Economics Degree Jobs: What You Can Actually Do With an Econ Degree

TL;DR

• Economics degree jobs cover finance, consulting, tech, government, and data analytics. Your quantitative and analytical skills are in demand across almost every industry.

• This guide breaks down 12+ career paths with real salary ranges, the skills employers care about most, and how economics stacks up against finance as a degree.

• You don't need a master's to get started. Roles like financial analyst, data analyst, and market research analyst are open to anyone with a bachelor's and the right experience.

• Build resume-ready experience now through an Externship to turn your coursework into something employers can actually see.

What Can You Actually Do With an Economics Degree?

Economics degree jobs go way beyond "becoming an economist." An economics degree teaches you how individuals, firms, and governments allocate scarce resources. Along the way, you pick up skills in data analysis, statistical modeling, and policy evaluation that work across dozens of industries.

Here's the thing that makes economics different from most liberal arts degrees: the quantitative backbone. You're not just learning to think critically and write clearly (though you're doing both). You're building models, running regressions, and testing hypotheses with real data. That mix of analytical rigor and big-picture thinking? Finance, consulting, tech, and government all want it.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 8% growth for economist roles through 2032, which is faster than the national average. But that number only captures a small slice of where econ grads end up. Most never hold the title "economist." They're working as financial analysts, data analysts, consultants, product managers, and policy researchers. Your professors probably never mentioned half these paths in lecture.

An economics degree won't hand you a single obvious job title the way accounting or nursing does. What it gives you is a toolkit: quantitative reasoning, causal thinking, comfort with messy data. That toolkit is valued almost everywhere. The challenge is learning how to translate it into language a hiring manager actually cares about.

What Skills Do Econ Majors Bring That Employers Want?

Quantitative Analysis and Data Literacy

This is the skill that separates economics from the rest of the liberal arts. Econometrics teaches you regression analysis, hypothesis testing, and statistical inference. Those are the same methods data analysts and financial analysts use daily. You've been cleaning datasets, running models, and interpreting coefficients since junior year. Most liberal arts grads can't say that.

NACE's Job Outlook survey consistently shows problem-solving and analytical thinking as the two most valued competencies among employers. Four years of economics coursework is four years of practicing both.

The gap between your classroom and a job offer is often just the tooling. Pair your statistical foundation with SQL, Python, R, or Tableau and you're competitive for data analyst, business intelligence, and financial modeling roles right away.

Economic Modeling and Forecasting

You've spent semesters building supply-and-demand models, calculating equilibria, and running simulations. In business terms, that's market sizing, demand forecasting, pricing optimization, and scenario planning. Consulting firms, corporate strategy teams, and product organizations pay well for exactly this.

Modeling also trains you to think in systems. You learn how one variable moves another, how feedback loops compound, how good intentions create unintended consequences. That systems thinking is the backbone of strategic analysis, whether you're projecting revenue for a startup or scoring the fiscal impact of a tax proposal.

Communication and Policy Writing

Economics isn't only numbers. You've written policy briefs, presented research findings, and turned complex models into language normal people can follow. Being able to package quantitative analysis into clear, actionable recommendations is what separates "analyst" from "advisor."

Consulting firms, think tanks, and government agencies hire specifically for this. They need people who can take data-heavy results and make them useful to decision-makers who don't speak statistics. Your econ degree trained you to do that.

What Are the Most Common Economics Degree Jobs?

Financial Analyst

Financial analysts evaluate investments, build financial models, and advise organizations on where to put their money. This is the most common first step for economics majors, and the skills overlap is obvious.

You'll use DCF analysis, ratio analysis, and market research daily. Entry-level pay usually falls between $60,000 and $75,000. The BLS reports a median of $99,890 across all experience levels. Growth is projected at 8% through 2032.

These roles exist at investment banks, asset managers, corporate finance teams, insurance companies, and startups. You're not locked into Wall Street (though that's an option too).

Want to build financial modeling skills before applying? An Externship in e-commerce data analysis or business strategy gives you portfolio-ready deliverables that make your resume stand out.

Data Analyst / Business Intelligence Analyst

Data analysis is the fastest-growing career path for economics graduates right now. Your econometrics background gives you a real head start. You already know how to frame a question, pick the right statistical test, and interpret results carefully. Most candidates from other majors are learning that from scratch.

Entry-level salaries sit between $55,000 and $75,000, climbing past $85,000 at mid-career. The BLS projects 36% growth for data scientist and analyst roles, making this one of the fastest-growing job categories in the economy.

