Economists

SOC 19-3010

The median annual wage for Economists is $115,730, based on BLS OEWS 2023 data. The mean annual wage is $132,650, and an estimated 16,420 workers are employed in this occupation nationally. Between 2020 and 2023, pay rose +6.8% while consumer prices rose 17.7% — a real change of -9.3% (pay did not keep up with inflation).

Wage Trend & Inflation Adjustment

How the national median wage for Economists has moved across BLS OEWS release years, and what each year's wage is worth in 2023 dollars after adjusting for CPI inflation. "Real" change strips out inflation — the truest measure of whether pay is actually rising.

National median wage trend for Economists, nominal and inflation-adjusted, BLS OEWS.
Year Median (nominal) In 2023 $ (real) Employment
2023 $115,730 $115,730 16,420
2022 $113,940 $118,630 16,370
2021 $105,630 $118,779 15,640
2020 $108,350 $127,562 17,520

Nominal change

+6.8%

Inflation (CPI)

+17.7%

Real change

-9.3%

Wage Distribution (National, 2023)

10th, 25th, 50th (median), 75th, and 90th percentile annual wages from BLS OEWS — the full spread, not just an average.

10th Pct

$62,520

25th Pct

$82,330

Median

$115,730

75th Pct

$166,070

90th Pct

$216,900

Related Occupations in Life, Physical & Social Science

Other occupations in the same SOC major group, ranked by national median wage.

Physicists $155,680 Industrial-Organizational Psychologists $147,420 Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists $132,398 Political Scientists $132,350 Astronomers $127,930 Psychologists, All Other $117,750 Economists $115,730 Physical Scientists, All Other $112,280
All Life, Physical & Social Science occupations →
Compare with another occupation All H-1B Employers

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