Economist salary
What a economist actually earns, from 170 live job postings blended with the official US OEWS (Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics) wage anchor. Pick a market for its median and range, then read the seniority split, the trend, and the country comparison below. Updated 2026-07-23.
What the number means
An economist earns a blended US median near 184,194 dollars, with the typical middle running from 152,016 dollars to 260,524 dollars. The official OEWS median is 115,440 dollars, under the posted figure, because the advertised roles skew senior or well-funded. The official trend has moved up about 10 percent since 2019. By seniority, posted pay runs from roughly 188,150 dollars to 188,179 dollars. Demand is rated moderate, and 1% of postings are fully remote. The nearest adjacent move on our skill graph is management consultant, at 33 percent coverage; the instrument maps the rest.
Open economist roles
Live openings tagged to this occupation, from company career pages and remote boards. Apply at the source.
- EconomistBureau of Labor Statistics · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania$56k–$72kJul 21
- EconomistCustoms and Border Protection · Washington, District of Columbia$122k–$158kJul 20
- International EconomistOffice of the U.S. Trade Representative · District of Columbia, District of Columbia$144k–$197kJul 20
- Science Policy AnalystFood and Drug Administration · Silver Spring, Maryland$122k–$170kJul 17
- EconomistNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration · Silver Spring, Maryland$85k–$187kJul 17
- Economist - Direct HireInternal Revenue Service · Multiple Locations$106k–$173kJul 17
By seniority
Posted-median pay by seniority signal in the title, from our corpus. Noisy at the edges where sample sizes are small.
Top-paying US states
OEWS median by state, highest first.
- District of Columbiamedian $162,610
- New Yorkmedian $142,300
- Marylandmedian $137,610
- Washingtonmedian $116,390
- Pennsylvaniamedian $113,300
- Californiamedian $100,510
Is your offer fair?
Run a specific number through FairElephant, which weighs it against this data, your location, and remote market rates.
Related salaries
- Management Consultant salary$102,574 median
- Business Analyst salary$96,199 median
- Statistician salary$110,821 median
Quick answers
How much does an economist make?
The blended US median is about 184,194 dollars, with a typical range from 152,016 dollars to 260,524 dollars, against an official OEWS median of 115,440 dollars.
Is economist a good career in 2026?
Demand for the role is rated moderate in our July 2026 corpus, with 1% of postings fully remote. The pay is shown above by seniority and by country.
What can an economist move into?
The nearest adjacent role on our skill graph is management consultant, at 33 percent skill coverage. Run the instrument for the full set of reachable moves.
Method: bands are the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of live US postings with stated pay, shrunk toward the official OEWS anchor by sample size (the “blended” figure). Trend is the OEWS annual median for SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code 19-3011. Live corpus 170 observations, 2026-07-23. Definitions in the glossary.