Job Outlook for Economics Degree Graduates
Those with an economics degree are very well paid compared to nearly any other field. According to Lightcast, a source of national advertised job postings, economics majors can expect a higher median entry salary than any other business field. Moreover, the wages are competitive with the most attractive majors to employers.
| Business Field | Bachelor's & ≤2 yrs experience | Bachelor's & 3-6 yrs experience | Bachelor's & ≥10 yrs experience |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics |
$102,700 |
$150,300 |
$207,400 |
|
Economics (General) |
87,400 |
124,300 |
192,300 |
|
Finance |
76,700 |
106,900 |
175,900 |
|
Accounting |
76,700 |
101,200 |
172,800 |
|
Marketing/Management, General |
66,900 |
101,200 |
177,900 |
|
Business Administration and Management, General |
72,100 |
106,900 |
178,000 |
| Lightcast Q3 2026 Data Set (national). Includes only job postings with published salary data from August 2025 - July 2026. Our BS Economics degree has the CIP code of a Econometrics and Quantitative Economics degree. | |||
Economics degree holders exhibit substantial wage growth over the first ten years of their work life, doubling their entry pay. This growth is reflected in lifetime earnings.
The Hamilton Project examined lifetime earnings based on data collected by the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey). According to this study, the full-time median lifetime earnings of an economics majors ($1.78 million; all lifetime earnings in 2014 dollars) are more than finance majors ($1.73 million), or accounting majors ($1.59 million); lifetime earnings are substantially more than marketing majors ($1.50 million), or management majors ($1.42 million).
When including those with graduate degrees, the median lifetime earnings of an economics major is $2.09 million; the median lifetime earnings from a computer science degree is $1.94 million. As versatile problem solvers, economics majors can help any organization perform research on their customers, supply chain, internal organization, and nearly any other aspect of their business. As a result, they are well compensated.
| Other High Demand Degrees | Bachelor's & ≤2 yrs experience | Bachelor's & 3-6 yrs experience | Bachelor's & ≥10 yrs experience |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Computer Science |
$101,800 |
$132,000 |
$182,000 |
|
MIS |
90,000 |
122,200 |
171,800 |
|
Math |
95,100 |
125,300 |
187,100 |
| Lightcast Q3 2026 Data Set (national). Includes only job postings with published salary data from August 2025 - July 2026. | |||
Those wishing to pursue a graduate degree extend their marketability further. National Lightcase job posting data shows that jobs requiring economics and analytics/data science skills (as is offered by our Applied Master's in Economics program) outearn positions requiring just economics or just analytics/data science skills. Our department offers a FastTrack program to help well-qualified candidates earn a master’s degree in one additional yearof study.
Beyond compensation, economics allows you to pursue interesting jobs and switch industries throughout your career. Because economics is a method of inquiry it can be applied in varying contexts. A graduate might work in the transportation industry for a number of years, then switch to work in the wine industry. All without having to pursue further study.
Undergrad Economics Program Graduate Economics Program