What separates a solid data analyst from a great one isn't technical chops alone. It's the ability to ask the right questions and turn numbers into a story someone can act on. Economics teaches you both. Pick up SQL, Python, and Tableau or Power BI, and you have a strong package.

Management Consultant / Strategy Analyst

Consulting is where economic thinking gets its clearest spotlight. You structure messy problems, quantify trade-offs, build frameworks, and present recommendations to executives who need answers fast. The work is intense, the learning curve is steep, and the pay reflects it.

Entry-level salaries at McKinsey, BCG, Bain, and Big 4 advisory practices range from $70,000 to $100,000+ with signing bonuses. Boutique firms typically pay a bit less but give you responsibility faster.

Economics majors get specifically recruited for consulting because the degree teaches you to reason about incentives, trade-offs, and second-order effects. If you haven't done a consulting internship yet, a project-based Externship in strategy can fill that gap credibly.

Market Research Analyst

Market research analysts study consumer behavior, pricing patterns, and competitive landscapes to help businesses make smarter decisions. Think of it as applied microeconomics with a marketing budget.

The BLS projects 13% growth for these roles through 2032. Entry-level pay ranges from $50,000 to $65,000, with mid-career salaries reaching $75,000 to $95,000 depending on industry.

If you liked consumer theory, game theory, or behavioral economics, this is a natural fit. You'll design surveys, dig into purchase data, and present findings to product and marketing teams.

Policy Analyst / Government Economist

Government is a direct pipeline for economics graduates. Federal agencies like the Federal Reserve, Treasury Department, Congressional Budget Office, and Bureau of Labor Statistics actively recruit econ majors. So do state agencies, think tanks (Brookings, RAND, Urban Institute), and international organizations (World Bank, IMF).

Pay varies a lot: $50,000 to $70,000 at entry level in government, with senior policy economists and Fed researchers earning $90,000 to $150,000+. The trade-off is usually lower starting pay in exchange for stability, strong benefits, and work that matters.

The BLS projects 8% growth for economists specifically, and most of those openings are in government and research. If macro policy, public finance, or social programs interest you, this path lets you use your degree exactly as advertised.

Actuary

Actuaries apply math, statistics, and economic theory to measure financial risk, mostly in insurance, pensions, and healthcare. If your econ coursework leaned heavily into probability and math, actuarial science is a genuinely high-ceiling option.

The catch is a series of professional exams from the Society of Actuaries or Casualty Actuarial Society. Most people pass the first one or two before graduation and keep testing while they work. Employers generally give you study time and bonuses for passing.

The payoff? The BLS reports a median salary of $113,990 for actuaries, with entry-level starting between $60,000 and $80,000 depending on exams passed. Growth is projected at 23% through 2032.

Investment Banking Analyst

Investment banking is the highest-ceiling entry path for econ grads who want finance. IB analysts build financial models, prepare pitch books, run due diligence on mergers and acquisitions, and work directly with senior bankers on live deals.

First-year base salaries at bulge bracket banks (Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley) run $85,000 to $110,000. Year-end bonuses can add 50% to 100% on top. The hours are brutal, 70 to 80+ per week, and recruiting is intensely competitive.

Economics gives you the macro framework and modeling mindset IB needs. But getting in usually requires on-campus recruiting at a target school, a strong network, or proven finance experience. If you missed the traditional recruiting window, building financial modeling skills through Externships or independent projects can strengthen your shot at off-cycle roles.

Underwriter / Risk Analyst

Underwriters and risk analysts evaluate insurance policies, loans, and other financial products by measuring the probability and cost of potential losses. It's a quieter path than consulting or banking, but the work is genuinely engaging and the market is stable.

Entry pay runs $50,000 to $65,000, with experienced underwriters earning $75,000 to $100,000+. The role draws directly on economics training: probability, risk assessment, statistical modeling, decision-making under uncertainty.

If you prefer structured analytical work with reasonable hours and clear career progression, this path deserves more attention than it gets from econ students.

Product Manager (Tech)

Product management is becoming a popular path for economics graduates, especially in tech. PMs decide what to build, how to price it, and how to measure whether it's working. All of that benefits from economic thinking.

You'll use marginal analysis, opportunity cost, market sizing, pricing theory, and A/B testing regularly. Entry-level APM salaries range from $80,000 to $100,000 at tech companies. Mid-career PMs at top firms earn $120,000 to $180,000+.

The econ-to-PM pipeline is less established than econ-to-finance, so you'll need to show product sense alongside your analytical skills. Building a portfolio through product-focused Externships, hackathons, or side projects is one of the fastest ways to prove you can do the work.

