Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 19-3011

Economists

The published band from $67,360 to $238,060 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Political Scientists.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Economists: Political Scientists ($142K) , Atmospheric and Space Scientists ($99K) , Clinical and Counseling Psychologists ($101K) , Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other ($101K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Economists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 19-3011 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Study economic and statistical data in area of specialization, such as finance, labor, or agriculture
  2. 2. Compile, analyze, and report data to explain economic phenomena and forecast market trends, applying mathematical models and statistical…
  3. 3. Study the socioeconomic impacts of new public policies, such as proposed legislation, taxes, services, and regulations
  4. 4. Explain economic impact of policies to the public
  5. 5. Review documents written by others
  6. 6. Provide advice and consultation on economic relationships to businesses, public and private agencies, and other employers
  7. 7. Formulate recommendations, policies, or plans to solve economic problems or to interpret markets
  8. 8. Supervise research projects and students' study projects
  9. 9. Conduct research on economic issues, and disseminate research findings through technical reports or scientific articles in journals
  10. 10. Develop economic guidelines and standards, and prepare points of view used in forecasting trends and formulating economic policy
  11. 11. Teach theories, principles, and methods of economics
  12. 12. Testify at regulatory or legislative hearings concerning the estimated effects of changes in legislation or public policy, and present re…

Economists: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 19-3011 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 4.1 ; lead knowledge Mathematics. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 4.1
  2. 2. Mathematics 4.1
  3. 3. Critical Thinking 4.1
  4. 4. Active Listening 4.0
  5. 5. Writing 4.0
  6. 6. Speaking 4.0
  7. 7. Judgment and Decision Making 4.0
  8. 8. Active Learning 3.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Mathematics 4.5
  2. 2. Economics and Accounting 4.5
  3. 3. English Language 4.0
  4. 4. Computers and Electronics 3.8
  5. 5. Education and Training 3.1
  6. 6. Communications and Media 2.8
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$67,360 to $238,060
median $124,720 · ~3.5× spread
$125K
National median
↑ +1%
Growth 2024-2034
900
Annual openings
17,790
Estimated US jobs
Political Scientists
Highest-pay peer · $142K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Master's degree

Top Paying States for Economists

1. New York $136,660
2. New Jersey $167,550
3. Alabama $129,960
4. North Carolina $136,150
5. Maryland $144,680
6. Idaho $131,270
7. District of Columbia $167,590
8. Delaware $159,120
9. Virginia $137,590
10. Kansas $138,790

Other Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations titles

  1. 1. Political Scientists $142,080
  2. 2. Clinical and Counseling Psychologists $100,580
  3. 3. Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other $101,110
  4. 4. Atmospheric and Space Scientists $99,070
  5. 5. Biochemists and Biophysicists $127,410
  6. 6. Geographers $102,040

The OEWS band for Economists runs from $67,360 (10th) to $238,060 (90th), about 3.5× wide, with median $124,720. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +1% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 900 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Master's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: New York at $136,660. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Political Scientists at $142,080. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Economists pay-rank #6 in Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

Among 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations with a published OEWS median, Economists is pay-rank #6, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Economists is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Economists salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 19-3011

New York · top state for Economists

$137K published median

New Jersey · #2 state pay

$168K · behind New York

Political Scientists

Highest-pay peer vs Economists · $142K

Atmospheric and Space Scientists

Lower-pay peer beside Economists · $99K

Compare Economists

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Economists with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations titles sit near Economists at the top of the pay table? ▼
Economists is pay-rank #6 of 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Physical Scientists, All Other ($123K), Biochemists and Biophysicists ($127K), Astronomers ($129K), Materials Scientists ($118K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do economists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Economists. Leading ones include: Study economic and statistical data in area of specialization, such as finance, labor, or agriculture; Compile, analyze, and report data to explain economic phenomena and forecast market trends, applying mathematical models and statistical…; Study the socioeconomic impacts of new public policies, such as proposed legislation, taxes, services, and regulations; Explain economic impact of policies to the public. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for economists? ▼
For SOC 19-3011, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (4.1), Mathematics (4.1), Critical Thinking (4.1), Active Listening (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Mathematics, Economics and Accounting, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Economists? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $67,360 and the 90th at $238,060 for Economists (3.5× spread). The national median is $124,720. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Economists? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Economists is +1%. Projected annual openings: about 900. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Economists? ▼
BLS assigns Master's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Economists. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Economists? ▼
New York ($136,660), New Jersey ($167,550), Alabama ($129,960) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Economists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 19-3011. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Economists. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics