Professional Economists
Training and Education
| Fast Facts* | |
|---|---|
| Recommended Degree Level | Bachelor |
| Salary, Typical | $91,860 |
| Salary Range | |
| Number of Jobs, 2012 | 15,760 |
| Annual Job Growth Rate | 3.6% |
| Job Openings per Year (est.) | 580 |
A master's degree is often required to work in this field. Survey data provided by the government shows that 100% of employees have a bachelor's degree or higher.
Part-Time Work and Self-Employment
Of those working as employees, 3% work fewer than 40 hours per week. Around 7% of professional economists are independent contractors.
Area Job Conditions
On a per capita basis, there are more jobs for professional economists in Washington (District of Columbia), Little Rock (Arkansas), and Tallahassee (Florida), and fewer jobs in St. Louis (Missouri), Santa Ana (California), and Tampa (Florida).
Compensation for workers is the most in Bethesda (Maryland), Washington (District of Columbia), and New York (New York), and the lowest in Fort Worth (Texas), San Diego (California), and Little Rock (Arkansas).
Video Overview
Recaps economist careers. Produced for the US Dept. of Labor.
Salaries by City
See typical salaries and ranges for this career below*. Shift click to sort by more than one column -- for example first shift-click on state and then shift-click on salary to find best and worst salaries in each state.
| State | City / Region | Typical Salary | Salary Range | Job Count | % of All Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AK | Anchorage | $84,630 | 60 | 0.04% | |
| AR | Little Rock - North Little Rock - Conway | $73,880 | 50 | 0.02% | |
| AZ | Tucson | $61,420 | N/A | N/A | |
| CA | Bakersfield - Delano | $65,030 | N/A | N/A | |
| CA | Los Angeles - Long Beach - Glendale (Metro Area) | $101,960 | 780 | 0.02% | |
| CA | Oakland - Fremont - Hayward (Metro Area) | $89,660 | 400 | 0.04% | |
| CA | Riverside - San Bernardino - Ontario | $61,080 | 150 | 0.01% | |
| CA | Sacramento - Arden - Arcade - Roseville | $78,560 | 190 | 0.02% | |
| CA | San Diego - Carlsbad - San Marcos | $88,670 | 220 | 0.02% | |
| CA | San Francisco - San Mateo - Redwood City (Metro Area) | $106,560 | 510 | 0.05% | |
| CA | San Jose - Sunnyvale - Santa Clara | $97,570 | N/A | N/A | |
| CA | Santa Ana - Anaheim - Irvine (Metro Area) | $95,150 | N/A | N/A | |
| CA | Santa Barbara - Santa Maria - Goleta | $85,200 | N/A | N/A | |
| CO | Boulder | $92,570 | 40 | 0.03% | |
| CO | Denver - Aurora - Broomfield | $91,080 | 140 | 0.01% | |
| CT | Hartford - West Hartford - East Hartford | $89,730 | 160 | 0.03% | |
| DC | Washington - Arlington - Alexandria (Metro Area) | $112,220 | 4,970 | 0.21% | |
| FL | Orlando - Kissimmee - Sanford | $78,370 | N/A | N/A | |
| FL | Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater | $87,300 | 30 | 0.00% | |
| GA | Atlanta - Sandy Springs - Marietta | $94,040 | 230 | 0.01% | |
| HI | Honolulu | $65,200 | 30 | 0.01% | |
| IA | Des Moines - West Des Moines | $62,450 | N/A | N/A | |
| ID | Boise City - Nampa | $46,740 | 40 | 0.01% | |
| IL | Chicago - Joliet - Naperville (Metro Area) | $95,190 | 300 | 0.01% | |
| IN | Indianapolis - Carmel | $90,420 | N/A | N/A | |
| MA | Boston - Cambridge - Quincy (Metro Area) | $87,050 | 750 | 0.04% | |
| MD | Baltimore - Towson | $95,240 | 130 | 0.01% | |
| MD | Bethesda - Rockville - Frederick (Metro Area) | $126,250 | 150 | 0.03% | |
| MI | Detroit - Livonia - Dearborn (Metro Area) | $70,950 | 70 | 0.01% | |
| MI | Lansing - East Lansing | $72,070 | 30 | 0.02% | |
| MI | Warren - Troy - Farmington Hills (Metro Area) | $92,840 | 30 | 0.00% | |
| MN | Minneapolis - St. Paul - Bloomington | $59,650 | 190 | 0.01% | |
| MO | Kansas City | $84,860 | 120 | 0.01% | |
| MO | St. Louis | $87,000 | 60 | 0.01% | |
| NC | Charlotte - Gastonia - Rock Hill | $73,660 | 40 | 0.00% | |
| NC | Durham - Chapel Hill | $94,120 | 60 | 0.02% | |
| NC | Raleigh - Cary | $58,330 | N/A | N/A | |
| NJ | Edison - New Brunswick (Metro Area) | $87,430 | N/A | N/A | |
| NM | Albuquerque | $56,250 | 40 | 0.01% | |
| NY | Albany - Schenectady - Troy | $83,010 | 80 | 0.02% | |
| NY | Buffalo - Niagara Falls | $103,400 | 30 | 0.01% | |
| NY | New York - White Plains - Wayne (Metro Area) | $108,450 | 360 | 0.01% | |
| OK | Oklahoma City | $60,650 | N/A | N/A | |
| OK | Tulsa | $68,330 | 40 | 0.01% | |
| OR | Portland - Vancouver - Hillsboro | $85,500 | 90 | 0.01% | |
| PA | Philadelphia (Metro Area) | $90,530 | 250 | 0.01% | |
| PA | Pittsburgh | $91,950 | 50 | 0.00% | |
| PR | San Juan - Caguas - Guaynabo | $33,860 | 90 | 0.01% | |
| SC | Columbia | $60,140 | 60 | 0.02% | |
| TX | Austin - Round Rock - San Marcos | $47,450 | 80 | 0.01% | |
| TX | College Station - Bryan | $44,920 | 70 | 0.08% | |
| TX | Dallas - Plano - Irving (Metro Area) | $99,140 | 270 | 0.01% | |
| TX | Fort Worth - Arlington (Metro Area) | $58,010 | N/A | N/A | |
| TX | Houston - Sugar Land - Baytown | $112,680 | 190 | 0.01% | |
| VA | Richmond | N/A | 70 | 0.01% | |
| WA | Olympia | $68,420 | 60 | 0.06% | |
| WA | Seattle - Bellevue - Everett (Metro Area) | $80,310 | 130 | 0.01% | |
| WI | Milwaukee - Waukesha - West Allis | $83,050 | 30 | 0.00% |