How to hire an environmental economist

How to hire an environmental economist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step environmental economist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an environmental economist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new environmental economist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The environmental economist hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An environmental economist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, environmental economists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of environmental economists and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Environmental Economist	Description	Hourly rate
   Environmental Economist	Economists study the production and distribution of resources, goods, and services by collecting and analyzing data, researching trends, and evaluating economic issues.	$12-61
   Economic Development Internship	An economic development intern is responsible for supporting an organization's market performance, analyzing trends in the industry, and strategizing techniques to improve business services. Economic development interns perform administrative duties under the supervision of tenured staff and managers... Show more	$12-25
   Economic Developer	While a development specialist works on creating plans for community development, the economic developer helps implement the development strategies set forth by specialists. They help in the distribution of survey questionnaires and the collection of data, as well as the interpretation of results... Show more	$17-33

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Macro

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage, utilize, and archive database for commodities in assign areas.
   • Develop, specify, and test econometric models using time-series econometrics, panel-data econometrics, and limit dependent variable techniques.
   • Utilize a combination of SQL querying and qualitative research to investigate results gain from statistical analyses.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your environmental economist job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An environmental economist salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, environmental economists' average salary in wyoming is 70% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level environmental economists earn 80% less than senior-level environmental economists.
   • Certifications. An environmental economist with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an environmental economist's salary.

   Average environmental economist salary

   $56,531yearly

   $27.18 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level environmental economist salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average environmental economist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$80,452	$39
   2	New York	$73,625	$35
   3	Virginia	$73,437	$35
   4	Massachusetts	$69,342	$33
   5	California	$62,902	$30
   6	Texas	$52,260	$25
   7	Minnesota	$51,279	$25
   8	North Carolina	$45,563	$22
   9	Louisiana	$43,276	$21
   10	Florida	$36,271	$17
   11	Tennessee	$30,430	$15

   Average environmental economist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Alpha Consulting	$106,700	$51.30
   2	Data	$106,689	$51.29
   3	Abt Associates	$99,400	$47.79
   4	ERG	$96,937	$46.60	3
   5	Conservation Strategy Fund	$95,219	$45.78
   6	Oak Ridge National Laboratory	$93,920	$45.15
   7	Stantec	$81,445	$39.16	228
   8	Woods Hole Research Center	$79,725	$38.33
   9	Energy & Environmental Investments	$55,724	$26.79
   10	AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah	$52,693	$25.33
   11	Energy Inc.	$36,771	$17.68

4. Writing an environmental economist job description

   A good environmental economist job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an environmental economist job description:

   Environmental economist job description example

   Grounded in safety, quality, and ethics, our experts lead their fields and guide our work with rigor, a creative spirit, and vision for growth. We draw from more than 20 technical specialties around the globe and are committed to fostering an inclusive community of diverse talents, backgrounds, and expertise. We're a place to apply your passion and collaborate with top environmental talents on work that's critical to our clients and the communities they support. Join a team that has the environment down to a science.
   **Your Opportunity**
   
   An opportunity exists for highly motivated, personable, and organized Senior Environmental Economist to further advance and grow our Economic Practice. The successful candidate will provide strategic leadership to our clients and collaborate with our staff and leadership on a variety of economic initiatives throughout the US to develop and actively pursue new markets while maintaining existing client relationships. This position could be based out of any Stantec office where enviornmental services is located.
   
   **Your Key Responsibilities**
   
   + Provide technical leadership on projects and thought leadership on solutions to economics, natural resource, and environmental challenges
   
   + Lead business development initiatives with new and existing clients
   
   + Lead the delivery of high-quality service on client projects
   
   + Effectively communicating economic analysis methods and results to varied audiences that include clients, regulators, and the public
   
   + Mentor and support the professional development of staff
   
   + Expert Witness Testimony
   
   **Qualifications**
   
   **Your Capabilities and Credentials**
   
   + Experience as an Expert Witness in litigation matters.
   
   + Demonstrated ability to successfully lead diverse project teams and manage large complex projects
   
   + Experience quantifying economic benefits and costs resulting from projects and polices
   
   + Demonstrated ability to apply economic analysis to a wide variety of environmental and natural resource management issues
   
   + Experience with benefit cost analysis, ecosystem service valuation, natural resource damage assessment (NRDA), and economic impact assessment
   
   + Demonstrated ability to build and lead teams, and successfully interact with clients, counsel, and stakeholders
   
   **Desired Qualifications:**
   
   + Strong business and client orientation
   
   + Excellent interpersonal skills, as the candidate will work closely with clients and other employees
   
   + Extensive experience in NRDA for contaminated sites and/or oil spills
   
   + Ability to simultaneously work on and manage multiple tasks and projects with tight deadlines
   
   + Ability to work well independently and with multi-disciplinary teams in a fast-paced environment
   
   + Coursework in business, finance, planning, and environmental sciences
   
   + Bilingual capabilities (Spanish) is a plus
   
   **Education and Experience**
   
   + Graduate degree in resource or agricultural economics. Ph.D. in Economics Preferred
   
   + A minimum of 15 years of professional experience and a minimum of 10 years professional consulting experience
   
   _This description is not a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that may be required of the employee and other duties, responsibilities and activities may be assigned or may be changed at any time with or without notice._
   
   Stantec is a place where the best and brightest come to build on each other's talents, do exciting work, and make an impact on the world around us. Join us and redefine your personal best.
   
   **Primary Location** : United States-Maine-Topsham
   
   **Other Locations** : United States
   
   **Job** : Social Scientist
   
   **Organization** : BC-1956 Environmental Services-US Northeast
   
   **Employee Status** : Regular
   
   **Job Level** : Individual Contributor
   
   **Travel** : Yes, 10 % of the Time
   
   **Schedule** : Full-time
   
   **Job Posting** : Mar 24, 2022, 8:20:47 AM
   
   
   Stantec provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for future and current employment and prohibit discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. We prohibit discrimination in decisions concerning recruitment, hiring, referral, promotion, compensation, fringe benefits, job training, terminations or any other condition of employment. Stantec is in compliance with local, state and federal laws and regulations and ensures equitable opportunities in all aspects of employment. EEO including Disability/Protected Veterans

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find environmental economists for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your environmental economist job on Zippia to find and recruit environmental economist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with environmental economist candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new environmental economist

   Once you have selected a candidate for the environmental economist position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new environmental economist first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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