Find a Job You Really Want In
Economics! The age-old study of money: where it goes, who’s got it, and how can the rest of us get some?
Whether you’re just starting school as an Economics Major or have already graduated and are preparing to enter the job market, it can be kind of intimidating. For Economic Majors especially, it can feel like you’re qualified for a lot of different positions that all come with their own opportunities and interesting problems to solve.
With the number of jobs out there for Economics Majors, we at Zippia wondered if there were any in particular that stood out from the pack. Which jobs, if any, showed up over and over again for those who graduated in Economics? Just what was (or is!) waiting out there in the wild blue yonder?
It took some digging, but we managed to put together a list showing just that — and to make it easier to see across America, we found which jobs specifically were most popular for each individual state.
You can see our map at the top of the article, and at the very bottom we’ve got the full list of the states and the most popular economics jobs in them, but first here’s a quick list of some of the jobs that showed up the most.
- Lawyers amp; Judges
- Chief Executives
- Software Developers
- Misc Managers
- Sales Representatives
- Financial Managers
- Computer Systems Analysts
- Appraisers
- Accountants
- Doctors
It’s looking like the options are pretty wide open for Economics Majors, especially given that “Doctor” is literally an option.
Our full list is a little farther down, but first here’s a breakdown of how we put this information together.
How We Determined the Most Common Jobs for Economics Majors
Using Census Data from PUMS, we looked at data for Economics Majors from all across the 50 states. Specifically, we looked which jobs came up over and over again for each individual state, and using this information, we picked one job for each state that came up more frequently than any other for graduated Economics Majors from that area.
That’s it! You’ll find the full list at the end of the article, but first, here’s a more complete breakdown of some of the jobs that showed up most on our map above.
Lawyers amp; Judges
States Where This is Most Common: AL, IL, MS, MT, NM, NV, NY, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV
Lawyers and judges, everyone’s two favorite people to see. This is about the second most common profession for Econ. Majors on this list, with 13 states in total naming it top dog.
Chief Executives
States Where This is Most Common: FL, MD, WI
That lots of Econ. Majors are becoming Chief Executives and CEOs of some sort isn’t that surprising, but the fact that so many are in Florida of all places is kind of throwing me for a loop.
Software Developers
States Where This is Most Common: HI
Want to write software? Apparently Hawaii is the place to be. Or maybe software developers just all get to move to Hawaii from all the money they make. Turns out software is kind of a big deal nowadays.
Misc Managers
States Where This is Most Common: AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, DC, GA, IA, MA, ME, MN, MO, NC, NJ, OH, OR, SD
With a total of 17 states, Misc Manager is by far the most popular item on this list, assumedly because it includes every single type of manager. You know, short managers, bald managers, etc. All kinds of managers.
Sales Representatives
States Where This is Most Common: IN, KS
When you need something sold, or just for sales to be represented in some way, turn your sights on the Sales Representative, unsung hero of the business world.
Financial Managers
States Where This is Most Common:CT, KY, MI, WA
Different from the Misc. Manager due to its delightful specificity, the Financial Manager is responsible for maintaining a company’s financial health. Responsibilities include creating financial reports, checking a company’s temperature from time to time, and rubbing a company’s tummy when the company is feeling sick.
Computer Systems Analysts
States Where This is Most Common: CT, KY, MI, WA
Computer Systems Analysts evaluate the various computer systems used by a given company and remain up-to-date on the tech. market, at times suggesting new design tools or utilities for a company to use. What sort of direct link there is between this and Economics is beyond me, but it’s apparently a popular field for Econ. Majors in Kentucky and Washington, amongst other states.
Appraisers
States Where This is Most Common: ID
Appraisers evaluate various commodities and assign value to them based on the marketplace. These are the true deciders. If you’ve ever been ripped off while trying to pawn a colossal binder of outdated Pokemon cards, you’ve probably got Appraisers to blame for it.
Accountants
States Where This is Most Common: NH
Probably one of the more natural jobs to transition into with a degree in Economics. Accountants go through a company’s financial information and provide detailed accounts of it, and are responsible for all the associated math that comes along with keeping a company’s books in order. Well known for their dazzling smiles and senses of humor.
Doctors
States Where This is Most Common: WY
If you’ve ever been sick before, you’ve likely met at least one Doctor. Doctors take care of sick folks and live entirely in hospitals, which they are allowed to leave only once a year to see their families and learn more about the outside world.
Doctors definitely have nothing to do with Economics, so it’s pretty impressive that so many Wyoming Econ. Majors are able to swing a gig like this. Presumably they attended medical school following their Econ. Major, but it’s also remotely possible that Economics Departments prep their students on how to diagnose and prevent diseases along with all the study regarding how wealth is distributed.
Putting It All Together
Now that we’ve gone through these job descriptions in a bit more detail, you can find the full list of states below.
Detailed List of the Most Common Jobs for Economics Majors
| State Abbrev. | Job |
|---|---|
| AK | Misc Managers |
| AL | Lawyers amp; Judges |
| AR | Misc Managers |
| AZ | Misc Managers |
| CA | Misc Managers |
| CO | Misc Managers |
| CT | Financial Managers |
| DC | Misc Managers |
| DE | Computer Systems Analysts |
| FL | Chief Executives |
| GA | Misc Managers |
| HI | Software Developers |
| IA | Misc Managers |
| ID | Appraisers |
| IL | Lawyers amp; Judges |
| IN | Sales Representatives |
| KS | Sales Representatives |
| KY | Financial Managers |
| LA | Postsecondary Teachers |
| MA | Misc Managers |
| MD | Chief Executives |
| ME | Misc Managers |
| MI | Financial Managers |
| MN | Misc Managers |
| MO | Misc Managers |
| MS | Lawyers amp; Judges |
| MT | Lawyers amp; Judges |
| NC | Misc Managers |
| ND | lant And System Operators |
| NE | Computer Systems Analysts |
| NH | Accountants |
| NJ | Misc Managers |
| NM | Lawyers amp; Judges |
| NV | Lawyers amp; Judges |
| NY | Lawyers amp; Judges |
| OH | Misc Managers |
| OK | Secondary School Teachers |
| OR | Misc Managers |
| PA | Lawyers amp; Judges |
| RI | Postsecondary Teachers |
| SC | Lawyers amp; Judges |
| SD | Misc Managers |
| TN | Lawyers amp; Judges |
| TX | Lawyers amp; Judges |
| UT | Misc Managers |
| VA | Lawyers amp; Judges |
| VT | Retail Salespersons |
| WA | Financial Managers |
| WI | Chief Executives |
| WV | Lawyers amp; Judges |
| WY | Doctors |
Author
Ryan Morris was a writer for the Zippia Advice blog who tried to make the job process a little more entertaining for all those involved. He obtained his BA and Masters from Appalachian State University.
