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Economist salary
Average economist salary
$109,102
How much does an economist make?
The average economist salary in the United States is $109,102. Economist salaries typically range between $73,000 and $162,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for economists is $52.45 per hour.
Economist salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Economists earn the highest average salary in Montana.
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Where can an Economist earn more?
Economist salary estimates from across the web
Average economist salary by state
Highest paying states for economists
Rank  | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $133,286 | $64.08 |
| 2 | Washington | $112,309 | $53.99 |
| 3 | New York | $115,621 | $55.59 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $111,410 | $53.56 |
| 5 | Vermont | $111,619 | $53.66 |
| 6 | Virginia | $108,871 | $52.34 |
| 7 | Oklahoma | $115,724 | $55.64 |
| 8 | Montana | $122,971 | $59.12 |
| 9 | North Dakota | $103,218 | $49.62 |
| 10 | Alaska | $105,466 | $50.70 |
| 11 | Iowa | $106,886 | $51.39 |
| 12 | South Dakota | $118,192 | $56.82 |
| 13 | Missouri | $101,909 | $48.99 |
| 14 | California | $107,622 | $51.74 |
| 15 | Maryland | $101,081 | $48.60 |
| 16 | West Virginia | $100,988 | $48.55 |
| 17 | Delaware | $99,631 | $47.90 |
| 18 | Illinois | $97,758 | $47.00 |
| 19 | Kansas | $102,205 | $49.14 |
| 20 | Utah | $100,906 | $48.51 |
| 21 | Maine | $103,517 | $49.77 |
| 22 | Colorado | $97,285 | $46.77 |
| 23 | Kentucky | $98,496 | $47.35 |
| 24 | New Mexico | $90,494 | $43.51 |
| 25 | Nevada | $96,140 | $46.22 |
| 26 | South Carolina | $96,645 | $46.46 |
| 27 | Connecticut | $94,774 | $45.56 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $92,552 | $44.50 |
| 29 | Oregon | $90,629 | $43.57 |
| 30 | Texas | $90,142 | $43.34 |
| 31 | Rhode Island | $96,656 | $46.47 |
| 32 | Mississippi | $90,129 | $43.33 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $90,938 | $43.72 |
| 34 | New Hampshire | $93,291 | $44.85 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $85,253 | $40.99 |
| 36 | Michigan | $87,695 | $42.16 |
| 37 | Indiana | $84,741 | $40.74 |
| 38 | Ohio | $82,994 | $39.90 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $81,389 | $39.13 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $62,910 | $30.25 |
| 41 | Pennsylvania | $77,708 | $37.36 |
| 42 | New Jersey | $82,027 | $39.44 |
| 43 | Idaho | $65,994 | $31.73 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $61,127 | $29.39 |
| 45 | Georgia | $82,820 | $39.82 |
| 46 | Arizona | $65,726 | $31.60 |
| 47 | Alabama | $73,836 | $35.50 |
| 48 | Nebraska | $62,359 | $29.98 |
| 49 | Wisconsin | $64,442 | $30.98 |
| 50 | Florida | $57,725 | $27.75 |
| 51 | Tennessee | $59,753 | $28.73 |
Highest paying cities for economists
The highest-paying cities for economists are Washington, DC, Harrison, NY, and Sacramento, CA.
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington, DC | $133,800 | $64.33 |
| 2 | Harrison, NY | $115,868 | $55.71 |
| 3 | Sacramento, CA | $114,236 | $54.92 |
| 4 | Seattle, WA | $112,814 | $54.24 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $111,342 | $53.53 |
| 6 | McLean, VA | $110,175 | $52.97 |
| 7 | Kansas City, KS | $103,094 | $49.56 |
| 8 | Saint Louis, MO | $102,888 | $49.47 |
| 9 | Baltimore, MD | $101,216 | $48.66 |
| 10 | Chicago, IL | $98,105 | $47.17 |
| 11 | Denver, CO | $97,167 | $46.71 |
| 12 | Providence, RI | $96,650 | $46.47 |
| 13 | Stamford, CT | $94,661 | $45.51 |
| 14 | Plano, TX | $93,812 | $45.10 |
| 15 | Charlotte, NC | $91,272 | $43.88 |
| 16 | Portland, OR | $90,534 | $43.53 |
| 17 | Cleveland, OH | $83,742 | $40.26 |
| 18 | Chamblee, GA | $83,684 | $40.23 |
| 19 | Baton Rouge, LA | $81,165 | $39.02 |
| 20 | Philadelphia, PA | $77,822 | $37.41 |
Economist salary details
An economist's salary ranges from $73,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $162,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an economist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $162,000 | $13,500 | $78 |
| 75th Percentile | $134,000 | $11,167 | $64 |
| Average | $109,102 | $9,092 | $52 |
| 25th Percentile | $88,000 | $7,333 | $42 |
| 10th Percentile | $73,000 | $6,083 | $35 |
Highest paying economist jobs
The highest paying types of economists are economist research assistant, senior economist, and econometrician.
