Economist Salary in the U.S.
Median annual pay in the U.S.
$124,720
$59.96/hour
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Pay
| Annual | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $67,360 | $32.38 |
| 25th percentile | $89,330 | $42.95 |
| Median | $124,720 | $59.96 |
| 75th percentile | $174,720 | $84.00 |
| 90th percentile | $238,060 | $114.45 |
Employment
- Employment in the U.S.
- 17,790
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Comparison
Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
| Rank | Median annual pay | Adjusted for cost of living (annual) |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | ||
| 1st | $167,590 | $152,492 4th |
| New Jersey | ||
| 2nd | $167,550 | $153,991 3rd |
| Delaware | ||
| 3rd | $159,120 | $159,426 1st |
| Maryland | ||
| 4th | $144,680 | $137,844 7th |
| Kansas | ||
| 5th | $138,790 | $154,095 2nd |
| Virginia | ||
| 6th | $137,590 | $136,088 9th |
| New York | ||
| 7th | $136,660 | $126,630 14th |
| North Carolina | ||
| 8th | $136,150 | $144,340 6th |
| Idaho | ||
| 9th | $131,270 | $137,464 8th |
| Alabama | ||
| 10th | $129,960 | $146,313 5th |
| Georgia | ||
| 11th | $122,570 | $127,289 13th |
| Oregon | ||
| 12th | $122,120 | $118,149 16th |
| Texas | ||
| 13th | $121,420 | $125,102 15th |
| Colorado | ||
| 14th | $121,410 | $117,814 18th |
| Ohio | ||
| 15th | $120,000 | $129,347 10th |
| California | ||
| 16th | $119,410 | $107,849 22nd |
| Tennessee | ||
| 17th | $117,650 | $128,061 12th |
| Missouri | ||
| 18th | $117,010 | $128,842 11th |
| Pennsylvania | ||
| 19th | $115,000 | $117,862 17th |
| Alaska | ||
| 20th | $111,040 | $108,481 21st |
| Washington | ||
| 21st | $109,300 | $102,137 26th |
| Massachusetts | ||
| 22nd | $106,380 | $100,589 27th |
| Michigan | ||
| 23rd | $106,350 | $110,531 19th |
| Minnesota | ||
| 24th | $105,120 | $106,590 23rd |
| Florida | ||
| 25th | $102,430 | $99,048 28th |
| Connecticut | ||
| 26th | $101,400 | $97,867 29th |
| Iowa | ||
| 27th | $96,310 | $109,740 20th |
| Arkansas | ||
| 28th | $91,560 | $105,318 24th |
| Maine | ||
| 29th | $91,480 | $94,261 31st |
| Nevada | ||
| 30th | $91,340 | $91,359 32nd |
| Oklahoma | ||
| 31st | $89,980 | $102,433 25th |
| Montana | ||
| 32nd | $89,340 | $94,395 30th |
| New Hampshire | ||
| 33rd | $86,130 | $82,686 37th |
| Wisconsin | ||
| 34th | $84,000 | $89,271 33rd |
| Hawaii | ||
| 35th | $83,050 | $75,534 40th |
| Indiana | ||
| 36th | $80,750 | $86,522 34th |
| Arizona | ||
| 37th | $79,610 | $79,075 39th |
| Nebraska | ||
| 38th | $75,880 | $84,215 35th |
| Louisiana | ||
| 39th | $73,050 | $82,817 36th |
| Kentucky | ||
| 40th | $71,400 | $79,193 38th |
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Outlook
- Projected employment change, 2025–35 (U.S.)
- +4.7%
- Typical education needed for entry (U.S.)
- Master's degree
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
Specialties included in this occupation
- Environmental Economists
BLS publishes one wage figure for all Economists; it does not publish separate data for these specialties.
O*NET 31.0
Sources and update
- Wages and employment: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.
- Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
- Related occupations and specialties: O*NET® 31.0 Database, CC BY 4.0. Attributions
- Employment projections and typical education: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35.
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