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Salary Data From Recent Graduates of MPA/MPP Programs
The special APPAM survey that produced the
searchable database on this website
asked the degree programs to report salary data for recent graduates. The resulting
data was not complete enough to report at the level of the individual degree program.
Below is a summary of the salary data across all the programs that produced some
information. This salary information should be used as a general indication of salary
levels in different sectors, but may not be an accurate predictor of salary upon
graduation with an MPA/MPP.
Salary upon graduate depends on many factors including prior work experience, and
career objectives. Some graduates are willing to take positions at lower salaries
because of the opportunities such positions open for the future. Other graduates
have significant prior work experience and qualify immediately for higher levels
of responsibility and compensation.
Note: Each program was asked to report the median salary of recent graduates in
each sector. The data below takes those numbers and summarizes across programs.
Thus, “Highest Salary” is not the single highest salary of any recent graduate,
but the highest median salary reported among the programs that provided information.
This data does not suggest the entire salary range but focuses on the most likely
salary levels. All numbers are rounded to the nearest $1,000.
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Sector
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Number of Programs Providing Data
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Median of Median Salary
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Average of Median Salary
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Highest of Median Salary
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Lowest of Median Salary
|
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Government – Same Country as Program – All Levels
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21
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$51,000
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$54,000
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$72,000
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$40,000
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Government – Same Country As Program – National Level
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19
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$53,000
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$56,000
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$73,000
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$45,000
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Government – Same Country As Program – State/Provicial/Regional Level
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9
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$50,000
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$53,000
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$72,000
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$43,000
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Government – Same Country As Program – City/County/Local Level
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14
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$48,000
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$51,000
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$65,000
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$39,000
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Government or Quasi-Government – International
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6
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$49,000
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$46,000
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$60,000
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$20,000
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Nonprofit Organizations – Domestic Oriented
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20
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$47,000
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$48,000
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$64,000
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$28,000
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Nonprofit Organizations/NGOs – Internationally Oriented
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12
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$44,000
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$47,000
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$65000
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$20,000
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Research/Consulting
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16
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$68,000
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$68,000
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$85,000
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$45,000
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Private Sector – Not Research/Consulting
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11
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$75,000
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$86,000
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$152,000
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$49,000
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