CollegeRanker · Public Service
Public Service Careers — Salary, Growth & Degrees
Policy, urban planning, nonprofit leadership, and government — public service careers reward graduate credentials and matter for community impact. We mapped the degrees and schools that deliver.
7
Public Service careers
15
Related degrees
$115,000
Top median salary
2
Rankings
Find Your Public Service Program
Find Your Public Service Program
Choose a degree, category, and subject to find accredited programs matched to your goals.
Results are sponsored program matches from BestColleges, our advertising partner. Privacy Terms
Highest-Paying Public Service Careers
Median salary from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These are the roles where the credential pays for itself fastest.
City Manager
2 linked degrees →
Economist
4 linked degrees →
Foreign Service Officer
3 linked degrees →
Emergency Management Director
3 linked degrees →
Urban Planner
4 linked degrees →
Nonprofit Executive Director
3 linked degrees →
Fastest-Growing Public Service Careers
BLS projected growth rates for 2023–2033. The roles where demand is outpacing supply.
Economist
4 linked degrees →
Policy Analyst
4 linked degrees →
Nonprofit Executive Director
3 linked degrees →
City Manager
2 linked degrees →
Urban Planner
4 linked degrees →
Foreign Service Officer
3 linked degrees →
All Public Service Careers
What the work pays, how fast it’s growing, and the degrees that lead there.
Policy Analyst
4 linked degrees →
Urban Planner
4 linked degrees →
Nonprofit Executive Director
3 linked degrees →
City Manager
2 linked degrees →
Foreign Service Officer
3 linked degrees →
Economist
4 linked degrees →
Emergency Management Director
3 linked degrees →
Public Service Rankings
Schools and programs ranked by real outcomes — earnings, mobility, and value. Not reputation.
Related Degree Programs
The degrees that lead into public service careers — with school-level outcomes data.
Business Administration
OnlineBachelor's · $76,850 median · 6% growth
Economics
OnlineBachelor's · $113,940 median · 6% growth
Environmental Science
OnlineBachelor's · $76,480 median · 6% growth
Mathematics
Bachelor's · $104,280 median · 8% growth
Political Science
OnlineBachelor's · $61,000 median · 3% growth
Criminal Justice
OnlineBachelor's · $55,690 median · 3% growth
Public Administration (MPA)
OnlineMaster's · $76,000 median · 5% growth
Nonprofit Management
OnlineMaster's · $72,000 median · 5% growth
International Relations
OnlineBachelor's · $65,000 median · 4% growth
Sponsored
Featured Public Service Programs Accepting Applicants
Accredited programs from partner schools.
Explore Other Career Fields
Explore More on CollegeRanker
Find the public service program that fits
Use our program finder to explore accredited degrees that lead to public service careers — ranked by what graduates earn and achieve.
