DOL Filings vs BLS Survey
What Employers File with DOL
This figure comes from 9,206 employer filings with the US Department of Labor under legal obligation. Employers file this salary when sponsoring workers for PERM green cards or H-1B visas.
What BLS Says the Market Pays
This figure comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey of 15,880 establishments. This is an independent survey-based estimate of what all workers in this occupation earn.
Salary Distribution
Top Paying Employers for Economists
Ranked by median salary from DOL filingsSalary by Metro Area
| Metro Area | Median | vs National | Filings | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLEVELAND, OH | $160,000 | +61.5% | 16 | 5 |
| South San Francisco, CA | $151,558 | +52.9% | 10 | 4 |
| San Mateo, CA | $149,975 | +51.3% | 14 | 11 |
| DALLAS, TX | $142,300 | +43.6% | 20 | 5 |
| New York, NE | $136,000 | +37.2% | 261 | 123 |
| SANTA MONICA, CA | $132,950 | +34.2% | 20 | 10 |
| Mountain View, CA | $130,000 | +31.2% | 19 | 10 |
| Redwood City, CA | $130,000 | +31.2% | 11 | 9 |
| Foster City, CA | $129,106 | +30.3% | 10 | 3 |
| Denver, CO | $126,491 | +27.6% | 24 | 10 |
| Menlo Park, CA | $125,000 | +26.1% | 173 | 13 |
| NORTH CHICAGO, IL | $125,000 | +26.1% | 13 | 1 |
| rosemead, CA | $120,028 | +21.1% | 12 | 2 |
| Thousand Oaks, CA | $120,000 | +21.1% | 23 | 1 |
| Emeryville, CA | $120,000 | +21.1% | 18 | 4 |
| New York, NY | $120,000 | +21.1% | 752 | 238 |
| San Diego, CA | $119,001 | +20.1% | 21 | 14 |
| San Jose, CA | $119,000 | +20.1% | 15 | 9 |
| Oakland, CA | $115,375 | +16.4% | 36 | 17 |
| Charlotte, NC | $115,000 | +16% | 20 | 7 |
| Columbia, MD | $115,000 | +16% | 19 | 1 |
| White Plains, NY | $115,000 | +16% | 21 | 4 |
| Houston, TX | $113,805 | +14.8% | 94 | 49 |
| Palo Alto, CA | $113,110 | +14.1% | 21 | 13 |
| Detroit, MI | $112,475 | +13.5% | 14 | 3 |
| Sunnyvale, CA | $111,592 | +12.6% | 15 | 9 |
| Seattle, WA | $110,500 | +11.5% | 178 | 28 |
| San Francisco, CA | $110,000 | +11% | 341 | 109 |
| Washington, DC | $109,866 | +10.9% | 474 | 105 |
| Arlington, VA | $107,500 | +8.5% | 30 | 13 |
Salary by State
| State | Median | vs National | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | $122,700 | +84% | 319 |
| Rhode Island | $121,500 | N/A | 4 |
| Washington | $110,500 | -5.1% | 198 |
| New York | $110,000 | -22.7% | 844 |
| Oregon | $109,200 | -2.2% | 11 |
| District of Columbia | $106,820 | -34.3% | 494 |
| California | $105,000 | +4.5% | 1,151 |
| Texas | $104,000 | -2.1% | 291 |
| Maryland | $101,750 | -26.1% | 56 |
| Connecticut | $101,250 | -1.9% | 30 |
| Virginia | $100,000 | -32.4% | 353 |
| Colorado | $100,000 | -10.4% | 51 |
| New Jersey | $100,000 | -2.3% | 86 |
| Ohio | $93,912 | -20.2% | 39 |
| Delaware | $90,650 | N/A | 28 |
| Massachusetts | $90,000 | -12.8% | 682 |
| Michigan | $90,000 | -5.1% | 95 |
| Illinois | $85,500 | -24.2% | 359 |
| North Carolina | $85,000 | -24% | 45 |
| Georgia | $79,626 | -37.4% | 43 |
| Wisconsin | $75,000 | -2.5% | 15 |
| West Virginia | $75,000 | N/A | 3 |
| Florida | $74,000 | -17.1% | 153 |
| Alabama | $73,332 | -29.1% | 9 |
| Indiana | $72,430 | -24.4% | 41 |
| Pennsylvania | $71,885 | -36.6% | 113 |
| Kansas | $71,750 | -37.7% | 5 |
| Tennessee | $71,178 | -35.5% | 249 |
| Nevada | $70,600 | -16.5% | 5 |
| Missouri | $67,500 | -41.6% | 50 |
| Minnesota | $67,000 | -37.7% | 37 |
| Utah | $65,000 | N/A | 15 |
| Louisiana | $65,000 | -27% | 25 |
| Arizona | $64,064 | -33.5% | 13 |
| Hawaii | $64,000 | -21.7% | 11 |
| Alaska | $61,693 | -43.4% | 1 |
| Iowa | $59,405 | -36% | 19 |
| Kentucky | $58,063 | -11.3% | 5 |
| Arkansas | $56,046 | N/A | 40 |
| New Hampshire | $54,933 | N/A | 1 |
| Oklahoma | $54,833 | -33.4% | 14 |
| Idaho | $54,267 | -31.1% | 5 |
| New Mexico | $52,925 | -35.8% | 6 |
| Mississippi | $51,000 | N/A | 1 |
| Wyoming | $50,004 | N/A | 3 |
| North Dakota | $47,500 | N/A | 2 |
| South Carolina | $45,406 | -12.7% | 7 |
Salary Trend - DOL Data
Education Requirements
From PERM filingsFor Economists positions, 14% of PERM filings required a Bachelor's degree, 53% required a Master's degree, and 0% required no formal degree.
Education by Top Employer
Most common minimum education from PERM filings| Employer | Most Common Education | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Cornerstone Research, Inc. | Doctorate | $110,000 |
| Analysis Group, Inc. | Master's | $135,000 |
| FedEx Corporate Services, Inc. | Master's | $71,885 |
| Capital One Services, LLC | Master's | $100,901 |
| Capital One, National Association | Master's | $104,000 |
| Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System | Doctorate | $140,000 |
| Macquarie Holdings (USA) Inc. | Not specified | $159,994 |
| AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC | Doctorate | $124,000 |
| CAPITAL ONE SERVICES II LLC | Master's | $93,000 |
| National Economic Research Associates, Inc. | Master's | $102,000 |
Salary by Industry
Same occupation, different industries (NAICS)The highest-paying industry for Economists is Management of Companies at $132,310. The lowest-paying industry with significant hiring is Educational Services at $70,237.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on 9,206 DOL filings, the median salary for a Economists is $99,100, ranging from $75,000 to $134,576.
The 90th percentile salary is $212,710 according to BLS data.
Based on DOL filings, CLEVELAND, OH offers the highest median at $160,000.
DOL filing data covers positions where the employer filed for PERM green card sponsorship or an H-1B visa. These filings represent a subset of all Economists positions. We compare this data against BLS OEWS data which covers all workers in this occupation.
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