Best colleges for Economics in Massachusetts
Program-level earnings — not school prestige — rank these. Among the Massachusetts programs in the federal field-of-study file, Williams College leads: its Economics graduates earn a median $166,678 four years after finishing, against the field's $82,686 national median. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026.)
| # | College | Grad earnings, 4 yrs | Vs field median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams College | $166,678 | +$83,992 |
| 2 | Harvard University | $155,592 | +$72,906 |
| 3 | Amherst College | $141,730 | +$59,044 |
How big is the earnings gap between Massachusetts Economics programs?
$24,948 separates the top and bottom of this list — $166,678 at Williams College against $141,730 at Amherst College, four years after finishing. Same field, same state, same federal measure: where you study moves pay by that much.
Do Massachusetts Economics graduates earn more than the national median?
The state's strongest program pays $83,992 above the $82,686 national median for the field. Program-level medians come from federal tax records of graduates who received aid, so they track actual pay rather than advertised salaries.