Life, Physical, and Social Science · Holland code ICE

Economists

Conduct research, prepare reports, or formulate plans to address economic problems related to the production and distribution of goods and services or monetary and fiscal policy. May collect and process economic and statistical data using sampling techniques and econometric methods.

Also called: Economic Analyst, Economic Consultant, Economist, Forensic Economist, Economic Advisor, Economic Development Specialist, Project Economist, Research Economist.

O*NET 19-3011.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $124,720; Middle half earn $89,330 to $174,720. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Master's Degree; 50% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 5 of 5; Extensive preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +1% · Slower than average; 17,600 jobs in 2024, projected 17,800. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Economists".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

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 techniques.
Study the socioeconomic impacts of new public policies, such as proposed legislation, taxes, services, and regulations.
Explain economic impact of policies to the public.
Review documents written by others.
Provide advice and consultation on economic relationships to businesses, public and private agencies, and other employers.
Formulate recommendations, policies, or plans to solve economic problems or to interpret markets.
Supervise research projects and students' study projects.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.1 / 5
Mathematics4.1 / 5
Critical Thinking4.1 / 5
Active Listening4.0 / 5
Writing4.0 / 5
Speaking4.0 / 5

Knowledge areas

Mathematics4.5 / 5
Economics and Accounting4.5 / 5
English Language4.0 / 5
Computers and Electronics3.8 / 5
Education and Training3.1 / 5
Communications and Media2.8 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic6
Investigative100
Artistic24
Social23
Enterprising49
Conventional59

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

fiscal affairs policy officer · DE Referent für Steuerpolitik/Referentin für Steuerpolitik · FR chargé de mission fiscalité/chargée de mission fiscalité
trade development officer · DE Handelsreferent/Handelsreferentin · FR agent chargé du développement commercial
economic policy officer · DE Referent für Wirtschaftspolitik/Referentin für Wirtschaftspolitik · FR chargé de mission économique/chargée de mission économique
economist · DE Volkswirtschaftler/Volkswirtschaftlerin · FR économiste
business economics researcher · DE Betriebswirtschaftsforscher/Betriebswirtschaftsforscherin · FR chercheur en économie appliquée/chercheuse en économie appliquée
economic adviser · DE Wirtschaftsberater/Wirtschaftsberaterin · FR chargé d’études économiques/chargée d’études économiques

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Business, research and administrative professionals n.e.c. (2439)104,500 employed
Professional/Chartered company secretaries (2435)1,700 employed
Business and related research professionals (2434)62,500 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.40. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (19-3011).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test