Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2004

19-3011 Economists

Conduct research, prepare reports, or formulate plans to aid in solution of economic problems arising from production and distribution of goods and services. May collect and process economic and statistical data using econometric and sampling techniques. Exclude "Market Research Analysts" (19-3021).

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
12,030 3.9 % $38.35 $79,770 1.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $19.73 $25.79 $34.99 $46.27 $62.10
Annual Wage (2) $41,040 $53,650 $72,780 $96,240 $129,170

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Federal government (OES designation) 3,950 $41.11 $85,510
State government (OES designation) 1,810 $25.98 $54,040
Scientific research and development services 1,330 $48.11 $100,070
Management and technical consulting services 1,290 $44.30 $92,150
Local government (OES designation) 790 $27.71 $57,640

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Other financial investment activities 90 $59.21 $123,160
Depository credit intermediation 50 $51.44 $106,990
Securities and commodity contracts brokerage 130 $49.97 $103,930
Scientific research and development services 1,330 $48.11 $100,070
Civic and social organizations (7) $47.51 $98,810

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
District of Columbia 3,310 $45.17 $93,950 0.549%
Alaska 90 $33.48 $69,640 0.031%
Washington 610 $34.93 $72,650 0.024%
Massachusetts 580 $35.63 $74,110 0.019%
Virginia 600 $35.71 $74,270 0.017%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Illinois 310 $46.05 $95,790 0.005%
District of Columbia 3,310 $45.17 $93,950 0.549%
Maryland 360 $41.82 $86,980 0.015%
California 820 $41.82 $86,980 0.006%
New Jersey 130 $41.78 $86,900 0.003%

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV PMSA 3,740 $44.75 $93,080 0.136%
Bryan-College Station, TX MSA 40 $49.70 $103,370 0.053%
Columbia, SC MSA 90 $25.79 $53,640 0.031%
Anchorage, AK MSA 40 $32.96 $68,550 0.029%
Reno, NV MSA 50 $43.17 $89,800 0.025%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon, NJ PMSA 50 $52.60 $109,400 0.008%
Bryan-College Station, TX MSA 40 $49.70 $103,370 0.053%
San Diego, CA MSA (7) $48.15 $100,160 (7)
Chicago, IL PMSA 290 $46.66 $97,040 0.007%
Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV PMSA 3,740 $44.75 $93,080 0.136%

About May 2004 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) Estimates not released.

All Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

May 2004 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2004 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: June 02, 2005