New York·Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations·SOC 19-3011

Best Economist programs in New York, ranked by enrollment

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.

74 schools in New York run programs that feed this job, graduating 5,466 people a year. The job pays a median of $136,660 in New York across about 910 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledEconomistEconomic AnalystForensic EconomistResearch EconomistResource EconomistEconomic ConsultantEnvironmental EconomistNatural Resource Economist
Graduates / yr
5,466
in New York
Median pay · New York
$136,660
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
910
people employed
Schools
74
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
67%
across those schools
Median net price
$26,091
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in New York that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

12 programs in New York that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in New York (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own New York page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 45.0603In New York
2,736
50.1%
31$51,725$22,907
2
CIP 45.0601In New York
1,470
26.9%
46$51,725$22,907
3
CIP 27.0305In New York
506
9.3%
13$60,930$21,143
4
CIP 01.0103In New York
257
4.7%
1$47,242$19,964
5
CIP 52.0601In New York
248
4.5%
10$53,269$21,962
6
CIP 45.0602In New York
112
2.0%
3$51,725$22,907
7
Economics, Othermain feeder
CIP 45.0699In New York
46
0.8%
3$51,725$22,907
8
CIP 45.1004In New York
32
0.6%
1$35,631$23,538
9
CIP 30.4901In New York
25
0.5%
3
10
CIP 45.0604In New York
25
0.5%
2$51,725$22,907
11
CIP 30.5101In New York
6
0.1%
2
12
Economics and Foreign Language/Literaturemain feeder
CIP 30.4001
3
0.1%
1

Top 25 schools in New York

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 36 of the 74 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1New York University
New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
662Econometrics and Quantitative Economics$68,49588%$29,0239%
2Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
565Econometrics and Quantitative Economics$83,13596%$15,3154%
3Cornell University
Ithaca, NY Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
515Agricultural Economics$92,16395%$17,6139%
4Fordham University
Bronx, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
404Financial Mathematics82%$38,93159%
5Binghamton University
Vestal, NY Public · 3 feeder programs
345Economics, General$48,12082%39%
6University at Albany
Albany, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
239Econometrics and Quantitative Economics$37,18861%69%
7Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
213Economics, General$55,97484%$28,85146%
8University at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY Public · 4 feeder programs
186Economics, General$40,07875%74%
9Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY Public · 3 feeder programs
176Econometrics and Quantitative Economics$44,34976%49%
10CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
New York, NY Public · 3 feeder programs
175Business/Managerial Economics$57,90972%48%
11State University of New York at Cortland
Cortland, NY Public · 2 feeder programs
136Business/Managerial Economics$40,51768%60%
12CUNY City College
New York, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
135Economics, General$45,55657%60%
13CUNY Hunter College
New York, NY Public · 2 feeder programs
135Economics, General$34,58057%54%
14Barnard College
New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
129Econometrics and Quantitative Economics$85,86093%$24,6759%
15CUNY Queens College
Queens, NY Public · 2 feeder programs
123Economics, General$39,37753%64%
16Colgate University
Hamilton, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
118Econometrics and Quantitative Economics$77,27491%$22,90314%
17University of Rochester
Rochester, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
118Econometrics and Quantitative Economics$63,47585%$25,87440%
18Hamilton College
Clinton, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
97Econometrics and Quantitative Economics$71,35091%$20,68014%
19Union College
Schenectady, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
78Econometrics and Quantitative Economics$62,84680%$25,88544%
20CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
New York, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
63Economics, General$33,70956%57%
21Pace University
New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
58Econometrics and Quantitative Economics$51,42660%$29,99476%
22St Lawrence University
Canton, NY Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
58Economics, General$57,82979%$24,10054%
23United States Military Academy
West Point, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
51Econometrics and Quantitative Economics87%12%
24Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
41Economics, General$79,84591%$29,10719%
25Hobart William Smith Colleges
Geneva, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
39Econometrics and Quantitative Economics$61,94677%$22,37464%

All 74 schools in New York

Every school in New York with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in New York that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
New York UniversityNew YorkPrivate not-for-profit6623
Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew YorkPrivate not-for-profit5652
Cornell UniversityIthacaPrivate not-for-profit5153
Fordham UniversityBronxPrivate not-for-profit4042
Binghamton UniversityVestalPublic3453
University at AlbanyAlbanyPublic2391
Syracuse UniversitySyracusePrivate not-for-profit2133
University at BuffaloBuffaloPublic1864
Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookPublic1763
CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeNew YorkPublic1753
State University of New York at CortlandCortlandPublic1362
CUNY City CollegeNew YorkPublic1351
CUNY Hunter CollegeNew YorkPublic1352
Barnard CollegeNew YorkPrivate not-for-profit1293
CUNY Queens CollegeQueensPublic1232

What economists earn in New York

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in New York
$136,660
Mean annual
$168,580
Jobs in state
910
What the range looks like
10th pct$82,130Median$136,66090th pct$292,850
Versus the national median
+9.6%

U.S. median $124,720. New York pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
0.82×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in New York

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$176,090median
850 jobs
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
$99,200median
90 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+1.2%
Little or no change
Openings per year
900
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
200
17,600 → 17,800
Typical entry education
Master's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Economists page.

How to become a Economist

Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above
Typical entry education
Master's degree

Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Top skills

Reading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingWritingMathematicsActive ListeningActive Learning

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in New York

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 16 majors mapped to Economists16 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 01.0103Agricultural Economics
  • 03.0204Environmental/Natural Resource Economics
  • 27.0305Financial Mathematics
  • 30.3901Economics and Computer Science
  • 30.4001Economics and Foreign Language/Literature
  • 30.4901Mathematical Economics
  • 30.5101Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
  • 45.0601Economics, General
  • 45.0602Applied Economics
  • 45.0603Econometrics and Quantitative Economics
  • 45.0604Development Economics and International Development
  • 45.0605International Economics
  • 45.0699Economics, Other
  • 45.1004Political Economy
  • 51.2007Pharmacoeconomics/Pharmaceutical Economics
  • 52.0601Business/Managerial Economics

Common questions

Answers for people weighing economists programs in New York.

What degree do you need to become an Economist?+

Master's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Econometrics and Quantitative Economics, which awarded 2,736 degrees in New York in 2024-25, 50.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming an Economist?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 12 programs to this occupation. The largest are Economics, Applied Mathematics, Agricultural Business and Management, Business/Managerial Economics, plus 4 more. Together they graduate about 5,466 people a year in New York.

How much do economists earn in New York?+

The median is $136,660 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 9.6% above the U.S. median of $124,720. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for economists growing?+

BLS projects a +1.2% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in New York?+

74 institutions in New York reported graduates from at least one of the 12 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do economists work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Economist, Economic Analyst, Forensic Economist, Research Economist, Resource Economist, Economic Consultant among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-3011.

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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