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Role hub · Economists

Economist: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of economists earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$124,720
Hourly
$59.96
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Economists 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. The median pay is $124,720 a year ($59.96 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a master's degree (50% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$124,720
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
17,790
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 5 of 5
extensive preparation
Most common education
Master's Degree
50% of workers
Explore the role

Every page for Economists

SalaryEconomist salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →Career changeEconomist career change

Where these skills transfer, with skill match and pay change.

Open →Free toolCheck your resume

Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

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The work

What economists do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Study economic and statistical data in area of specialization, such as finance, labor, or agriculture.
  2. Compile, analyze, and report data to explain economic phenomena and forecast market trends, applying mathematical models and statistical techniques.
  3. Study the socioeconomic impacts of new public policies, such as proposed legislation, taxes, services, and regulations.
  4. Explain economic impact of policies to the public.
  5. Review documents written by others.
  6. Provide advice and consultation on economic relationships to businesses, public and private agencies, and other employers.
  7. Formulate recommendations, policies, or plans to solve economic problems or to interpret markets.
  8. Supervise research projects and students' study projects.
Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Reading ComprehensioncoreMathematicscoreCritical ThinkingcoreJudgment and Decision MakingActive ListeningWritingSpeakingComplex Problem SolvingActive Learning

Knowledge areas: Mathematics, Economics and Accounting, English Language, Computers and Electronics, Education and Training.

Tools and technology

Software economists use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • SASAnalytical or scientific softwareIn demand
  • StataCorp StataAnalytical or scientific softwareIn demand
  • Statistical softwareAnalytical or scientific softwareIn demand
  • IBM SPSS StatisticsAnalytical or scientific softwareHot technology
  • MySQLData base management system softwareHot technology
  • Teradata DatabaseData base management system softwareHot technology
  • The MathWorks MATLABAnalytical or scientific softwareHot technology
  • Aptech Systems GAUSSAnalytical or scientific software
  • Camfit Data Limited MicrofitAnalytical or scientific software
  • ESRI ArcViewGeographic information system
  • Econometric Software LIMDEPAnalytical or scientific software
  • Estima Regression Analysis of Time Series RATSAnalytical or scientific software

Also called: Economic Advisor, Economic Analyst, Economic Consultant, Economic Development Specialist, Forensic Economist.

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Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).