Economist - Federal Salaries of 2010

Pay Rates for "Economist"

How much does an Economist in the federal government get paid? $110,347.48* *Based on the 2010 average.

4,323 EMPLOYEES

$476.37M TOTAL SALARY

GS MOST COMMON PAYSCALE

Economist was the 68th most popular job in the U.S. Government in 2010, with 4,323 employed. The most common payscale was the general schedule payscale.

In 2010, the Bureau of Labor Statistics hired the most employees titled Economist, with an average salary of $91,841.

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	1,242	$91,841.10
Bureau of Economic Analysis	269	$106,642.08
Economic Research Service	246	$118,758.02
Internal Revenue Service	238	$101,952.87
Departmental Offices	227	$129,879.40
Department of Energy	173	$109,120.94
Environmental Protection Agency	162	$115,499.31
Federal Trade Commission	84	$141,304.56
Foreign Agricultural Service	74	$97,356.81
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration	70	$111,668.50
U.S. Agency for International Development	68	$94,090.05
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation	67	$117,995.12
Office of Comptroller of Currency	67	$164,332.85
Commodity Futures Trading Commission	65	$137,049.12
International Trade Administration	57	$111,081.51
Offices, Boards and Divisions	57	$147,646.58
Federal Communications Commission	57	$147,341.58
Bureau of the Census	53	$98,295.21
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention	51	$102,362.04
Natural Resources Conservation Service	41	$100,223.05
U.S. International Trade Commission	40	$121,074.78
Social Security Administration	39	$123,206.44
Securities and Exchange Commission	35	$186,601.20
Federal Aviation Administration	30	$125,045.30
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services	29	$119,013.69
Farm Service Agency	28	$129,879.29
Office of the Chief Economist	27	$148,527.70
Food and Drug Administration	26	$115,627.62
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service	25	$109,352.16
Federal Housing Finance Agency	25	$145,154.56
Agricultural Marketing Service	24	$113,270.13
Forest Service	24	$95,786.08
Bureau of Reclamation	22	$86,175.86
Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Resolution	22	$118,765.55
Department of State	21	$125,009.48
U.S. Coast Guard	20	$103,327.40
Office of the Secretary, Research and Technology	20	$91,837.90
Geological Survey	19	$108,482.63
National Institute of Standards and Technology	19	$127,568.53
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality	17	$142,658.71
Office of Management and Budget	17	$146,670.29
Risk Management Agency	16	$97,469.50
Economics and Statistics Administration	16	$137,002.81
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation., & Enforcement	15	$109,298.33
Federal Railroad Administration	15	$122,211.67
Occupational Safety and Health Administration	14	$113,334.50
Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration	12	$105,256.83
Rural Business-Cooperative Service	12	$123,638.92
Assistant Secretary for Housing-Federal Housing Commissioner	11	$113,381.00
Veterans Health Administration	11	$121,526.55
Consumer Product Safety Commission	11	$119,554.82
Small Business Administration	10	$129,380.70
Surface Transportation Board	10	$126,379.80
Bureau of International Labor Affairs	10	$130,103.70
Office of Assistant Secretary for Policy	10	$137,777.60
Transportation Security Administration	10	$101,807.40
National Institutes of Health	9	$134,441.33
National Science Foundation	9	$147,545.11
Employee Benefits Security Administration	9	$100,979.89
Office Secretary Health and Human Services	8	$129,459.50
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service	8	$117,021.50
Department of Homeland Security Headquarters	8	$122,628.75
Office of Senior Coordinator for Southwest	8	$74,429.75
Overseas Private Investment Corporation	8	$102,347.63
Office of Senior Coordinator for Southeast/Caribbean	7	$74,729.00
Bureau of Land Management	7	$93,077.14
Export-Import Bank of the United States	7	$113,349.29
Office of the Secretary of the Interior	7	$118,648.86
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission	7	$118,931.71
Office of Secretary of Transportation	6	$142,153.17
Maritime Administration	6	$126,596.67
Office of Senior Coordinator for Mid-Atlantic	6	$76,377.67
Office of Inspector General (Department of Transportation)	6	$88,640.50
Mine Safety and Health Administration	6	$104,280.83
Food Safety and Inspection Service	6	$124,248.50
Patent and Trademark Office	5	$115,666.40
Customs and Border Protection	5	$100,249.20
Office of Senior Coordinator for Northwest/Alaska	5	$81,300.60
Nuclear Regulatory Commission	4	$102,397.25
Office of Senior Coordinator for Rocky Mountains	4	$80,228.00
Office of Senior Coordinator for Pacific/Hawaii	4	$89,488.50
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation	4	$119,389.00
Office of Thrift Supervision	4	$172,503.00
Federal Maritime Commission	4	$114,052.75
Railroad Retirement Board	3	$96,346.67
Institute of Education Sciences	3	$139,917.33
Council of Economic Advisers	3	$143,566.67
Employment and Training Administration	3	$83,637.67
Office of Senior Coordinator for New England	3	$88,082.33
Office of the Chief Financial Officer (General Services Administration)	2	$59,372.00
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration	2	$93,355.50
Agricultural Research Service	2	$103,263.50
Rural Housing Service	2	$126,228.50
Food and Nutrition Service	2	$103,294.00
Office of Senior Coordinator for Midwest	2	$96,063.00
Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement	2	$109,567.50
Women's Bureau	2	$115,742.00
National Park Service	2	$113,399.00
Federal Transit Administration	2	$129,952.00
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration	2	$110,610.00
Rural Utilities Service	2	$125,494.50
National Credit Union Administration	2	$156,778.00
Federal Highway Administration	2	$116,106.00
Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity	2	$129,946.00
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative	2	$145,817.00
Millennium Challenge Corporation	2	$143,750.50
Farm Credit Administration	2	$177,102.50
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Program & Data Analysis	1	$136,771.00
National Telecommunications and Information Administration	1	$155,500.00
Domestic Nuclear Detection Office	1	$152,635.00
Office of Secretary of Labor	1	$165,300.00
Employment Standards Administration	1	$97,333.00
Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development	1	$97,333.00
Office of Senior Coordinator for New York/New Jersey	1	$80,171.00
Office of Budget and Program Analysis	1	$92,001.00
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing	1	$106,839.00
Office of Personnel Management	1	$89,033.00
U.S. Mint	1	$94,583.00
Civil Rights	1	$133,264.00
African Development Foundation	1	$133,264.00
Citizenship and Immigration Services	1	$112,224.00
Federal Emergency Management Agency	1	$121,238.00

