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The Cato Institute salary estimate

$63,971yearly

$30.76 hourly rate

Entry-level salary
$34,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

The Cato Institute Salaries

At the Cato Institute, employees can expect a competitive salary averaging $63,971 per year. Salaries vary based on roles and departments, with opportunities in research, marketing, and other sectors. For instance, roles in research and development tend to offer higher compensation compared to other positions. By examining the salary estimates provided, you can gauge the earning potential depending on your career path and chosen department.

Highest Paying Roles

Some of the top-paying positions include specialized roles in research and marketing that often command salaries above average. Understanding these figures can significantly aid in navigating your career path.

Highest paying jobs at The Cato Institute

The highest paying jobs at The Cato Institute are economist, controller, art director, and fellow. Economist jobs at The Cato Institute earn an average yearly salary of $127,376, The Cato Institute controller jobs average $118,625, and The Cato Institute art director jobs average $117,980.

The lowest paying The Cato Institute roles include customer service representative and receptionist. The Cato Institute customer service representative average salary is $35,886 per year. So while the average The Cato Institute salary is $63,971 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.

Highest paying jobs at The Cato Institute

RankJob titleAverage The Cato Institute salaryHourly rate
1Economist$127,376$61.24
2Controller$118,625$57.03
3Art Director$117,980$56.72
4Fellow$116,189$55.86
5Program Manager$113,787$54.71
6Visitor$113,036$54.34
7Data Engineer$112,016$53.85
8Producer$104,407$50.20
9Conference Director$98,052$47.14
10Copy Editor$73,999$35.58
11Policy Analyst$69,276$33.31
12Information Technology Technician$63,822$30.68
13Graphic Designer$62,891$30.24
14Executive Assistant$59,009$28.37
15Marketing Coordinator$55,926$26.89
16Marketing Associate$53,524$25.73
17Legal Extern$53,446$25.70
18Store Manager$51,307$24.67
19Conference Coordinator$50,887$24.46
20Research Assistant$50,620$24.34

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The Cato Institute salaries by department

Salaries at The Cato Institute vary depending on the department you work in. The Cato Institute salaries in the non profit/government department are the highest with an average salary of $101,251. Employees in the engineering department at The Cato Institute receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $96,005 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at The Cato Institute include the sales and the retail organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $48,612 and $51,641, respectively.

Average The Cato Institute salary by department

RankDepartmentAverage The Cato Institute salaryHourly rate
1Non Profit/Government$101,251$48.68
2Engineering$96,005$46.16
3Facilities$85,500$41.11
4Customer Service$83,036$39.92
5Art/Design$79,973$38.45
6Finance$75,926$36.50
7IT$72,323$34.77
8Sports/Entertainment$70,713$34.00
9Marketing$61,798$29.71
10Research & Development$57,586$27.69
11Administrative$53,861$25.89
12Legal$52,516$25.25
13Retail$51,641$24.83
14Sales$48,612$23.37

How much does The Cato Institute pay by department?

Best paying The Cato Institute research & development salaries

RankPositionAverage The Cato Institute salaryHourly rate
1Research Assistant$50,620$24.34
2Research Internship$50,463$24.26

Best paying The Cato Institute marketing salaries

RankPositionAverage The Cato Institute salaryHourly rate
1Publication Director$122,719$59.00
2Conference Director$98,052$47.14
3Digital Marketing Manager$80,462$38.68
4Outreach Manager$58,079$27.92
5Marketing Coordinator$55,926$26.89
6Conference Coordinator$50,887$24.46
7Media Assistant$50,758$24.40
8Government Relations Internship$47,300$22.74
9Digital Media Internship$38,884$18.69

Best paying The Cato Institute administrative salaries

RankPositionAverage The Cato Institute salaryHourly rate
1Administrative Director$89,547$43.05
2Executive Assistant$59,009$28.37
3Administrative Assistant$47,434$22.80
4Receptionist$36,019$17.32

The Cato Institute competitors’ average salaries

Average salaries at The Cato Institute competitors, like Urban Institute, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and Center for American Progress, vary. Urban Institute employees earn the highest salaries, with an average yearly salary of $79,461. The average salary at Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is $64,751 per year, and the average salary at Center for American Progress is $63,319 per year.

Highest paying The Cato Institute competitors

RankCompany nameZippia scoreAverage salary
1Urban Institute4.6$79,461
2Center on Budget and Policy Priorities4.0$64,751
3Center for American Progress4.4$63,319
4National Bureau of Economic Research4.6$62,209
5American Enterprise Institute4.4$60,683
6The Brookings Institution4.6$57,911
7Independence Institute3.6$56,273
8The Heritage Foundation4.6$55,617
9CSIS4.4$55,582
10Economic Policy Institute3.6$55,455
11Manhattan Institute3.9$53,985
12Middle East Institute4.3$52,436
13Council on Foreign Relations4.2$51,695
14Potomac Institute for Policy Studies4.4$51,678
15OpenSecrets3.5$51,277
16Common Cause3.9$49,271
17Center for a New American Security4.8$48,578
18Center for Media and Democracy3.4$47,317
19Hudson Institute3.9$42,498
20Hoover Institution4.4$42,138

Recently added The Cato Institute salaries

JobLocationDate addedSalary
Trade Policy AnalystWashington, DC06/25/2025$72,000
Senior Manager, Social Media and Email MarketingWashington, DC06/04/2025$80,000
Senior Web DeveloperWashington, DC06/01/2025$120,000
Conference PlannerWashington, DC05/26/2025$65,000
Cato Press and Publications AssistantWashington, DC05/26/2025$50,000

Frequently asked questions about The Cato Institute salaries

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Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of The Cato Institute, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about The Cato Institute. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at The Cato Institute. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by The Cato Institute. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of The Cato Institute and its employees or that of Zippia.

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