Economists Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for economists in the U.S. is $124,720 ($59.96 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $124,720
- Mean annual wage
- $142,130
- Median hourly wage
- $59.96
- Employment
- 17,790
17,790 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $67,360 | $32.38 |
| 25th percentile | $89,330 | $42.95 |
| Median (50th) | $124,720 | $59.96 |
| 75th percentile | $174,720 | $84.00 |
| 90th percentile | $238,060 | $114.45 |
Highest-paying states for economists
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $167,590 | 3,000 |
| New Jersey | $167,550 | 280 |
| Delaware | $159,120 | 70 |
| Maryland | $144,680 | 1,130 |
| Kansas | $138,790 | 80 |
| Virginia | $137,590 | 950 |
| New York | $136,660 | 910 |
| North Carolina | $136,150 | 290 |
| Idaho | $131,270 | 130 |
| Alabama | $129,960 | 40 |
Lowest-paying states
- Kentucky: $71,400 median annual wage
- Louisiana: $73,050 median annual wage
- Nebraska: $75,880 median annual wage
- Arizona: $79,610 median annual wage
- Indiana: $80,750 median annual wage
About this occupation
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. May collect and process economic and statistical data using sampling techniques and econometric methods.
Typical tasks
- Provide litigation support, such as writing reports for expert testimony or testifying as an expert witness.
- Develop economic guidelines and standards, and prepare points of view used in forecasting trends and formulating economic policy.
- Supervise research projects and students' study projects.
- Compile, analyze, and report data to explain economic phenomena and forecast market trends, applying mathematical models and statistical techniques.
- Review documents written by others.
- Testify at regulatory or legislative hearings concerning the estimated effects of changes in legislation or public policy, and present recommendations based on cost-benefit analyses.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: Master's degree
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree | 26.7% |
| Master's degree | 37.1% |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 36.2% |
Occupation profile data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
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About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- CareerOneStop Occupation Profiles — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 14, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.