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What Can You Do With an Economics Degree?

How people, companies, and governments make decisions and spend limited resources. Graduates earn a median $72,000 early in their careers and $115,000 by mid-career. We track 18 careers that an Economics degree commonly leads to, with median pay from $76,690 to $166,790 depending on the role and how far you take it.

How these numbers work: A major does not have its own salary. Early and mid-career pay is what people who hold this degree earn at the start of their careers and midway through them. Career pay comes from the 18 careers an Economics degree commonly leads to, and counts everyone in those jobs, including people who have been doing them for thirty years. The two answer different questions, which is why they do not match.

42% of people with this degree go on to a graduate degree, so the higher-paying careers below usually mean more school after the bachelor's.

Careers this major leads to

Product Manager$166,790 median · Much faster than averageFinancial Manager$166,570 median · Much faster than averagePolitical Scientist$142,080 median · DecliningActuary$130,000 median · Much faster than averageEconomist$124,720 median · Slower than averageData Scientist$120,230 median · Much faster than averageStatistician$105,650 median · Much faster than averagePersonal Financial Advisor$105,070 median · Much faster than averageFinancial Analyst$102,740 median · Faster than averageManagement Consultant$101,860 median · Much faster than averageFinancial Examiner$94,160 median · Much faster than averageBudget Analyst$91,640 median · Slower than averageOperations Research Analyst$88,940 median · Much faster than averageCredit Analyst$83,510 median · DecliningInsurance Underwriter$81,370 median · DecliningMarket Research Analyst$78,760 median · Much faster than averageFinancial Services Sales Agent$78,660 median · About averageLoan Officer$76,690 median · Slower than average

Related majors

Business AdministrationFinanceAccountingMarketingHuman ResourcesHospitality Management

Frequently asked questions

What can you do with an Economics degree?

An Economics degree commonly leads to 18 careers we track, including Product Manager, Financial Manager, and Political Scientist. Graduates earn a median $72,000 early in their careers.

How much do Economics majors make?

Graduates with an Economics degree earn a median of $72,000 a year early in their careers, and $115,000 by mid-career (Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 2024 data).

What jobs can an Economics major get?

Common roles include Product Manager, Financial Manager, Political Scientist, and Actuary. Product Manager is among the higher-paying, at $166,790 median.

Set on Economics?

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Is Economics right for you?

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Where these pay figures come from

Early and mid-career pay is the median annual wage of full-time workers who hold a bachelor's degree in that major, ages 22 to 27 and ages 35 to 45, from 2024 data. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (IPUMS). Published as Outcomes by Major by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Career pay is the annual wage of everyone working in that occupation, not only recent graduates, so it includes people who have done the job for decades. The middle half is the 25th to the 75th percentile. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).

All figures are national. What you earn depends on where you work, who you work for, and how far you take the degree.

Job-growth figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).