Economists

SOC 19-3011 • View wages by state

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). BLS projects employment will grow 1.2% between 2024 and 2034.

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%

Job Outlook (2024–2034 BLS projection)

The BLS Employment Projections program estimates how each occupation's employment will change over the coming decade, and how many job openings to expect each year (from both growth and the need to replace workers who leave).

Projected Growth

+1.2%

About average

Employment 2024

17,600

Projected 2034

17,800

Annual Openings

900

Typical entry-level education: Master's degree.

Highest-Paying Areas (2023)

Where Economists earn the most, and how each area's median compares to the national median of $115,730. A positive premium means the area pays above the national rate.

Highest-paying areas for Economists, BLS OEWS 2023.
Area Median Annual vs National Employment
District of Columbia $158,830 +37.2% 3,290
Virginia $141,190 +22% 1,080
Massachusetts $134,750 +16.4% 580
Maryland $134,410 +16.1% 900
Oklahoma $126,160 +9% —
Texas $116,870 +1% 710
Connecticut $110,530 -4.5% 250
Kansas $110,390 -4.6% 80
Missouri $109,890 -5% 200
Ohio $108,330 -6.4% 200
Full wages-by-state breakdown →

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

H-1B Employer Filings

Employer-certified wages from DOL H-1B LCA filings — competitive market benchmark, not approved visas.

The average H-1B median wage for this occupation is $139,263 — 20.3% above the OEWS national median of $115,730. H-1B sponsors are certifying pay above the prevailing market rate.
H-1B employer filings for Economists, DOL LCA data.
Employer State Filings Median Wage
NATIONAL ECONOMIC RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC. NY 12 $110,000
AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC WA 10 $169,300
Cornerstone Research, Inc. NY 7 $222,500
Analysis Group, Inc. MA 6 $201,250
Cornerstone Research, Inc. CA 5 $150,000
The Trustees of Princeton University NJ 4 $65,000
Massachusetts Institute of Technology MA 3 $104,846
Texas Tech University TX 3 $56,493
The Brattle Group DC 3 $205,008
BNP Paribas Securities Corp. NY 2 $250,000
WORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE DC 2 $130,612
The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis MO 2 $200,000
Deloitte Tax LLP TX 2 $70,778
Federal Reserve Bank of New York NY 2 $255,000
University of Michigan MI 2 $68,000
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC NY 2 $200,000
University of Illinois IL 2 $80,000
Deloitte Tax LLP GA 2 $69,264
FedEx Corporate Services, Inc. TN 2 $117,199
VIA TRANSPORTATION, INC. NY 2 $60,000

Source: DOL Office of Foreign Labor Certification, H-1B LCA data.

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 Physical Scientists, All Other $112,280 Biochemists and Biophysicists $107,460
All Life, Physical & Social Science occupations →
Wages by State Compare with another occupation All H-1B Employers

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