Economists Salaries by State
Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for economistss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).
Job Outlook, 2024–2034
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.
Salary Map
Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.
💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States
- District of Columbia$175,100
- New York$168,580
- New Jersey$161,990
- Kansas$150,950
- Delaware$149,020
State Rankings
| # | State | Mean | Median | Hourly | vs. U.S. | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $175,100 | $167,590 | $84 | +23.2% | 3,000 |
| 2 | New York | $168,580 | $136,660 | $81 | +18.6% | 910 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $161,990 | $167,550 | $78 | +14% | 280 |
| 4 | Kansas | $150,950 | $138,790 | $73 | +6.2% | 80 |
| 5 | Delaware | $149,020 | $159,120 | $72 | +4.8% | 70 |
| 6 | Maryland | $146,600 | $144,680 | $70 | +3.1% | 1,130 |
| 7 | Virginia | $144,880 | $137,590 | $70 | +1.9% | 950 |
| 8 | North Carolina | $136,220 | $136,150 | $65 | -4.2% | 290 |
| 9 | Texas | $135,080 | $121,420 | $65 | -5% | 560 |
| 10 | Missouri | $134,000 | $117,010 | $64 | -5.7% | 280 |
| 11 | California | $133,680 | $119,410 | $64 | -5.9% | 860 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $133,270 | $106,380 | $64 | -6.2% | 1,030 |
| 13 | Ohio | $132,380 | $120,000 | $64 | -6.9% | 140 |
| 14 | Georgia | $131,680 | $122,570 | $63 | -7.4% | 260 |
| 15 | Alabama | $127,060 | $129,960 | $61 | -10.6% | 40 |
| 16 | Colorado | $127,020 | $121,410 | $61 | -10.6% | 240 |
| 17 | Tennessee | $123,810 | $117,650 | $60 | -12.9% | 80 |
| 18 | Alaska | $121,300 | $111,040 | $58 | -14.7% | 80 |
| 19 | Washington | $120,550 | $109,300 | $58 | -15.2% | 450 |
| 20 | Idaho | $119,930 | $131,270 | $58 | -15.6% | 130 |
| 21 | Michigan | $117,980 | $106,350 | $57 | -17% | 320 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $117,980 | $105,120 | $57 | -17% | 500 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $117,370 | $115,000 | $56 | -17.4% | 560 |
| 24 | Oregon | $116,410 | $122,120 | $56 | -18.1% | 320 |
| 25 | Florida | $113,290 | $102,430 | $54 | -20.3% | 500 |
| 26 | Connecticut | $112,760 | $101,400 | $54 | -20.7% | 210 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $111,010 | $89,980 | $53 | -21.9% | 80 |
| 28 | Iowa | $102,020 | $96,310 | $49 | -28.2% | 70 |
| 29 | Arizona | $99,420 | $79,610 | $48 | -30% | 340 |
| 30 | New Hampshire | $98,080 | $86,130 | $47 | -31% | 50 |
| 31 | Maine | $97,410 | $91,480 | $47 | -31.5% | 70 |
| 32 | Montana | $97,330 | $89,340 | $47 | -31.5% | 90 |
| 33 | Indiana | $96,780 | $80,750 | $47 | -31.9% | 80 |
| 34 | Nevada | $96,620 | $91,340 | $46 | -32% | 70 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $94,330 | $91,560 | $45 | -33.6% | 50 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $91,630 | $84,000 | $44 | -35.5% | 280 |
| 37 | Hawaii | $89,520 | $83,050 | $43 | -37% | 50 |
| 38 | Louisiana | $89,010 | $73,050 | $43 | -37.4% | 140 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $86,280 | $75,880 | $41 | -39.3% | 90 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $83,920 | $71,400 | $40 | -41% | 100 |
Top-Paying Metro Areas
Highest median pay among 67 metro areas.
| # | Metro area | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $176,090 | $184,860 | 850 |
| 2 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $156,750 | $166,140 | 4,570 |
| 3 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $152,730 | $147,800 | 110 |
| 4 | Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | $152,130 | $159,310 | 120 |
| 5 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $151,510 | $155,860 | 200 |
| 6 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $142,400 | $145,630 | 200 |
| 7 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $139,530 | $149,490 | 220 |
| 8 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | $138,260 | $130,110 | 30 |
| 9 | Jacksonville, FL | $136,990 | $137,760 | 30 |
| 10 | Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area | $134,510 | $117,380 | 30 |
Pay by Industry
Highest-paying industries employing economistss (BLS OEWS, by median).
| # | Industry | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities | $224,990 | $215,000 | 280 |
| 2 | Monetary Authorities-Central Bank | $212,930 | $215,300 | 620 |
| 3 | Monetary Authorities-Central Bank | $212,930 | $215,300 | 620 |
| 4 | Oil and Gas Extraction | $210,780 | $206,640 | 30 |
| 5 | Oil and Gas Extraction | $210,780 | $206,640 | 30 |
| 6 | Sector 21 - Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | $210,780 | $206,640 | 30 |
| 7 | Sector 42 - Wholesale Trade | $207,400 | $190,140 | 40 |
| 8 | Sectors 31, 32, and 33 - Manufacturing | $180,320 | $170,690 | 90 |
| 9 | Credit Intermediation and Related Activities | $178,590 | $181,660 | 310 |
| 10 | Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (5221 and 5223 only) | $178,590 | $193,220 | 240 |
| 11 | Sector 52 - Finance and Insurance | $173,990 | $183,300 | 1,630 |
| 12 | Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences | $172,630 | $168,920 | 230 |
Workforce Deep-Dive
Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.
Annual wage distribution
Pay by age band
Education level
Full-time vs part-time
Race / ethnicity
Top fields of study
Top Skills
Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do economists make in the U.S.?
The median economists salary in the United States is $124,720 per year (mean $142,130), and about 80% earn between $67,360 and $238,060.
How much do economists make per hour?
Roughly $68 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $142,130 and 2,080 work hours per year.
Which state pays economists the most?
District of Columbia has the highest average pay for economists at $175,100 per year (median $167,590).
What is the job outlook for economists?
Employment is projected to change +1.2% from 2024 to 2034 (Slower than average), with about 900 openings per year.
What People Search
Common U.S. search queries related to this occupation.