Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Job outlook for environmental economists in the United States
Are environmental economist jobs in demand?
Environmental economist job and salary trends over time
Environmental economist jobs over time
Environmental economist job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 39 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 43 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 47 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 46 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 48 | 0.00% |
Average environmental economist salary over time
Environmental economist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $56,531 | $27.18 | +3.2% |
| 2024 | $54,793 | $26.34 | +0.7% |
| 2023 | $54,439 | $26.17 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $53,473 | $25.71 | +1.4% |
| 2021 | $52,722 | $25.35 | +1.9% |
Environmental economist jobs by state
Most common states for environmental economists
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 91 | 13% |
| 2 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 66 | 9% |
| 3 | Alaska | 739,795 | 54 | 7% |
| 4 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 85 | 6% |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 291 | 4% |
| 6 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 289 | 4% |
| 7 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 135 | 4% |
| 8 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 120 | 4% |
| 9 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 77 | 4% |
| 10 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 257 | 3% |
| 11 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 227 | 3% |
| 12 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 191 | 3% |
| 13 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 191 | 3% |
| 14 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 61 | 3% |
| 15 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 47 | 3% |
| 16 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 40 | 3% |
| 17 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 33 | 3% |
| 18 | Vermont | 623,657 | 21 | 3% |
| 19 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 17 | 3% |
| 20 | New York | 19,849,399 | 467 | 2% |
Environmental Economist job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of environmental economist experts
Meredith College
Christopher Newport University
University of Central Arkansas
University of Detroit Mercy
New York University
Indiana University South Bend
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
Susquehanna University
Albright College
University of Nebraska - Omaha
University of Wisconsin--La Crosse
Southern Oregon University
Loyola University New Orleans
Christopher Newport University
What will help Environmental Economists increase their earning potential?
Debbie Evercloud Ph.D.: The interpretation and visualization of data will be paramount. Whether working in the public or private sector, economists will rely on statistical software in addition to tools of AI to recognize empirical patterns and visualization methods such as Tableau to present their findings.
Professor Michael Leeds
Professor of Economics and Director of Undergraduate StudiesWhat Environmental Economist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Professor Michael Leeds: I would turn this on its head and tell them that salary is not everything. Luckily, Econ majors are capable of obtaining jobs that are well-paying and meaningful. That means that our graduates have the chance - and should - strike a balance between the two. I've seen students go for high-paying jobs, only to come back after a few years to tell me how miserable they are. Students should take salary, the alignment of the job with their personal values, and the ability to balance the demands of their job with their personal and family needs. Again, not all majors allow you to do this!
What Environmental Economist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Michael Altman: Understanding the basics of supply and demand is how anyone can maximize their salary potential. Occupations with high demand and few available workers with those needed skills will command higher salaries. The Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook is one reliable source about future job growth by occupation. Graduates can increase their bargaining power with employers by casting a wide net for employment opportunities and gaining more than one job offer.
What will help Environmental Economists increase their earning potential?
Michael Altman: In economics, being able to analyze and visualize data will become an even more valuable skill. A major in economics trains students in the ability to critically think about issues and understand cause and effect relationships. When that insight is coupled with skills in analyzing data, then those are the ingredients for a high paying and satisfying career.
What general advice would you give to an Environmental Economist?
Gyan Pradhan PhD: The need for economic expertise in many areas including business, government, international organizations, banking, healthcare, and the environment is likely to remain strong as the economic landscape continues to shift. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the employment of economists to grow 6 percent from 2022 to 2032, which is higher than the average for all occupations, with about 1,200 vacancies annually over the decade.
What will help Environmental Economists increase their earning potential?
