Pay Rates for "Economist"
How much does an Economist in the federal government get paid?
$104,181.47*
*Based on the 2008 average.
4,051
EMPLOYEES
$421.83M
TOTAL SALARY
GS
MOST COMMON PAYSCALE
Economist was the 70th most popular job in the U.S. Government in 2008, with 4,051 employed. The most common payscale was the general schedule payscale .
In 2008, the Bureau of Labor Statistics hired the most employees titled Economist, with an average salary of $87,202.
Government Economist jobs are classified under the General Schedule (GS) payscale.
The minimum paygrade for a Economist job is GS-6, and the highest paygrade that can be attained within this job series is GS-15.
Remember that the starting and maximum yearly pay listed above reflect base pay only - your actual salary will be higher based on the Locality Pay Adjustment for the area in which you work.
Job Description
This occupation includes positions that require application of a professional knowledge of economics in the performance of duties that include: research into economic phenomena, analysis of economic data, and the preparation of interpretive reports; advice and consultation on economic matters to governmental officials and private organizations or citizens; and the performance of other professional work in economics including supervision and the direction of economists engaged in the various economics programs of the Federal Government.
Agencies that have hired an Economist
Agency
Employees Hired
Average Salary
Bureau of Labor Statistics 1,208
$87,202.09
Bureau of Economic Analysis 266
$98,072.81
Economic Research Service 225
$113,119.50
Departmental Offices 219
$119,201.36
Internal Revenue Service 193
$97,002.68
Department of Energy 168
$102,977.42
Environmental Protection Agency 163
$111,273.38
Federal Trade Commission 74
$134,513.07
Foreign Agricultural Service 71
$90,096.80
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 64
$103,934.42
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 61
$107,224.16
Offices, Boards and Divisions 61
$134,919.41
Office of Comptroller of Currency 56
$151,213.05
International Trade Administration 55
$108,217.64
Federal Communications Commission 54
$142,108.37
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 49
$93,787.43
Commodity Futures Trading Commission 48
$136,976.56
Natural Resources Conservation Service 43
$92,838.74
U.S. International Trade Commission 39
$113,896.26
Bureau of the Census 35
$95,504.09
Social Security Administration 35
$114,238.43
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 32
$112,067.47
Securities and Exchange Commission 32
$166,958.06
Forest Service 31
$90,400.42
Federal Aviation Administration 30
$107,732.10
Farm Service Agency 30
$121,268.70
Bureau of Reclamation 29
$83,099.69
U.S. Agency for International Development 29
$109,352.76
Agricultural Marketing Service 28
$105,492.64
Office of the Chief Economist 26
$139,358.42
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 24
$102,530.92
National Institute of Standards and Technology 23
$111,879.87
Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Resolution 20
$116,914.35
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality 18
$134,849.33
Food and Drug Administration 18
$113,119.56
Department of State 18
$123,987.17
Geological Survey 16
$106,262.25
Economics and Statistics Administration 16
$132,086.38
Risk Management Agency 16
$90,880.25
Office of the Secretary, Research and Technology 15
$93,654.73
National Institutes of Health 15
$95,660.00
Occupational Safety and Health Administration 15
$112,419.33
Rural Business-Cooperative Service 14
$117,184.00
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation., & Enforcement 14
$109,099.93
U.S. Coast Guard 13
$92,583.08
Office of Management and Budget 13
$143,639.92
Bureau of International Labor Affairs 13
$117,167.08
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative 13
$144,920.85
National Science Foundation 12
$134,318.33
Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration 11
$92,584.18
Federal Railroad Administration 11
$119,719.36
Small Business Administration 11
$120,659.64
Office of Assistant Secretary for Policy 11
$128,602.36
Federal Housing Finance Board 11
$155,208.36
Bureau of Land Management 10
$86,172.30
Consumer Product Safety Commission 9
$119,481.33
Veterans Health Administration 9
$112,312.22
Overseas Private Investment Corporation 8
$89,320.63
Office of Senior Coordinator for Southeast/Caribbean 8
$73,708.63
Transportation Security Administration 8
$100,884.88
Council of Economic Advisers 7
$87,079.86
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 7
$113,304.29
Office of Secretary of Transportation 7
$130,564.57
Surface Transportation Board 7
$129,013.57
Department of Homeland Security Headquarters 7
$125,976.86
Export-Import Bank of the United States 6
$108,076.00
Office of the Secretary of the Interior 6
$120,151.00
Federal Maritime Commission 6
$103,892.17
Maritime Administration 6
$111,646.67
6
$104,230.33
Office of Senior Coordinator for Mid-Atlantic 6
$68,241.67
Assistant Secretary for Housing-Federal Housing Commissioner 5