Economist Pay Distribution

The average pay for an Economist is $110,347.48. The highest paid Economist made $250,000 in 2010.

Common Economist Payscales

Payscale	Number of Economist Employees
GS - General Schedule	3,275
ZP - Scientific And Engineering Professional	344
GM - Emp Covered By Pmrs Termination Provisns	87
ES - Senior Executive Service	85
NB - Ofc Of Comptroller Of The Currency Only	67
CG - Corporate Graded	65
CT - Commodity Futures Trading Commission Pos	65
AD - Administratively Determined Rates, Not E	53
FP - Foreign Service Personnel	41
SK - Sec Emp Formerly Under Gs, Gm, And Ez	33
EF - Consultant (5 U.s.c. 3109)	33
ED - Expert (5 U.s.c. 3109)	31
FV - Faa Core Compensation Plan	30
SL - Senior Level Positions	15
IR - Irs Broadband Class And Pay System Pos	12
FO - Foreign Service Officers	11
SV - Trans Security Admin Emp Other Than Exec	10
TM - Federal Housing Finance Board Merit Pay	10
GG - Grades Similar To General Schedule	8
AP - Admin, Profess, & Scientific Career Path	6
TS - Federal Housing Finance Board Step Sys.	6
OF - Ofc Of Fed Housing Enterprise Oversight	5
TG - Ofc Of Thrift Supervision Salary Schedul	4
EH - Advisory Committee Member (5 U.s.c. 3109	4
TF - Federal Housing Finance Board Executive	3
EI - Advisory Committee Member (other)	2
VH - Professional, Admin., And Managerial	2
MC - Emp Of Millennium Challenge Corporation	2
ZA - Administrative	2
EX - Executive Pay	2
** -	2
RS - Senior Biomedical Research Service	1
CU - Credit Union Employees	1
CM - Fdic Suprv And Mangr Pos Below Exec Lev	1
OE - Exec Of Ofc Fed Housg Enterpri Oversight	1
EM - Fdic Executive-level Positions Only	1
SO - Sec Emp Formerly Under Es Pay Plan	1
EJ - Dept Of Energy Org Act Excepted Service	1
SS - Senior Staff Positions	1

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.

Occupation	Occupation Category	Starting Paygrade	Maximum Paygrade
Motor Carrier Safety	Administrative and Management	GS-4	GS-15
Human Resources Management	Administrative and Management	GS-4	GS-15
Tax Specialist	Administrative and Management	GS-4	GS-15
Genetics	Professional and Scientific	GS-6	GS-15
Respiratory Therapist	Technical and Medical Support	GS-1	GS-9

Search for Economist Jobs

Average Economist Pay Trend from 2004 to 2021

In 2004, the average pay for an Economist was $87,989. Since then, the average pay has increased to $131,693 in 2021.

Data Sources

The information provided on these pages is sourced from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Enterprise Human Resources Integration (EHRI) dataset. Postal Service data is managed exclusively by the USPS . All information is displayed unmodified and as provided by the source agency.

Federal employee salaries are public information under open government laws (5 U.S.C. § 552). FederalPay provides this data in the interest of government transparency — employee data may not be used for commercial soliciting or vending of any kind. Learn more about the FederalPay Employees Dataset here.

The series code of this occupation is 0110.