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Development Internship | $37,977 | $3,165 | $18.26 | 92,622 |
| Economic Developer | $51,285 | $4,274 | $24.66 | 72,804 |
| Agricultural Economist | $71,697 | $5,975 | $34.47 | 1,119 |
| Energy Economist | $58,368 | $4,864 | $28.06 | 3,512 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for Economists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Pattabiraman Neelakantan Ph.D.
Professor of Economics, East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania
Top companies hiring economists now:
Which companies pay economists the most?
Economist salaries at Cornerstone Research and Davis Polk & Wardwell are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average economist salary at companies like Shell and Federal Reserve Bank Services are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cornerstone Research | $180,549 | $86.80 |
| 2 | Davis Polk & Wardwell | $171,810 | $82.60 |
| 3 | Shell Trading | $164,414 | $79.05 |
| 4 | Federal Reserve Bank Services | $163,227 | $78.47 |
| 5 | Federal Reserve Bank of New York | $162,890 | $78.31 |
| 6 | U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission | $161,907 | $77.84 |
| 7 | Federal Reserve Bank of Boston | $161,042 | $77.42 |
| 8 | Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco | $158,029 | $75.98 |
| 9 | McKinsey & Company Inc | $157,656 | $75.80 |
| 10 | Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas | $156,968 | $75.47 |
| 11 | Boston Consulting Group | $155,736 | $74.87 |
| 12 | Federal Reserve | $151,759 | $72.96 |
| 13 | Analysis Group | $147,677 | $71.00 |
| 14 | Baker McKenzie | $145,097 | $69.76 |
| 15 | eBay | $143,223 | $68.86 |
| 16 | $142,086 | $68.31 | |
| 17 | Littler Mendelson | $140,890 | $67.74 |
| 18 | DLA Piper | $140,542 | $67.57 |
| 19 | LECG Corp | $140,462 | $67.53 |
| 20 | Genentech | $139,030 | $66.84 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Economist salary by industry
The average economist salary varies across industries:
- The average economist salary in the professional industry is $122,496, the highest of any industry.
- The average economist salary in the finance industry is $121,880.
- Economists in the government industry earn an average salary of $97,037, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for economists
| Rank | Industry | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Professional | $122,496 | $58.89 |
| 2 | Finance | $121,880 | $58.60 |
| 3 | Telecommunication | $120,960 | $58.15 |
| 4 | Technology | $120,081 | $57.73 |
| 5 | Government | $97,037 | $46.65 |
High Paying Economist Jobs
Economist salary trends
The average economist salary has risen by $17,924 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average economist earned $91,178 annually, but today, they earn $109,102 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for economists over the last decade.
Compare economist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average economist salary over time
Compare economist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
- National Average
- Columbus, OH
Economist salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $109,000 | $52.45 | +3.1% |
| 2024 | $106,000 | $50.84 | +0.6% |
| 2023 | $105,000 | $50.51 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $103,000 | $49.62 | +1.4% |
| 2021 | $102,000 | $48.92 | +1.9% |
Recently added economist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Company Accounting Oversight Board | Financial Economist-Policy and Economic Analysis (Post-Graduate) | Boston, MA | 12/18/2024 | $173,700 |
| American Institutes for Research | Health Economist | Chapel Hill, NC | 12/17/2024 | $115,000 |
| A-Line Staffing Solutions | Medical Economist | Harrisburg, PA | 12/17/2024 | $56,349 |
| Pacific Northwest National Laboratory | Economist 1 | Richland, WA | 12/17/2024 | $68,000 |
| U.S. Army | Supervisory Economist | Ione, OR | 12/16/2024 | $114,332 |
| North Carolina General Assembly | Economist | Raleigh, NC | 12/16/2024 | $95,000 |
| American Institutes for Research | Health Economist | Washington, DC | 12/16/2024 | $115,000 |
| HUD | Financial Economist | Washington, DC | 12/16/2024 | $139,395 |
| S&P Global | Macroeconomist, North America (U.S and Canada) | New York, NY | 12/15/2024 | $70,300 |
| Federal Reserve Bank of Boston | Economist | Charlotte, NC | 12/15/2024 | $146,400 |
Economist salary FAQs
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