Human Resources / People Analytics

People analytics applies economic and statistical methods to workforce decisions: compensation benchmarking, retention modeling, hiring funnel optimization, engagement analysis. If labor economics or industrial organization was your thing, this is a direct application.

Entry-level HR analyst or people analytics roles pay $50,000 to $65,000. At mid-career in tech, people analytics professionals earn $90,000 to $120,000+. The field is growing quickly as companies invest in data-driven HR decisions.

The typical path starts in a generalist HR coordinator role and specializes from there. An Externship in people analytics or operational strategy can help you skip that generalist phase by proving your analytical skills upfront.

Real Estate Analyst

Real estate analysts evaluate property investments, market conditions, and financial feasibility for developers, REITs, private equity firms, and commercial brokerages. If you took urban economics, public finance, or financial economics, this is a logical extension.

Entry-level salaries range from $55,000 to $70,000. Mid-career analysts at established firms earn $85,000 to $120,000+. The work involves building pro forma models, running market comparables, and advising on investment decisions.

Real estate is one of those industries where your economics training is visibly relevant. You're analyzing markets, pricing, supply and demand, and investment risk. It's also an industry where relationships matter, so start building your network through campus clubs, industry events, and alumni outreach.

Supply Chain / Operations Analyst

Supply chain and operations analysts optimize logistics, inventory management, and production using quantitative modeling. Honestly, it's applied microeconomics in one of its purest forms. Minimize costs, maximize efficiency, solve allocation problems.

Entry pay sits between $55,000 and $70,000, with mid-career salaries reaching $80,000 to $100,000+. Post-pandemic supply chain disruptions have kept demand elevated, and the BLS projects continued strong growth.

If optimization problems, game theory, or operations research made your coursework click, supply chain is a sector where those skills translate directly into job responsibilities.

What Are the Highest Paying Economics Degree Jobs?

The economics degree jobs with the biggest paychecks tend to reward quantitative depth and industry specialization. Here's how they compare:

Location matters. New York, San Francisco, D.C., and Chicago typically pay 15% to 30% above the national median for most of these roles.

The pattern worth noticing: the highest ceilings go to roles that pair economics skills with either technical tools (data science, financial modeling) or client-facing work (consulting, banking).

Economics vs. Finance Degree: Which Is Better for Jobs?

Short answer: it depends on what you want to do. They're related but genuinely different.

Economics gives you a broader analytical base. You learn to think about markets, incentives, and policy at a systems level. The trade-off: you'll probably need to pick up some industry-specific tools (financial modeling software, SQL) through experience or self-study.

Finance gives you more plug-and-play technical skills from day one. Accounting, valuation, financial reporting. These map directly to entry-level finance jobs. The trade-off: less flexibility if you change your mind later.

Business economics splits the difference. It's a hybrid major at many universities that mixes econ coursework with business electives in marketing, management, or accounting. If your school offers it, it's a solid middle path.

Neither is objectively better. Economics works best if you want versatility, multiple open doors, or a path into policy, tech, or consulting. Finance works best if you already know you want corporate finance, banking, or accounting and want to be job-ready on graduation day.

Is an Economics Degree Worth It?

Yes, and the data is pretty clear on this. An economics degree is one of the stronger undergraduate investments you can make, both for earnings and career flexibility.

• BLS median for economists: $115,440 (though most economist titles require a master's or PhD)

• Bachelor's-level roles: $60,000 to $90,000 at entry, competitive with business and STEM by mid-career

• Georgetown CEW data: Economics bachelor's holders earn a median of $76,000 at mid-career, ranking in the top 15% of all undergraduate majors

• PayScale data: Mid-career economics graduates average $80,000 to $90,000, with top earners in finance and tech clearing $150,000

The versatility angle is real. Economics graduates work in finance, consulting, tech, government, healthcare, real estate, and nonprofits. If one sector contracts, your skills transfer to another. That kind of career optionality has genuine economic value. An economist would appreciate the irony.

The honest part: an economics degree by itself won't land you a specific title the way nursing or accounting will. You need to pair it with applied skills (data tools, financial modeling, industry knowledge) and proof you can do the work. That's where Externships come in. They give you company-endorsed project deliverables and professional mentorship that close the gap between "I studied economics" and "here's what I built."

How to Get Hired With an Economics Degree

Turn Your Coursework Into Language Employers Recognize

Most econ graduates undersell themselves because they describe their skills in academic terms. "I took Econometrics" means nothing to a recruiter. "I built regression models to measure the impact of policy changes on regional employment" means everything.

Here's how to translate:

Update your resume and LinkedIn to use these translated terms. Mirror the language from actual job descriptions. That's how you get past both ATS filters and human screeners.

