Economist
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Economist occupation series (code 0110).
The verdict
With 3,774 employees (0.2% of the federal civilian workforce), Economist ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family, and headcount edged down from the prior period. Its average salary of $158,425 pays well above the federal average.
- Headcount change
- -0.4%
- Pay change
- -0.0%
- Avg tenure
- 14.1 yrs
- Rank in family
- #6 of 29
FedScope read on Economist (dense series)
On pay, the move between reporting periods was a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change. On length of service, this series shows a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Headcount moved down versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
Economist sits inside the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family (code 01), which contains 29 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Economist postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family. Economist makes up 3.7% of the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family's 101,196 combined employees. Its average salary ranks in the top half (93rd percentile) of pay among Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group occupations.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Economist pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$158,425
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+35.0%
Where Economist ranks on rich federal pay
Economist earns more on average than 93% of federal occupation series (503 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Economist sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Economist.
Related Occupations in Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Insurance Administration | 24,044 | $105,855 | 17.7 yrs |
| Social Work | 22,339 | $112,147 | 10 yrs |
| Social Science | 13,513 | $109,039 | 11.8 yrs |
| Intelligence | 12,860 | n/a | 15 yrs |
| Psychology | 10,259 | $144,240 | 10.7 yrs |
| Foreign Affairs | 2,748 | $155,920 | 14.4 yrs |
| Health Insurance Administration | 2,443 | $149,476 | 15.3 yrs |
| Social Science Aid and Technician | 1,534 | $67,632 | 12.4 yrs |
| Archeology | 1,448 | $91,675 | 12 yrs |
| Social Services Aid and Assistant | 962 | $59,911 | 11.7 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Economist outside the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar dense headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (3,774 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($158,425 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Economist pay in context with the pay-rank chart above, then compare it with another occupation.
- Turn an average salary into a grade: the GS pay grade tables show how grades and steps map to pay.
- Browse the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family occupations in the table above, or search current Economist postings on USAJOBS.
OPM FedScope and Federal Workforce Data figures are federal civilian headcounts, average salaries, and length-of-service statistics - not job-quality scores, hiring advice, or a live vacancy listing. A larger or higher-paid agency is not a better employer.