How To Become An Economic Research Analyst: What It Is and Career Path

What is an economic research analyst and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Dawn Gomez Ph.D.,

Dr. Anne Paulet Ph.D.

An economic research analyst conducts research, creates reports, and forms plans to tackle economic problems associated with the production and distribution of goods and services. Typically, their daily tasks include compiling and analyzing data, conducting research on relevant issues, preparing presentations and technical reports, and providing consultation to their employers.

This role may also include supervising research projects, forecasting production and consumption of non-renewable resources, and providing litigation support through testimony or written reports.

An economic research analyst can work in a business, a public or private agency, or a consultancy company. Most analysts work in a typical office set-up on a 9-5 schedule.

Besides a sound background in economics, an economic research specialist must have top-notch analytical skills, a strong command of statistics, and solid research skills. A bachelor's degree in economics, finance, business, or another relevant major is a common requirement to become one formally. However, many employers prefer someone with a master's degree or a doctorate.

The role of an economic research analyst takes great mental skill. Hence, it only makes sense that the average salary for this position is $40 an hour or roughly $84,000 a year.

What general advice would you give to an economic research analyst?

Dawn Gomez Ph.D.

Assistant Director of Career Services, Texas A&M University-

Keep your networking muscles flexed and diversified - though you may finally be employed in your dream job after graduation, you never know when you are going to need to reach back out to your network for job advice or your next opportunity. Get and stay engaged with your alumni network, local Chambers of Commerce for Brown Bag Lunches or virtual lunch and learns, join targeted LinkedIn groups, and stay active on LinkedIn.

ScoreEconomic Research AnalystUS Average

Salary

6.1

Avg. Salary $78,261

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.9

Growth rate 19%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.13%

Asian 14.35%

Black or African American 4.76%

Hispanic or Latino 11.32%

Unknown 4.89%

White 64.55%

Gender

female 43.42%

male 56.58%

Age - 34

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 34

Stress level

4.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an economic research analyst

Explore economic research analyst education requirements

Most common economic research analyst degrees

Bachelor's

73.5 %

Master's

20.4 %

Associate

3.4 %

Start to develop specific economic research analyst skills

Skills	Percentages
Data Analysis	19.67%
Stata	11.87%
SAS	8.25%
Macro	7.58%
Research Projects	6.15%

Complete relevant economic research analyst training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New economic research analysts learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an economic research analyst based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real economic research analyst resumes.

Research economic research analyst duties and responsibilities

Manage social media publications to spread awareness and notifications on Facebook.
Contribute to best practices as it relates to SAS programming standards: standard programs, macro development and validation, etc.
Conduct efficient data management, statistical analysis using SAS for studies, and implement advanced statistical methodologies.
Design PowerPoint presentation to be used in an upcoming webinar.

Prepare your economic research analyst resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your economic research analyst resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an economic research analyst resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable economic research analyst resume templates

Build a professional economic research analyst resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your economic research analyst resume.

Apply for economic research analyst jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an economic research analyst job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do economic research analysts rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Economic research analyst reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020

Pros

Compiling data of organization and implementing strategies to measure growth in business

Cons

Fundamental Economics

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2019