Business
What you can do with Economics
How people, companies, and governments make decisions and spend limited resources.
- Careers
- 18
- Early career
- $72,000
- Mid-career
- $115,000
- Growing fast
- 11 of 18
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.
11 of 18 careers this degree leads to are projected to grow faster than average from 2024 to 2034. Of those, Management Consultant has the most openings, about 98,100 a year.
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18 careers this degree leads to
Product Manager
$166,790Define product strategy and roadmap, prioritize features based on customer needs, and coordinate cross-functional teams to deliver software products.
- Middle half of workers
- $123,020 to $216,410
- Growth
- Much faster than average
- Openings a year
- 34,300
Work-life55Remote78Satisfaction76- Product Strategy
- User Research
- Data Analysis
- Stakeholder Management
Financial Manager
$166,570Own the financial health of an organization: direct accounting, investments, reporting, and the strategy behind them.
- Middle half of workers
- $125,490 to $219,980
- Growth
- Much faster than average
- Openings a year
- 74,600
Work-life59Remote41- Financial Strategy
- Reporting
- Leadership
- Critical Thinking
Political Scientist
$142,080Analyze political systems, public opinion, and policy, informing governments, think tanks, and campaigns.
- Middle half of workers
- $114,030 to $174,180
- Growth
- Declining
- Openings a year
- 500
Work-life59Remote58- Policy Analysis
- Research Methods
- Statistics
- Writing
Actuary
$130,000Analyze the financial costs of risk and uncertainty using mathematics, statistics, and financial theory.
- Middle half of workers
- $97,680 to $170,650
- Growth
- Much faster than average
- Openings a year
- 2,400
Work-life78Remote80Satisfaction76- Statistical Modeling
- Risk Assessment
- Financial Mathematics
- Programming (R/Python)
Economist
$124,720Research how markets, policy, and incentives actually behave, and turn that analysis into forecasts and recommendations.
- Middle half of workers
- $89,330 to $174,720
- Growth
- Slower than average
- Openings a year
- 900
Work-life56Remote58- Econometrics
- Data Analysis
- Mathematics
- Critical Thinking
Data Scientist
$120,230Develop and implement methods to analyze large datasets to identify patterns and inform decisions.
- Middle half of workers
- $85,660 to $158,880
- Growth
- Much faster than average
- Openings a year
- 23,400
Work-life75Remote85Satisfaction80- Statistical Analysis
- Machine Learning
- Python
- Data Visualization
Statistician
$105,650Design studies and make numbers tell the truth, applying statistical theory across science, business, and government.
- Middle half of workers
- $82,220 to $141,490
- Growth
- Much faster than average
- Openings a year
- 2,000
Work-life60Remote77- Statistical Modeling
- Study Design
- R/Python
- Mathematics
Personal Financial Advisor
$105,070Help individuals plan investments, retirement, taxes, and insurance so their money supports the life they want.
- Middle half of workers
- $72,440 to $176,790
- Growth
- Much faster than average
- Openings a year
- 24,100
Work-life61Remote64- Financial Planning
- Investment Strategy
- Client Relationships
- Active Listening
Financial Analyst
$102,740Assess the performance of stocks, bonds, and other investments to guide business decisions.
- Middle half of workers
- $79,290 to $133,340
- Growth
- Faster than average
- Openings a year
- 25,100
Work-life62Remote72Satisfaction73- Financial Modeling
- Data Analysis
- Investment Analysis
- Excel
Management Consultant
$101,860Advise organizations on improving efficiency, profitability, and strategic positioning through data-driven recommendations.
- Middle half of workers
- $77,950 to $133,370
- Growth
- Much faster than average
- Openings a year
- 98,100
Work-life38Remote65Satisfaction74- Strategic Analysis
- Data Analysis
- Presentation Skills
- Problem Solving
Financial Examiner
$94,160Audit banks and financial institutions for solvency and legal compliance on behalf of regulators.
- Middle half of workers
- $70,660 to $129,600
- Growth
- Much faster than average
- Openings a year
- 5,700
Work-life62Remote73- Regulatory Examination
- Financial Analysis
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
Budget Analyst
$91,640Build and police the budgets that keep organizations solvent, checking estimates for accuracy and compliance.
- Middle half of workers
- $75,320 to $114,220
- Growth
- Slower than average
- Openings a year
- 3,100
Work-life64Remote66- Budgeting
- Forecasting
- Mathematics
- Attention to Detail
Operations Research Analyst
$88,940Use mathematical modeling and optimization to solve the hardest decisions in logistics, pricing, and planning.
- Middle half of workers
- $68,360 to $125,990
- Growth
- Much faster than average
- Openings a year
- 9,600
Work-life56Remote77- Optimization Modeling
- Mathematics
- Programming
- Critical Thinking
Credit Analyst
$83,510Read financial statements to judge who can safely borrow, protecting lenders from bad risk.
- Middle half of workers
- $65,210 to $122,460
- Growth
- Declining
- Openings a year
- 3,700
Work-life59Remote73- Financial Statement Analysis
- Risk Modeling
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
Insurance Underwriter
$81,370Decide which risks an insurer should take and at what price by evaluating applications against data and judgment.
- Middle half of workers
- $64,620 to $110,390
- Growth
- Declining
- Openings a year
- 8,200
Work-life67Remote73- Risk Assessment
- Data Analysis
- Attention to Detail
- Critical Thinking
Market Research Analyst
$78,760Figure out what customers want before competitors do, turning surveys, sales data, and trends into strategy.
- Middle half of workers
- $58,350 to $108,310
- Growth
- Much faster than average
- Openings a year
- 87,200
Work-life53Remote84- Survey Design
- Data Analysis
- Consumer Behavior
- Critical Thinking
Financial Services Sales Agent
$78,660Buy and sell securities and connect clients with investment products at brokerages and banks.
- Middle half of workers
- $56,540 to $129,950
- Growth
- About average
- Openings a year
- 38,100
Work-life65Remote12- Securities Knowledge
- Client Advising
- Market Monitoring
- Sales
Loan Officer
$76,690Evaluate and approve the loans that let people buy homes and businesses grow, guiding borrowers through the process.
- Middle half of workers
- $52,730 to $104,080
- Growth
- Slower than average
- Openings a year
- 20,300
Work-life63Remote27- Credit Analysis
- Customer Service
- Regulatory Knowledge
- Active Listening
Related majors
Set on Economics?
Save it as your major and PlanexAI will shape your dashboard, career matches, and study plan around it.
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.