Dr Eugene Pek PhD, FHEA, FCMI, SFwiSDP, .GE, CSDP: 1. There is an increasing demand for data-driven decision making
2. Growing globalization and international trade
3. Technological advancement in the areas of fintech and AI
4. Economic uncertainty and volatility demand economists to monitor economic indicators
5. Sustainability- economists involving in ESG practices and reporting
What Environmental Economist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jeremy Horpedahl: Economics graduates already have some of the highest starting salaries outside of STEM fields, but you can maximize your salary right now by knowing the general range that a job pays and then making sure to ask for a good salary. You have to know the range, so that you aren't asking for a wildly inappropriate number, but if an employer asks you what salary you desire don't say 'I don't know' or ask for something low.
What general advice would you give to an Environmental Economist?
Dr. Anne York: In economics, being able to analyze and visualize data will become an even more valuable skill. A major in economics trains students in the ability to critically think about issues and understand cause and effect relationships. When that insight is coupled with skills in analyzing data, then those are the ingredients for a high paying and satisfying career.
What Environmental Economist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Yu Lin Ph.D.: First and most important of all, follow your passion. If you do what you love, you don't work a day. In that passion, identify and ride on the key trend. Keep learning and keep improving. For instance, data analytic knowledge and skills is gaining a lot of attentions in many if not all industries. This is a key aspect for students interested in studying Economics.
What will help Environmental Economists increase their earning potential?
Yu Lin Ph.D.: There are two skills all graduates should and must have. First is how to make logical decisions. This skill involves critical thinking with ethical sense. When a set of options present themselves, it will be great to know how to choose. Second is data understanding skill. Given the trend of big data, this skill is undoubtedly a must-have. One needs to know how to sift through mountains of data, identify the key information needed, and most importantly, make a data-driven decision.
What Environmental Economist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Hong Zhuang: Economics majors find opportunities in both public and private sectors. In addition to the economic and data analytical skills cultivated through their training, certain key competencies are expected to gain prominence over the next 3-5 years. These include critical thinking skills, effective communication, teamwork, and the capacity to adapt to emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence.
What general advice would you give to an Environmental Economist?
Cody Vaughn: People from economics often have the ability to independently tackle their work and usually the work can be done remotely. This can all be viewed as a pro or con depending on one's preferences. As a whole, one drawback of the discipline is that it lacks diversity among gender, racial, and socioeconomic lines. However, this also presents an opportunity for anyone who can bring a diverse background or viewpoint to a business or institution.
What will help Environmental Economists increase their earning potential?
Cody Vaughn: Data has become cheap, i.e. increasingly available and easy to collect. Firms/organizations/governments/etc. are increasingly using data and the analysis of it to make (or at least inform) their decisions. People with economics backgrounds, particularly those that have training in data preparation, visualization and analysis, complement the increased access to and an abundance of data.
What general advice would you give to an Environmental Economist?
Lyudmyla Ardan: Economics is a very applicable disciple that provides skills and tools that could be applied to a broad range of professions. Economics touches upon many aspects of life, as it teaches you a way of thinking. While many economists work in business and finance, there are ample opportunities for economics graduates in government, heath care, law, international organizations, medicine, non-profits, and more. Also, salaries of economics graduates tend to be higher in comparison to many other majors.
Farhad Saboori Ph.D.
Professor of Economics Albright College Department of Business, Accounting, and EconomicsAlbright College
Accounting And Related Services
What general advice would you give to an Environmental Economist?
Farhad Saboori Ph.D.: Economics as a social science, deals with the study of human beings as individuals and as groups in achieving a stated goal while facing constraints of time and other resources. An important requirement in economics is to understand the nature of the problems we face and gain adequate analytical skills to develop models to provide possible solutions to problems societies face. My advice to students is to clearly understand the issues and to try to come up with possible solution/answers to those problems. An important advice is not to be trapped in one way of thinking and to look at problems from a holistic perspective and not to ignore the human side of issues. It is important to question the validity current viewpoints and models and to try to come up with possibly better solution to problems societies face.
What general advice would you give to an Environmental Economist?
Martha Cruz: Because economics provide a wide range of applications, careers for economists are diverse. An economist could work in the financial sector, private sector in general, government, think thanks, non-for profit organizations....every organization in need of analytical skills with critical thinking and a deep understanding of factors affecting business and the economy need economists.