$113,535.20
Office Secretary Health and Human Services 5
$131,540.60
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation 4
$107,913.75
Office of Senior Coordinator for Southwest 4
$78,583.50
Office of Inspector General (Department of Transportation) 4
$83,828.00
Millennium Challenge Corporation 4
$132,144.75
Office of Thrift Supervision 4
$181,200.75
Food Safety and Inspection Service 4
$110,916.50
Railroad Retirement Board 3
$88,451.33
Institute of Education Sciences 3
$129,182.67
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 3
$120,691.00
Mine Safety and Health Administration 3
$118,728.33
Nuclear Regulatory Commission 3
$122,708.67
Office of Senior Coordinator for Midwest 3
$100,821.00
Office of Senior Coordinator for Pacific/Hawaii 3
$116,115.67
Office of Senior Coordinator for Northwest/Alaska 3
$88,955.33
Office of Senior Coordinator for Rocky Mountains 3
$81,650.67
Food and Nutrition Service 3
$97,266.00
Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight 3
$163,375.00
Farm Credit Administration 3
$132,764.00
National Credit Union Administration 2
$89,257.50
Employment Standards Administration 2
$119,849.00
Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement 2
$98,678.00
Patent and Trademark Office 2
$95,733.50
Women's Bureau 2
$111,854.00
National Park Service 2
$99,779.50
Federal Transit Administration 2
$120,304.50
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration 2
$98,666.50
Customs and Border Protection 2
$114,397.50
Federal Highway Administration 2
$117,641.50
Employment and Training Administration 2
$82,020.50
Departmental Administration 2
$98,969.00
Office of Budget and Program Analysis 2
$77,525.50
U.S. Mint 1
$58,206.00
Rural Housing Service 1
$80,558.00
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Program & Data Analysis 1
$124,175.00
National Telecommunications and Information Administration 1
$149,000.00
Domestic Nuclear Detection Office 1
$142,227.00
Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity 1
$119,161.00
Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development 1
$90,698.00
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing 1
$99,557.00
Office of Senior Coordinator for New York/New Jersey 1
$102,930.00
Pipeline/Hazardous Materials Safety Administration 1
$85,727.00
Agricultural Research Service 1
$114,372.00
Rural Utilities Service 1
$115,372.00
African Development Foundation 1
$120,907.00
Immigration and Customs Enforcement 1
$99,533.00
Federal Emergency Management Agency 1
$107,836.00
Office of Senior Coordinator for New England 1
$119,216.00
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 1
$111,104.00
Show All
Economist Pay Distribution
The average pay for an Economist is $104,181.47. The highest paid Economist made $231,100 in 2008.
Common Economist Payscales
Payscale
Number of Economist Employees
GS - General Schedule
3,053
ZP - Scientific And Engineering Professional
340
GM - Emp Covered By Pmrs Termination Provisns
117
ES - Senior Executive Service
94
CG - Corporate Graded
59
NB - Ofc Of Comptroller Of The Currency Only
56
AD - Administratively Determined Rates, Not E
55
CT - Commodity Futures Trading Commission Pos
48
ED - Expert (5 U.s.c. 3109)
39
SK - Sec Emp Formerly Under Gs, Gm, And Ez
29
EF - Consultant (5 U.s.c. 3109)
28
FG - Similar To The General Schedule
19
FO - Foreign Service Officers
13
FV - Faa Core Compensation Plan
11
SL - Senior Level Positions
11
IR - Irs Broadband Class And Pay System Pos
9
FP - Foreign Service Personnel
8
SV - Trans Security Admin Emp Other Than Exec
8
EI - Advisory Committee Member (other)
8
TM - Federal Housing Finance Board Merit Pay
8
GG - Grades Similar To General Schedule
5
TG - Ofc Of Thrift Supervision Salary Schedul
4
MC - Emp Of Millennium Challenge Corporation
4
VH - Professional, Admin., And Managerial
3
TF - Federal Housing Finance Board Executive
3
SO - Sec Emp Formerly Under Es Pay Plan
3
EX - Executive Pay
2
EH - Advisory Committee Member (5 U.s.c. 3109
2
OF - Ofc Of Fed Housing Enterprise Oversight
2
EJ - Dept Of Energy Org Act Excepted Service
2
CU - Credit Union Employees
2
ZA - Administrative
1
OE - Exec Of Ofc Fed Housg Enterpri Oversight
1
RS - Senior Biomedical Research Service
1
EE - Expert (other)
1
CM - Fdic Suprv And Mangr Pos Below Exec Lev
1
EM - Fdic Executive-level Positions Only
1
Show All
Starting Paygrade:
$36,070.00
/ year base pay at paygrade GS-6, Step 1
Maximum Paygrade:
$152,771.00
/ year base pay at paygrade GS-15, Step 10
Category:
Professional and Scientific
Occupation Family:
0100 SOCIAL SCIENCE, PSYCHOLOGY, AND WELFARE GROUP
Other Jobs at the GS-6 Paygrade
GS-6 is the starting paygrade for Economist jobs. Here are some other Federal Government jobs that can be held by employees at the GS-6 paygrade.
Average Economist Pay Trend from 2004 to 2022
In 2004, the average pay for an Economist was $87,989. Since then, the average pay has increased to $134,776 in 2022.
The series code of this occupation is 0110.
FederalPay.org
Economist - Federal Salaries of 2008
Enterprise Human Resources Integration (EHRI)