Economists · SOC 19-3011

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Economistss

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas

Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for economists. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked (3 such areas are excluded here). Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Top 25 of 62 metro areas

Economists: metro areas with the highest published median annual wages, May 2025
#	Metro area	Median annual	Employment	Per 1,000 jobs
1	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$176,090	850	0.1
2	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$156,750	4,570	1.5
3	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	$152,730	110	0.1
4	Durham-Chapel Hill, NC	$152,130	120	0.3
5	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$151,510	200	0.0
6	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$142,400	200	0.1
7	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	$139,530	220	0.1
8	Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN	$138,260	30	0.0
9	Jacksonville, FL	$136,990	30	0.0
10	St. Louis, MO-IL	$132,630	90	0.1
11	Ann Arbor, MI	$128,960	50	0.2
12	Kansas City, MO-KS	$128,520	150	0.1
13	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$126,420	200	0.1
14	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	$125,160	130	0.1
15	Salem, OR	$124,190	60	0.3
16	Pittsburgh, PA	$122,980	90	0.1
17	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$122,750	50	0.0
18	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	$122,570	220	0.1
19	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	$122,170	210	0.1
20	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	$122,120	Not published	Not published
21	Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	$121,410	150	0.1
22	Fort Collins-Loveland, CO	$121,410	40	0.2
23	Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN	$120,740	40	0.0
24	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	$118,030	110	0.0
25	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	$117,920	40	0.0

Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Economists overview.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.