Depending on the field an economist is working at and for a recent graduate, on a daily basis the person may be contributing to uncovering and processing information, analyzing data and trends, help with forecasts, reviewing literature, provide financial advise, and processing information to make sense of the performance of markets and economies. For instance, an economists in a financial firm can obtain data on the performance of stocks, bonds, futures and exchange rates and use econometric techniques to understand trends and inform colleagues and clients of what may be expected. An economist in a government agency may be helping to collect data to produce national statistics relevant for all such as information for GDP or inflation, or interest rates. As an economists acquires more experience, the job would advance in complexity and degree of responsibility and instead of only providing information and some recommendations, an economist would be entrusted to make decisions and implement them in different areas of economic activity.
What Environmental Economist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Christopher Magee Ph.D.: Employers want to hire people who are creative thinkers and problem-solvers. The Bucknell economics department teaches students both mainstream neoclassical analysis and heterodox approaches to economic issues. So the graduates have traditional analytical skills but they are also trained to think critically about what assumptions we make when we set up the models.
In many fields, such as finance, data analysis and statistical modeling skills have become increasingly important in the past few decades and I would expect that trend to continue. Computer programs run the regressions, however, so the skill that humans bring is the ability to interpret what the statistical results can and cannot tell us.
What soft skills should all Environmental Economists possess?
Dr. Dustin White Ph.D.: All of them! In my experience, students never spend enough time on soft skills. Good writing, good verbal communication, good presentation skills, and the ability to contribute to a team environment are probably the big ones. Make presentations to your peers (universities ALWAYS have opportunities to present your work!), work in teams whenever you can, take writing courses, and be active in discussions inside and outside of class. You can have all the technical skills globally, but you will still be passed over for a job if you can't nail the soft skills.
John Nunley Ph.D.
Chair and ProfessorUniversity of Wisconsin--La Crosse
Department of Economics
What will help Environmental Economists increase their earning potential?
John Nunley Ph.D.: Data has become cheap, i.e. increasingly available and easy to collect. Firms/organizations/governments/etc. are increasingly using data and the analysis of it to make (or at least inform) their decisions. People with economics backgrounds, particularly those that have training in data preparation, visualization and analysis, complement the increased access to and an abundance of data. Also, I think economists possess strong analytical skills that are highly demanded by firms. Routine tasks can now be automated (and maybe some nonroutine ones as well) but we still need humans to weigh the pros and cons of different decisions, propose alternatives, and make complex decisions. Economics majors get lots of training in evaluating alternative scenarios and characterizing the pros and cons of proposed solutions to a problem.
Rattaphon Wuthisatia Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Business and EconomicsSouthern Oregon University
School of Business
What skills stand out on Environmental Economist resumes?
Rattaphon Wuthisatia Ph.D.: Economists generally work in various industries, such as business, government, health, and education, and their primary responsibilities typically revolve around conducting research, collecting and analyzing data, preparing reports, and providing recommendations. Thus, it is important for economics graduates to demonstrate the skill sets essential to research in their resumes to impress prospective employers. These include analytical skills, quantitative skills, critical-thinking skills, communication skills, and a good understanding of economic theory and its applications.
John Levendis
Professor of Business Analytics and EconomicsLoyola University New Orleans
College of Business
How do you envision technology impacting Environmental Economists in the next 5 years?
John Levendis: Economists are very good at understanding data and using them to make forecasts. Technology, however, will impact the ways in which forecasts are made. Yesterday's Excel skills have been supplanted by today's Stata and SAS; these will be supplanted by tomorrow's Python and R. To stay current, economics students should get a good grounding in statistical programming.
What soft skills should all Environmental Economists possess?
Zhaochen He Ph.D.: In terms of which skills are most important, have a look at this chart, which was featured on this Website , and based on this paper. According to the chart, "maturity" is the single highest ranking soft skill. Interestingly, but not wholly unsurprising, especially for recent college graduates.