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Job outlook for economics instructors in the United States
Are economics instructor jobs in demand?
Economics instructor job and salary trends over time
Economics instructor jobs over time
Economics instructor job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3,139 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 3,482 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 3,533 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 3,394 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 3,399 | 0.00% |
Average economics instructor salary over time
Economics instructor salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $60,797 | $29.23 | +2.8% |
| 2025 | $59,159 | $28.44 | +2.8% |
| 2024 | $57,521 | $27.65 | +3.2% |
| 2023 | $55,747 | $26.80 | +2.7% |
| 2022 | $54,285 | $26.10 | +1.9% |
Economics instructor jobs by state
Most common states for economics instructors
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 496 | 9% |
| 2 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 586 | 7% |
| 3 | Delaware | 961,939 | 66 | 7% |
| 4 | Alaska | 739,795 | 52 | 7% |
| 5 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 655 | 6% |
| 6 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 313 | 6% |
| 7 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 249 | 6% |
| 8 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 66 | 6% |
| 9 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 37 | 6% |
| 10 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 516 | 5% |
| 11 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 422 | 5% |
| 12 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 158 | 5% |
| 13 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 34 | 5% |
| 14 | Vermont | 623,657 | 30 | 5% |
| 15 | California | 39,536,653 | 1,688 | 4% |
| 16 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 406 | 4% |
| 17 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 262 | 4% |
| 18 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 127 | 4% |
| 19 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 42 | 4% |
| 20 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 28 | 4% |
Most common cities for economics instructors
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Pablo | 1 | 3% | $69,575 |
| 2 | Fayetteville | 1 | 0% | $54,614 |
Economics Instructor job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of economics instructor experts
Washington and Lee University
Macalester College
Southern Connecticut State University
Angelo State University
Franklin and Marshall College
New York University
University of West Georgia
Chantal Smith
Assistant Professor of EconomicsWashington and Lee University
Economics Department
What skills stand out on Economics Instructor resumes?
Chantal Smith: Relevant work that would contribute to the literature is probably the top item that stands out on instructor resumes and experience in the classroom.
What soft skills should all Economics Instructors possess?
Chantal Smith: The ability to communicate effectively with students, colleagues, and administrators is key. It is also very important to have time management skills.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Economics Instructors?
Chantal Smith: A high level of mathematical skills and the ability to code in some type of statistical software (e.g., State, RStudio). Of course, writing skills are a requirement as well.
What skills will help Economics Instructors earn the most?
Chantal Smith: I think my institution and I found each other at the perfect time. They were looking for a professor passionate about teaching and research, and I was looking for a place that would let me be free to research non-conventional topics and fulfill my love of teaching (I was formerly a K-12 teacher).
What hard/technical skills are most important for Economics Instructors?
Walter Greason Ph.D.: Ability to learn multiple managerial and technical platforms rapidly; facility with both quantitative and qualitative data and the capacity to discern multiple forms of mixed research methodologies.
Jia Yu Ph.D.
Associate Professor of EconomicsSouthern Connecticut State University
School of Business
What skills stand out on Economics Instructor resumes?
Jia Yu Ph.D.: -Sufficient teaching experience
-Flexible office hours
-New course/program development
-Outstanding teaching evaluation
-Efficient classroom management
What soft skills should all Economics Instructors possess?
Jia Yu Ph.D.: Communication skills: students usually have a varied backgrounds. They would love the professors who understand them and can communicate with them easily.
Public speaking skills: Teaching is the most essential work for an economics instructor. So, public speaking skills are very important.
Leadership: The instructor is the person leading students to knowledge and their future. An instructor needs to be a good leader to guide students for their future careers or even future life.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Economics Instructors?
Jia Yu Ph.D.: Online teaching (very important during this pandemic period): familiar with most of the online meeting/teaching platform
Data analysis and statistics software/tools application: many economics applications need help from different statistics software (such as Excel, SPSS, Python, etc.). Mastering and teaching students these skills would help them land their jobs quickly and easily.
What skills will help Economics Instructors earn the most?
Jia Yu Ph.D.: Economics instructor is not the job that can earn a lot. The skills that may help an economics instructor earn the most is the ability to teach and delivering data analysis and statistical software applications, which is a transferrable skill fitting students in a varied career path in the future. So, the demand for this type of instructor is high, which may result in higher pay.
Dr. Jason Pierce
Professor, Department ChairAngelo State University
Arnoldo De León Department of History
What skills stand out on Economics Instructor resumes?
Dr. Jason Pierce: Colleges and universities vary in terms of their primary focus. While larger private and public institutions value research as much as teaching, smaller regional institutions, like Angelo State University, put the most emphasis on teaching. Thus, teaching experience is paramount. We look closely at how many sections a candidate has taught and what classes they could offer when hiring a tenure track or non-tenure track instructor. Faculty at my university teach 4 classes per semester, so we must have someone who is "plug and play" and can handle the workload. For larger universities, research projects may need to be emphasized more. Be sure you understand what kind of institution you are applying to so you can get a sense of what skills that institution or department values the most. Researching the institution and the department is critical for success. Thankfully, that's relatively easy to do nowadays.
What general advice would you give to an Economics Instructor?
David McMahan Ph.D.: Keep open to possibilities beyond the narrow range of what your diploma lists as your major or minor. Whatever job you get trained for today, in 10-20 years, it may be very different. Or it may not exist. Focus on obtaining and maintaining flexibility, critical thinking, creativity, and passion for learning. Being an interesting person is as vital as any credential.
Marlene McCarty
Clinical Professor of Visual ArtsNew York University
Department of Art and Art Professions
What type of skills will young Economics Instructors need?
Marlene McCarty: Creative and entrepreneurial thinking will be the cornerstone of what is needed for the future. As we look to an ever more uncertain future, the ability to imagine the not-yet-imagined will be of utmost importance. The ability to envision something wholly new, paired with the competence to make that thing manifest in the world, will be highly sought-after. Luckily, for art students, understanding how to make something not-yet-imagined forms the foundation of creative practice. The other attribute that will be increasingly regarded as an advantage will be a healthy curiosity and openness paired with nuanced inclusion (not appropriation) of varied and rich cultures outside one's own. As a bridge across cultures, visual art is transformational to our understanding of difficulty and times of crisis, representing independent thinking at the heart of democracy.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Economics Instructors to find work opportunities?
Marlene McCarty: Large universalized geographic hubs of creativity (such as NYC used to be) will not play the same importance as in the past. Anywhere that is local will offer opportunities, if someone is imaginative enough to see them. Participatory placemaking requires critical and holistic thought concerning the world around us. Communities of friends, acquaintances, and cross-disciplinary associates, some formed online - some in person, will be more important than actual geographical areas.
How do you envision technology impacting Economics Instructors in the next 5 years?
Ye Chen Ph.D.: Technology is an integral part of this field. Technology advances will no doubt bring in new exciting research opportunities and practice innovations. As people better leverage new important technology such as virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, machine learning, innovative research, and practices will emerge in personalized and immersive e-learning. The black swan event, the COVID 19 pandemic, will further accelerate this trend by placing an urgent call for improving people's e-learning experience.