How To Become An Economist Research Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is an economist research assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Erik Johnson Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an economist research assistant. For example, did you know that they make an average of $58.82 an hour? That's $122,340 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 1,000 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an economist research assistant?

Erik Johnson Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Economics, Carthage College

Economics gives you a set of tools to analyze a variety of policy and business problems. However, determining which tools to apply in which situation requires that you learn the industry, you are working from top to bottom. When you begin a new job in a new field, be sure to do everything you can to understand how the organization and the industry work to understand the primary incentives that everyone faces. One right way to do this is to make as many connections within the company you are working for as possible and always be on the lookout for new opportunities within the company and how they can help you learn more. Moreover, do your best to ensure that a significant portion of your job involves some creative endeavors such as economic modeling or building tools for yourself or others to use. As computing power continues to become cheaper, and artificial intelligence becomes more advanced, relatively repetitive tasks become more comfortable and easier to automate. Therefore you will have less job security. Creative tasks such as modeling and tool building are difficult to automate and are more likely to provide you with more satisfaction.

ScoreEconomist Research AssistantUS Average

Salary

8.2

Avg. Salary $122,340

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.3

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.25%

Asian 12.71%

Black or African American 6.34%

Hispanic or Latino 11.89%

Unknown 5.65%

White 63.16%

Gender

female 32.54%

male 67.46%

Age - 43

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 - 43

Stress level

4.3

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an economist research assistant

Explore economist research assistant education requirements

Most common economist research assistant degrees

Bachelor's

59.6 %

Master's

24.6 %

Doctorate

7.9 %

Start to develop specific economist research assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Research Projects	14.14%
R	8.14%
Macro	8.09%
Statistical Analysis	7.54%
Econometrics	7.39%

Research economist research assistant duties and responsibilities

Evaluate patients' study eligibility via medical history, obtain informed consent, enroll patients, and achieve enrollment quotas.
Prepare documentations/specifications to support the SAS codes for other statistical programmers to follow.
Create computer graphic user interfaces that allow Parkinson's patients with deteriorating vocal abilities to strengthen their voices for rehabilitative application.
Modele findings using SPSS in poster format.

Prepare your economist research assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your economist research assistant 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 economist research assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable economist research assistant resume templates

Build a professional economist research assistant 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 economist research assistant resume.

Apply for economist research assistant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an economist research assistant 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

Average economist research assistant salary

The average economist research assistant salary in the United States is $122,340 per year or $59 per hour. Economist research assistant salaries range between $80,000 and $186,000 per year.

Average economist research assistant salary

$122,340 Yearly

$58.82 hourly

What is an economist research assistant and how to become one

What general advice would you give to an economist research assistant?

Key steps to become an economist research assistant

Explore economist research assistant education requirements

Most common economist research assistant degrees

Start to develop specific economist research assistant skills

Research economist research assistant duties and responsibilities

Prepare your economist research assistant resume

Choose from 10+ customizable economist research assistant resume templates

Apply for economist research assistant jobs

How did you land your first economist research assistant job

Average economist research assistant salary

How do economist research assistants rate their job?