Economics

The science of choices, money, and markets—forecasting the economy, testing what reduces poverty, setting prices, and advising governments and courts.

Top pay: highest pay, longest training

• Economist: Studies how people, businesses, and governments use money and resources—and predicts what happens next. Typical pay $115k.
• Federal Reserve Economist: Researches the economy to help the Federal Reserve decide interest rates. Typical pay $165k.
• Economics Professor: Teaches college economics and publishes research on how economies work. Typical pay $125k.
• Economic Consultant (Litigation & Antitrust): Uses economics to help lawyers and courts in big cases—like whether a merger hurts consumers. Typical pay $150k.
• Forensic Economist: Calculates the dollar value of lost earnings in injury and wrongful-death lawsuits. Typical pay $120k.
• Development Economist: Studies how to reduce poverty in developing countries—and tests what really works. Typical pay $130k.
• Health Economist: Figures out whether medical treatments are worth their cost. Typical pay $125k.
• Econometrician / Quantitative Economist: Builds statistical models of economic data for tech companies, banks, and government. Typical pay $160k.
• Labor Economist: Studies jobs, wages, unions, and unemployment, and how policies like the minimum wage affect workers. Typical pay $125k.
• Urban & Regional Economist: Studies why some cities and regions grow while others shrink, and how housing, transit, and jobs connect. Typical pay $125k.

Mid pay: solid pay, degree or apprenticeship

• Agricultural Economist: Studies farm markets, food prices and trade for the USDA, universities and agribusiness companies, forecasting prices and how events affect farmers. Typical pay $95k.
• Energy & Environmental Economist: Studies the economics of energy, pollution, and climate. Typical pay $105k.
• Budget Analyst: Plans and tracks budgets for governments, universities, and companies. Typical pay $86k.
• Economic Development Specialist: Works for a city, region or state to attract businesses and jobs, showing sites to companies, preparing incentive packages and supporting local firms. Typical pay $75k.
• Pricing Analyst: Figures out the right price for products and services. Typical pay $75k.
• Economic Research Analyst: Supports economists by gathering data, running analyses, and making charts. Typical pay $68k.
• High School Economics Teacher: Teaches teenagers how money, markets, and the economy work. Typical pay $65k.
• International Trade Analyst: Studies imports, exports, and tariffs to show how trade policy affects industries and workers. Typical pay $100k.
• Trade Remedies Analyst: Investigates whether foreign companies sell goods in the US below fair prices, calculating the extra tariffs that may be added to their products. Typical pay $95k.
• Prevailing Wage Analyst: Surveys what electricians, carpenters and other workers are paid in each county to set the minimum wages required on government construction projects. Typical pay $70k.
• Cost-of-Living Analyst: Compares the price of rent, groceries, schools and safety in cities worldwide so companies and governments know how much extra to pay people who move. Typical pay $78k.

Starter: fastest way in

• Statistical Assistant: Compiles and checks numbers for reports and research. Typical pay $50k.
• Census Field Representative: Visits homes to collect data for government surveys that measure jobs, prices, and the economy. Typical pay $42k.
• Price Data Collector (Economic Assistant): Visits stores and businesses to record the prices that feed the official inflation rate (CPI). Typical pay $48k.

Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.