Highest-paying Cities for Economists

The top 100 highest paying cities for economists (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of economists in those cities are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with a annual salary of $172,980, Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut is the highest paying city for economists. It is followed by Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Washington (average annual salary $163,830). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of economists in a specific city, use the links in the table.

Table 1. 100 Highest-paying cities/areas for Economists

Rank	City/Area	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut	$172,980	$80,330	30
2	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Washington	$163,830	$79,630	240
3	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California	$150,680	$77,290	70
4	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, California	$139,730	$76,170	280
5	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, District of Columbia	$138,840	$80,040	5,190
6	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, California	$137,820	$66,440	490
7	Chicago-Joliet-Naperville (IL-IN-WI Area), Illinois	$134,940	$63,820	530
8	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, California	$134,150	$60,260	400
9	New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, New York	$134,140	$31,280	840
10	Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Maryland	$131,040	$84,930	160
11	Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas	$130,860	$82,690	110
12	Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Massachusetts	$130,160	$80,450	550
13	Northwestern Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Oklahoma	$126,040	$95,560	40
14	San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, California	$122,410	$61,630	80
15	New York-White Plains-Wayne, New York	$121,140	$57,650	410
16	Louisville-Jefferson County, Kentucky	$121,050	$108,680	n/a
17	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, West Virginia	$117,840	$65,750	9,240
18	Ogden-Clearfield, Utah	$117,300	$105,130	n/a
19	East Idaho nonmetropolitan area, Idaho	$117,150	$91,560	n/a
20	Baltimore-Towson, Maryland	$116,770	$61,940	180
21	Bakersfield-Delano, California	$116,300	$52,660	n/a
22	New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, Louisiana	$113,210	$75,840	30
23	San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, California	$113,050	$69,900	270
24	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pennsylvania	$112,720	$61,890	220
25	New Haven, Connecticut	$112,230	$77,980	n/a
26	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Florida	$109,910	$74,950	50
27	Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Massachusetts	$108,510	$64,010	990
28	Urban Honolulu, Hawaii	$106,890	$75,810	40
29	Southwestern Montana nonmetropolitan area, Montana	$105,510	$81,000	70
30	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Georgia	$105,080	$66,170	350
31	Kansas City, Missouri	$104,480	$69,280	210
32	Columbus, Ohio	$104,330	$71,090	50
33	St Louis, Missouri	$104,050	$56,250	50
34	Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, Colorado	$104,020	$62,870	170
35	Ann Arbor, Michigan	$103,930	$62,470	100
36	Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, Ohio	$103,280	$70,120	50
37	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington	$102,960	$79,980	220
38	Alaska nonmetropolitan area, Alaska	$102,960	$59,870	50
39	Kalamazoo-Portage, Michigan	$102,940	$52,620	n/a
40	Fort Collins-Loveland, Colorado	$102,290	$63,130	30
41	Cincinnati-Middletown, Ohio	$102,250	$64,000	40
42	Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Florida	$102,120	$68,410	n/a
43	Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas	$101,920	$70,920	380
44	Chicago-Joliet-Naperville (IL Metropolitan Division), Illinois	$101,700	$65,000	280
45	Boise City-Nampa, Idaho	$101,700	$71,320	30
46	Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington, Wisconsin	$101,500	$66,880	160
47	Richmond, Virginia	$101,230	$62,130	90
48	Salem, Oregon	$100,710	$75,670	50
49	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	$100,060	$57,020	70
50	Anchorage, Alaska	$99,410	$59,990	50
51	Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Michigan	$99,260	$63,270	160
52	Rochester, New York	$99,180	$60,790	n/a
53	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, California	$99,060	$49,340	550
54	Indianapolis-Carmel, Indiana	$98,430	$74,950	80
55	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, California	$97,320	$54,800	50
56	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas	$97,280	$59,180	160
57	Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, Connecticut	$97,040	$67,700	130
58	Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas	$96,950	$56,630	30
59	Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Washington	$96,620	$63,930	200
60	Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, Arizona	$96,460	$59,290	110
61	Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, California	$95,480	$19,400	390
62	West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area, Ohio	$93,820	$84,060	n/a
63	Olympia, Washington	$93,120	$70,950	150
64	Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Michigan	$92,840	$67,010	30
65	Buffalo-Niagara Falls, New York	$91,190	$60,280	40
66	Syracuse, New York	$91,060	$54,780	40
67	Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, California	$90,790	$62,110	220
68	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	$89,520	$47,910	210
69	Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Texas	$89,400	$50,540	80
70	Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, South Carolina	$89,140	$47,410	30
71	Edison-New Brunswick, New Jersey	$88,220	$44,400	n/a
72	Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Virginia	$88,030	$58,760	40
73	Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina	$87,900	$52,080	100
74	San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas	$85,350	$62,360	40
75	Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida	$84,120	$54,720	80
76	Tampa-St Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida	$84,030	$65,430	70
77	Lansing-East Lansing, Michigan	$82,710	$61,240	60
78	Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, California	$82,320	$46,040	110
79	Las Vegas-Paradise, Nevada	$82,220	$50,730	30
80	Raleigh-Cary, North Carolina	$82,060	$64,290	80
81	Harrisburg-Carlisle, Pennsylvania	$81,680	$50,140	150
82	Albany-Schenectady-Troy, New York	$80,520	$63,190	60
83	Columbia, South Carolina	$80,000	$36,900	50
84	Jacksonville, Florida	$79,990	$66,790	30
85	Southeast Alaska nonmetropolitan area, Alaska	$79,610	$63,690	40
86	Boulder, Colorado	$79,570	$64,050	40
87	Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky	$78,210	$52,980	40
88	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, Tennessee	$78,000	$78,000	40
89	Trenton-Ewing, New Jersey	$76,870	$52,000	100
90	Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area, Vermont	$75,020	$58,250	30
91	Burlington-South Burlington, Vermont	$75,010	$26,760	40
92	Cheyenne, Wyoming	$74,990	$55,290	40
93	Albuquerque, New Mexico	$74,650	$56,120	40
94	Salt Lake City, Utah	$74,140	$50,590	40
95	Des Moines-West Des Moines, Iowa	$73,970	$62,430	30
96	Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, California	$73,840	$56,250	50
97	Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area, Vermont	$72,260	$45,670	30
98	Madison, Wisconsin	$70,370	$47,840	120
99	Honolulu, Hawaii	$70,300	$43,220	30
100	Tulsa, Oklahoma	$68,330	$47,110	40

See also: 💰 Highest paying industries for economists.