Best degree programs for Economists, ranked by enrollment
16 college programs and 927 schools train Economists. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $124,720 median wage, 17,790 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
16 college programs at 927 schools train economists, graduating 56,382 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Econometrics and Quantitative Economics. The job pays a median of $124,720 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About 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.
An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social science discipline of economics.
Read more on Wikipedia →Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
16 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economicsmain feeder CIP 45.0603 | 22,866 | 40.6% | 320 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 2 | Economics, Generalmain feeder CIP 45.0601 | 19,798 | 35.1% | 638 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 3 | CIP 27.0305 | 5,694 | 10.1% | 127 | $60,930 | $21,143 |
| 4 | Business/Managerial Economicsmain feeder CIP 52.0601 | 3,971 | 7.0% | 194 | $53,269 | $21,962 |
| 5 | CIP 01.0103 | 1,691 | 3.0% | 44 | $47,242 | $19,964 |
| 6 | CIP 45.0604 | 384 | 0.7% | 42 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 7 | Applied Economicsmain feeder CIP 45.0602 | 378 | 0.7% | 28 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 8 | CIP 03.0204 | 323 | 0.6% | 19 | $37,946 | $24,125 |
| 9 | CIP 45.1004 | 275 | 0.5% | 21 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 10 | International Economicsmain feeder CIP 45.0605 | 204 | 0.4% | 18 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 11 | Mathematical Economicsmain feeder CIP 30.4901 | 189 | 0.3% | 11 | — | — |
| 12 | Philosophy, Politics, and Economicsmain feeder CIP 30.5101 | 164 | 0.3% | 20 | — | — |
| 13 | CIP 51.2007 | 150 | 0.3% | 16 | $48,728 | $23,761 |
| 14 | Economics and Computer Sciencemain feeder CIP 30.3901 | 149 | 0.3% | 8 | — | — |
| 15 | Economics, Othermain feeder CIP 45.0699 | 143 | 0.3% | 24 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 16 | Economics and Foreign Language/Literaturemain feeder CIP 30.4001 | 3 | 0.0% | 1 | — | — |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 1,071 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 93% | — | 9% |
| 2 | University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 1,026 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 93% | — | 11% |
| 3 | University of Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 935 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 96% | $13,333 | 4% |
| 4 | University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI Public · 5 feeder programs | 870 | Economics, General | 90% | — | 45% |
| 5 | University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign Champaign, IL Public · 4 feeder programs | 823 | Economics, General | 85% | — | 42% |
| 6 | Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX Public · 6 feeder programs | 816 | Agricultural Economics | 84% | — | 57% |
| 7 | University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA Public · 5 feeder programs | 750 | Business/Managerial Economics | 87% | — | 29% |
| 8 | University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 731 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 83% | — | 33% |
| 9 | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI Public · 3 feeder programs | 718 | Economics, General | 93% | — | 16% |
| 10 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 696 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 92% | $26,873 | 10% |
| 11 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX Public · 3 feeder programs | 672 | Economics, General | 89% | — | 27% |
| 12 | New York University New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 662 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 88% | $29,023 | 9% |
| 13 | Boston University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 622 | Economics, General | 89% | $21,956 | 11% |
| 14 | Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 565 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 96% | $15,315 | 4% |
| 15 | University of Connecticut Storrs, CT Public · 5 feeder programs | 558 | Economics, General | 83% | — | 52% |
| 16 | Cornell University Ithaca, NY Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 515 | Agricultural Economics | 95% | $17,613 | 9% |
| 17 | Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH Public · 4 feeder programs | 500 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 88% | — | 61% |
| 18 | Washington University in St Louis St. Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 479 | Financial Mathematics | 94% | $14,126 | 12% |
| 19 | Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 474 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 91% | $21,126 | 16% |
| 20 | University of California - Davis Davis, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 462 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 86% | — | 42% |
| 21 | Northeastern University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 456 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 91% | $18,925 | 5% |
| 22 | Harvard University Cambridge, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 429 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 98% | $15,013 | 4% |
| 23 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 426 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 95% | $14,799 | 8% |
| 24 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL Public · 3 feeder programs | 424 | Economics, General | 91% | — | 24% |
| 25 | University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 423 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 96% | — | 17% |
| 26 | Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 411 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 94% | $11,888 | 6% |
| 27 | Fordham University Bronx, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 404 | Financial Mathematics | 82% | $38,931 | 59% |
| 28 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC Public · 2 feeder programs | 398 | Economics, General | 91% | — | 15% |
| 29 | University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD Public · 3 feeder programs | 396 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 89% | — | 45% |
| 30 | University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA Public · 4 feeder programs | 393 | Business/Managerial Economics | 75% | — | 66% |
| 31 | Utah State University Logan, UT Public · 3 feeder programs | 393 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 59% | — | 92% |
| 32 | University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA Public · 4 feeder programs | 389 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 86% | — | 27% |
