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Best states for an economist
Quoted expert
David Bunting Ph.D.
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for economists? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for economist jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.We wanted to look at the best states for economists -- where there are plenty of economist jobs to go around and economists get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for economists. District of Columbia is the best state for economists, where the median salary is $133,286.District of Columbia is the best state, and Missoula is the city with the highest pay for economists.
10 best states for economists in 2026
1. District of Columbia
Total economist jobs: 51 Average annual salary: $133,286 Lowest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $198,000 Location Quotient: 13.54
2. Washington
Total economist jobs: 60 Average annual salary: $112,309 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $164,000 Location Quotient: 3.66
3. New York
Total economist jobs: 46 Average annual salary: $115,621 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $175,000 Location Quotient: 1.6
4. Massachusetts
Total economist jobs: 41 Average annual salary: $111,410 Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $171,000 Location Quotient: 1.99
5. Vermont
Total economist jobs: 2 Average annual salary: $111,619 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $174,000 Location Quotient: 1.16
6. Virginia
Total economist jobs: 38 Average annual salary: $108,871 Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $163,000 Location Quotient: 1.8
7. Oklahoma
Total economist jobs: 3 Average annual salary: $115,724 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $174,000 Location Quotient: 0.43
8. Montana
Total economist jobs: 1 Average annual salary: $122,971 Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $182,000 Location Quotient: 0.39
9. North Dakota
Total economist jobs: 2 Average annual salary: $103,218 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
10. Alaska
Total economist jobs: 5 Average annual salary: $105,466 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000 Location Quotient: 2.67
Economist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an economist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an economist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $133,286 | $89,000 | 693,972 | 51 |
| 2 | Washington | $112,309 | $76,000 | 7,405,743 | 60 |
| 3 | New York | $115,621 | $76,000 | 19,849,399 | 46 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $111,410 | $72,000 | 6,859,819 | 41 |
| 5 | Vermont | $111,619 | $71,000 | 623,657 | 2 |
| 6 | Virginia | $108,871 | $72,000 | 8,470,020 | 38 |
| 7 | Oklahoma | $115,724 | $76,000 | 3,930,864 | 3 |
| 8 | Montana | $122,971 | $83,000 | 1,050,493 | 1 |
| 9 | North Dakota | $103,218 | $68,000 | 755,393 | 2 |
| 10 | Alaska | $105,466 | $76,000 | 739,795 | 5 |
| 11 | Iowa | $106,886 | $70,000 | 3,145,711 | 5 |
| 12 | South Dakota | $118,192 | $78,000 | 869,666 | 0 |
| 13 | Missouri | $101,909 | $67,000 | 6,113,532 | 10 |
| 14 | California | $107,622 | $72,000 | 39,536,653 | 89 |
| 15 | Maryland | $101,081 | $67,000 | 6,052,177 | 22 |
| 16 | West Virginia | $100,988 | $66,000 | 1,815,857 | 1 |
| 17 | Delaware | $99,631 | $65,000 | 961,939 | 2 |
| 18 | Illinois | $97,758 | $64,000 | 12,802,023 | 33 |
| 19 | Kansas | $102,205 | $67,000 | 2,913,123 | 0 |
| 20 | Utah | $100,906 | $67,000 | 3,101,833 | 2 |
| 21 | Maine | $103,517 | $65,000 | 1,335,907 | 0 |
| 22 | Colorado | $97,285 | $64,000 | 5,607,154 | 20 |
| 23 | Kentucky | $98,496 | $65,000 | 4,454,189 | 2 |
| 24 | New Mexico | $90,494 | $60,000 | 2,088,070 | 12 |
