Skip to content
TryHired.
Role hub · Environmental Economists

Environmental 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.

BLS does not publish pay for environmental economists separately. Every pay figure on this page is for the BLS occupation “Economists” (SOC 19-3011), which includes environmental economists and other jobs; it is not a figure for environmental economists alone.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of workers in the BLS occupation “Economists” earn more than this and half earn less.

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

Environmental Economists conduct economic analysis related to environmental protection and use of the natural environment, such as water, air, land, and renewable energy resources. The median pay is $124,720 a year ($59.96 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a doctoral degree (44% 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
Doctoral Degree
44% of workers
Key facts

Environmental Economists at a glance

  • Workers in the BLS occupation “Economists” (which includes environmental economists) in the United States earned a median annual wage of $124,720 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a master's degree as the typical entry-level education for environmental economists in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of environmental economists in the United States to grow 4.7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,100 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimated that 17,790 people were employed as environmental economists in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the role

Every page for Environmental Economists

SalaryEconomists salary

BLS pay data for this occupation, by state and percentile.

Open →Free toolCheck your resume

Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

Open →
The work

What environmental economists do day to day

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

  1. Write technical documents or academic articles to communicate study results or economic forecasts.
  2. Conduct research on economic and environmental topics, such as alternative fuel use, public and private land use, soil conservation, air and water pollution control, and endangered species protection.
  3. Collect and analyze data to compare the environmental implications of economic policy or practice alternatives.
  4. Assess the costs and benefits of various activities, policies, or regulations that affect the environment or natural resource stocks.
  5. Prepare and deliver presentations to communicate economic and environmental study results, to present policy recommendations, or to raise awareness of environmental consequences.
  6. Develop programs or policy recommendations to achieve environmental goals in cost-effective ways.
  7. Develop economic models, forecasts, or scenarios to predict future economic and environmental outcomes.
  8. Demonstrate or promote the economic benefits of sound environmental regulations.
Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all environmental economist jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix). Figures cover all economists (SOC 19-3011), the broader occupation.

  1. Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals49.4% of all jobs in this occupation · -1.6% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $121,810
  2. Professional, scientific, and technical services31.2% of all jobs in this occupation · +13.5% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $161,420
  3. Monetary authorities-central bank3.2% of all jobs in this occupation · +9.3% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $215,300
  4. Insurance carriers and related activities2.9% of all jobs in this occupation · +4.7% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $115,740
  5. Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations2.9% of all jobs in this occupation · +5.3% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $138,850
  6. Educational services; state, local, and private2.5% of all jobs in this occupation · +2.6% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $110,320

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

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

WritingcoreReading ComprehensioncoreActive ListeningcoreMathematicsCritical ThinkingActive LearningComplex Problem SolvingJudgment and Decision MakingSpeaking

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

Tools and technology

Software environmental economists use

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

  • ESRI ArcGIS softwareGeographic information systemHot technology
  • IBM SPSS StatisticsAnalytical or scientific softwareHot technology
  • SASAnalytical or scientific softwareHot technology
  • The MathWorks MATLABAnalytical or scientific softwareHot technology
  • Aptech Systems GAUSSAnalytical or scientific software
  • Camfit Data Limited MicrofitAnalytical or scientific software
  • Econometric Software LIMDEPAnalytical or scientific software
  • Estima Regression Analysis of Time Series RATSAnalytical or scientific software
  • General algebraic modeling system GAMSAnalytical or scientific software
  • Geographic information system GIS softwareGeographic information system
  • Global Insight AREMOSAnalytical or scientific software
  • Insightful S-PLUSAnalytical or scientific software

Also called: Natural Resource Economist, Research Economist, Resource Economist.

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 cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). 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).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.