| 33 | Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA Public · 3 feeder programs | 388 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 86% | — | 61% |
| 34 | University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 384 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 76% | — | 76% |
| 35 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN Public · 6 feeder programs | 372 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 85% | — | 80% |
| 36 | University of Massachusetts - Amherst Amherst, MA Public · 5 feeder programs | 352 | Economics, General | 83% | — | 60% |
| 37 | Yale University New Haven, CT Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 350 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 96% | $27,025 | 4% |
| 38 | Michigan State University East Lansing, MI Public · 4 feeder programs | 346 | Economics, General | 81% | — | 85% |
| 39 | Binghamton University Vestal, NY Public · 3 feeder programs | 345 | Economics, General | 82% | — | 39% |
| 40 | University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT Public · 3 feeder programs | 342 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 65% | — | 86% |
| 41 | Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 332 | Economics, General | 84% | $33,246 | 63% |
| 42 | Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 318 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 94% | $14,854 | 6% |
| 43 | Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN Public · 6 feeder programs | 311 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 83% | — | 50% |
| 44 | Georgetown University Washington, DC Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 294 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 95% | $22,242 | 13% |
| 45 | Duke University Durham, NC Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 293 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 97% | $16,260 | 6% |
| 46 | Florida State University Tallahassee, FL Public · 3 feeder programs | 293 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 86% | — | 24% |
| 47 | University of Georgia Athens, GA Public · 4 feeder programs | 284 | Business/Managerial Economics | 90% | — | 38% |
| 48 | University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA Public · 2 feeder programs | 276 | Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 85% | — | 39% |
| 49 | Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 272 | Economics, General | 43% | $34,565 | 100% |
| 50 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ Public · 4 feeder programs | 270 | Economics, General | 84% | — | 58% |
What economists earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $119,410 | 860 | 0.41× | 154 | 13,261 |
| New York | $136,660 | 910 | 0.82× | 74 | 5,466 |
| Massachusetts | $106,380 | 1,030 | 2.48× | 40 | 4,048 |
| Texas | $121,420 | 560 | 0.34× | 45 | 3,270 |
| Pennsylvania | $115,000 | 560 | 0.81× | 57 | 2,287 |
| Florida | $102,430 | 500 | 0.44× | 23 | 1,677 |
| Virginia | $137,590 | 950 | 2.01× | 28 | 1,394 |
| Connecticut | $101,400 | 210 | 1.09× | 16 | 1,386 |
| North Carolina | $136,150 | 290 | 0.52× | 23 | 1,371 |
| Michigan | $106,350 | 320 | 0.63× | 24 | 1,350 |
| Ohio | $120,000 | 140 | 0.22× | 33 | 1,312 |
| Maryland | $144,680 | 1,130 | 3.56× | 17 | 1,281 |
| Wisconsin | $84,000 | 280 | 0.83× | 18 | 1,138 |
| Utah | — | 50 | 0.26× | 9 | 1,073 |
| Georgia | $122,570 | 260 | 0.46× | 18 | 1,006 |
| Missouri | $117,010 | 280 | 0.84× | 18 | 979 |
| Indiana | $80,750 | 80 | 0.21× | 20 | 929 |
| New Jersey | $167,550 | 280 | 0.57× | 18 | 895 |
| Colorado | $121,410 | 240 | 0.74× | 19 | 867 |
| Minnesota | $105,120 | 500 | 1.48× | 24 | 667 |
| Arizona | $79,610 | 340 | 0.90× | 12 | 637 |
| Washington | $109,300 | 450 | 1.10× | 15 | 632 |
| Tennessee | $117,650 | 80 | 0.21× | 15 | 623 |
| District of Columbia | $167,590 | 3,000 | 37.34× | 7 | 616 |
| New Hampshire | $86,130 | 50 | 0.69× | 5 | 510 |
| Oregon | $122,120 | 320 | 1.43× | 13 | 387 |
| Kentucky | $71,400 | 100 | 0.42× | 13 | 321 |
| Maine | $91,480 | 70 | 0.90× | 6 | 320 |
| Louisiana | $73,050 | 140 | 0.64× | 9 | 289 |
| Alabama | $129,960 | 40 | 0.15× | 9 | 286 |
| Kansas | $138,790 | 80 | 0.50× | 9 | 285 |
| Iowa | $96,310 | 70 | 0.40× | 17 | 280 |
| Oklahoma | $89,980 | 80 | 0.40× | 6 | 172 |
| Arkansas | $91,560 | 50 | 0.31× | 8 | 139 |
| Nebraska | $75,880 | 90 | 0.74× | 5 | 116 |
| Hawaiilimited | $83,050 | 50 | 0.71× | 1 | 111 |
| Nevadamoderate | $91,340 | 70 | 0.42× | 3 | 107 |
| Delawarelimited | $159,120 | 70 | 1.22× | 1 | 97 |
| Idaho | $131,270 | 130 | 1.31× | 6 | 87 |
| New Mexicolimited | — | 120 | 1.20× | 2 | 82 |
| Montanalimited | $89,340 | 90 | 1.58× | 2 | 50 |
| Alaskalimited | $111,040 | 80 | 2.18× | 1 | 6 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- 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
- Reading Comprehension4.1
- Critical Thinking4.1
- Writing4.1
- Mathematics4.1
- Active Listening4.0
- Active Learning3.8
- Speaking3.8
- Monitoring3.3
Knowledge areas
- Mathematics4.6
- Economics and Accounting4.4
- English Language4.0
- Computers and Electronics3.7
- Education and Training3.1
- Law and Government2.9
Abilities
- Written Comprehension4.2
- Mathematical Reasoning4.1
- Oral Expression4.0
- Oral Comprehension4.0
- Inductive Reasoning4.0
- Written Expression4.0
Core activities
- Analyzing Data or Information4.9
- Getting Information4.7
- Working with Computers4.7
- Processing Information4.5
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.3
- Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others4.3
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
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.
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
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
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 22,866 degrees in 2024-25, 40.6% 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 16 programs to this occupation. The largest are Economics, Applied Mathematics, Business/Managerial Economics, Agricultural Business and Management, plus 7 more. Together they graduate about 56,382 people a year.
How much do economists earn?+
The median is $124,720 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $67,360 at the 10th percentile to $238,060 at the 90th. 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?+
927 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 16 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 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected 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 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, 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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