-profit | 70 | 2 |
| Macalester College | Saint Paul | Private not-for-profit | 45 | 1 |
| University of St Thomas | Saint Paul | Private not-for-profit | 29 | 4 |
| Carleton College | Northfield | Private not-for-profit | 27 | 1 |
| Gustavus Adolphus College | Saint Peter | Private not-for-profit | 17 | 1 |
| Saint Johns University | Collegeville | Private not-for-profit | 17 | 1 |
| University of Minnesota - Duluth | Duluth | Public | 13 | 2 |
| Minnesota State University - Mankato | Mankato | Public | 12 | 1 |
| Saint Cloud State University | Saint Cloud | Public | 10 | 2 |
| Metropolitan State University | Saint Paul | Public | 7 | 1 |
| Minnesota State University Moorhead | Moorhead | Public | 7 | 2 |
| Augsburg University | Minneapolis | Private not-for-profit | 6 | 1 |
| University of Northwestern - St Paul | Saint Paul | Private not-for-profit | 6 | 1 |
| Central Lakes College - Brainerd | Brainerd | Public | 5 | 1 |
What economists earn in Minnesota
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $124,720. Minnesota pays below the national figure.
Concentrated here: Minnesota employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in Minnesota
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Economists page.
How to become a Economist
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Master's degree
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Minnesota
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 16 majors mapped to Economists16 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 01.0103Agricultural Economics
- 03.0204Environmental/Natural Resource Economics
- 27.0305Financial Mathematics
- 30.3901Economics and Computer Science
- 30.4001Economics and Foreign Language/Literature
- 30.4901Mathematical Economics
- 30.5101Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
- 45.0601Economics, General
- 45.0602Applied Economics
- 45.0603Econometrics and Quantitative Economics
- 45.0604Development Economics and International Development
- 45.0605International Economics
- 45.0699Economics, Other
- 45.1004Political Economy
- 51.2007Pharmacoeconomics/Pharmaceutical Economics
- 52.0601Business/Managerial Economics
Common questions
Answers for people weighing economists programs in Minnesota.
What degree do you need to become an Economist?+
Master's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Econometrics and Quantitative Economics, which awarded 266 degrees in Minnesota in 2024-25, 39.9% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming an Economist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 10 programs to this occupation. The largest are Economics, Applied Mathematics, Pharmacy, Agricultural Business and Management, plus 1 more. Together they graduate about 667 people a year in Minnesota.
How much do economists earn in Minnesota?+
The median is $105,120 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 15.7% below the U.S. median of $124,720. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for economists growing?+
BLS projects a +1.2% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Minnesota?+
24 institutions in Minnesota reported graduates from at least one of the 10 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do economists work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Economist, Economic Analyst, Forensic Economist, Research Economist, Resource Economist, Economic Consultant among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-3011.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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