| 25 | Nevada | $96,140 | $64,000 | 2,998,039 | 3 |
| 26 | South Carolina | $96,645 | $64,000 | 5,024,369 | 4 |
| 27 | Connecticut | $94,774 | $62,000 | 3,588,184 | 7 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $92,552 | $61,000 | 10,273,419 | 13 |
| 29 | Oregon | $90,629 | $61,000 | 4,142,776 | 12 |
| 30 | Texas | $90,142 | $60,000 | 28,304,596 | 32 |
| 31 | Rhode Island | $96,656 | $62,000 | 1,059,639 | 0 |
| 32 | Mississippi | $90,129 | $60,000 | 2,984,100 | 2 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $90,938 | $60,000 | 5,576,606 | 8 |
| 34 | New Hampshire | $93,291 | $59,000 | 1,342,795 | 1 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $85,253 | $56,000 | 3,004,279 | 3 |
| 36 | Michigan | $87,695 | $57,000 | 9,962,311 | 6 |
| 37 | Indiana | $84,741 | $56,000 | 6,666,818 | 6 |
| 38 | Ohio | $82,994 | $54,000 | 11,658,609 | 12 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $81,389 | $54,000 | 4,684,333 | 5 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $62,910 | $41,000 | 579,315 | 4 |
| 41 | Pennsylvania | $77,708 | $51,000 | 12,805,537 | 20 |
| 42 | New Jersey | $82,027 | $54,000 | 9,005,644 | 10 |
| 43 | Idaho | $65,994 | $44,000 | 1,716,943 | 3 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $61,127 | $48,000 | 1,427,538 | 5 |
| 45 | Georgia | $82,820 | $55,000 | 10,429,379 | 7 |
| 46 | Arizona | $65,726 | $44,000 | 7,016,270 | 10 |
| 47 | Alabama | $73,836 | $49,000 | 4,874,747 | 1 |
| 48 | Nebraska | $62,359 | $41,000 | 1,920,076 | 2 |
| 49 | Wisconsin | $64,442 | $42,000 | 5,795,483 | 2 |
| 50 | Florida | $57,725 | $37,000 | 20,984,400 | 14 |
| 51 | Tennessee | $59,753 | $39,000 | 6,715,984 | 2 |
Highest paying states for economists
| Rank | State | Avg. Economist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $133,286 |
| 2 | Washington | $112,309 |
| 3 | New York | $115,621 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $111,410 |
| 5 | Vermont | $111,619 |
| 6 | Virginia | $108,871 |
| 7 | Oklahoma | $115,724 |
| 8 | Montana | $122,971 |
| 9 | North Dakota | $103,218 |
| 10 | Alaska | $105,466 |
| 11 | Iowa | $106,886 |
| 12 | South Dakota | $118,192 |
| 13 | Missouri | $101,909 |
| 14 | California | $107,622 |
| 15 | Maryland | $101,081 |
| 16 | West Virginia | $100,988 |
| 17 | Delaware | $99,631 |
| 18 | Illinois | $97,758 |
| 19 | Kansas | $102,205 |
| 20 | Utah | $100,906 |
| 21 | Maine | $103,517 |
| 22 | Colorado | $97,285 |
| 23 | Kentucky | $98,496 |
| 24 | New Mexico | $90,494 |
| 25 | Nevada | $96,140 |
| 26 | South Carolina | $96,645 |
| 27 | Connecticut | $94,774 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $92,552 |
| 29 | Oregon | $90,629 |
| 30 | Texas | $90,142 |
| 31 | Rhode Island | $96,656 |
| 32 | Mississippi | $90,129 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $90,938 |
| 34 | New Hampshire | $93,291 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $85,253 |
| 36 | Michigan | $87,695 |
| 37 | Indiana | $84,741 |
| 38 | Ohio | $82,994 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $81,389 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $62,910 |
| 41 | Pennsylvania | $77,708 |
| 42 | New Jersey | $82,027 |
| 43 | Idaho | $65,994 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $61,127 |
| 45 | Georgia | $82,820 |
| 46 | Arizona | $65,726 |
| 47 | Alabama | $73,836 |
| 48 | Nebraska | $62,359 |
| 49 | Wisconsin | $64,442 |
| 50 | Florida | $57,725 |
| 51 | Tennessee | $59,753 |
Expert opinions on the best states for economists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for economists to find work opportunities?
David Bunting Ph.D.
Professor of Economics, Eastern Washington University
Go where the jobs are; move to larger cities because of more employers.
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Updated January 8, 2025