Build Quantitative Proof With Real Projects

"Economics, B.A." on your diploma tells employers what you studied. It doesn't show what you can do. The candidates who land offers fastest are the ones who can point to actual work.

Aim for a portfolio with 2-3 of these:

• A financial model (DCF, scenario analysis, or pro forma)

• A data analysis project with clear visualizations (SQL + Tableau or Python)

• A policy brief or market analysis memo

• An Externship deliverable from a real company project

Externships work especially well here because you get company-endorsed projects with professional mentorship. Deliverables that carry the weight of a real organization on your resume. For economics students, project-based learning in data analytics, business strategy, or e-commerce gives you the proof employers actually want to see.

Target Industries Actively Hiring Economics Majors

Companies in almost every sector hire econ graduates, but some industries are more concentrated. Focus here:

• Banking and Financial Services: Commercial banks, investment banks, asset managers, insurance companies

• Consulting: Big 4 advisory (Deloitte, PwC, EY, KPMG), strategy firms, boutique consultancies

• Technology: Product management, data analytics, business operations at SaaS and tech firms

• Government: Federal agencies (Fed, Treasury, CBO, BLS), state agencies, think tanks

• Insurance: Actuarial, underwriting, risk management

• Healthcare: Health economics, pharmaceutical market access, benefits consulting

• Real Estate: Commercial brokerage, REITs, development firms

Don't limit yourself to the big names. Mid-size companies, startups, and government agencies tend to be more accessible and often offer faster career progression. LinkedIn, Handshake, and industry-specific job boards are your best tools for finding the right match.

How to Start Your Economics Career Path Today

Pick 1-2 Target Industries and Research What They Actually Want

The biggest mistake econ graduates make is applying everywhere with one generic resume. Pick one or two industries from the career paths above. Then pull up 10 to 15 job descriptions for entry-level roles in those areas and look for patterns:

• What technical skills show up repeatedly? (SQL, Excel, Python, financial modeling)

• What soft skills do they highlight? (Communication, problem-solving, teamwork)

• What experience do they prefer? (Internships, projects, certifications)

Use those patterns to build a prep plan. If every data analyst posting requires SQL and Tableau, dedicate the next month to learning both. If consulting roles keep asking for case experience, start practicing frameworks now.

Build Experience Before Graduation

The single most effective thing you can do is get real professional experience before your job search starts. Here are your best options:

• An Externship. Remote, flexible, and project-based. You work on real deliverables for real companies with guided support from an extern manager. This is the fastest path to resume-ready experience without committing to a rigid summer schedule.

• A research assistant position. Work with a professor on economic research. You'll build skills in Stata or R, get comfortable with data, and develop academic writing experience.

• Campus economics clubs or consulting groups. Many schools have student-run consulting teams, investment clubs, or economics societies that give you practical experience and something concrete to talk about in interviews.

• Case competitions. Consulting and business case competitions let you practice structured problem-solving and present to professionals from real companies.

Every week you put off building experience is a week someone else is pulling ahead. Choose one option and start this week.

FAQ

What is the highest-paying job for economics majors?

Actuaries earn a median of $113,990 (BLS), and investment banking analysts start at $85,000 to $110,000 base plus bonus. At mid-career, management consultants and data scientists with economics backgrounds regularly earn $120,000 to $180,000+. Your ceiling depends on whether you stay technical or move into management.

Can you get a good job with just a bachelor's in economics?

Yes. Financial analyst, data analyst, market research analyst, underwriter, and policy research assistant are all open with a bachelor's degree and relevant experience. A master's unlocks economist titles and senior research positions, but most economics degree jobs in this guide only need a BA or BS.

Is economics a good major in 2026?

Economics is one of the most versatile undergraduate degrees you can choose. The BLS projects 8% growth for economist roles through 2032. The quantitative skills transfer to finance, tech, consulting, and government. Mid-career earnings for economics graduates are competitive with business and STEM majors, making it a strong long-term investment.

What's the difference between an economics degree and a finance degree?

Economics studies how markets, governments, and people allocate resources, building skills in modeling, data analysis, and policy evaluation. Finance focuses on managing money: financial reporting, investment analysis, corporate finance. Economics is broader and more analytical. Finance is more applied and vocational. Neither is objectively better. It depends on where you want to end up.

How do economics majors compete with finance or business majors for jobs?

Lead with your quantitative skills: econometrics, statistical modeling, data analysis. Build a portfolio of real-world projects through Externships to show applied ability. Then target roles where economic reasoning is the actual differentiator: consulting, policy, product management, market research. Employers in those fields value the systems-level thinking that an economics education builds.