Economists build judgment and decision making, complex problem solving and instructing skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Economics Teachers, Postsecondary (87%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Economics Teachers, Postsecondary | 87% | $123,920 | −1% | None |
| 2 | Investment Fund Managers | 84% | $166,570Pay for the broader BLS group “Financial Managers” | Not compared | None |
| 3 | Business Intelligence Analysts | 84% | $120,230Pay for the broader BLS group “Data Scientists” | Not compared | None |
| 4 | Statisticians | 83% | $105,650 | −15% | None |
| 5 | Actuaries | 81% | $130,000 | +4% | None |
| 6 | Data Scientists | 79% | $120,230 | −4% | None |
| 7 | Business Teachers, Postsecondary | 77% | $99,080 | −21% | None |
| 8 | Mathematicians | 75% | $126,710 | +2% | None |
| 9 | Financial Quantitative Analysts | 75% | $81,100Pay for the broader BLS group “Financial Specialists, All Other” | Not compared | None |
| 10 | Biostatisticians | 74% | $105,650Pay for the broader BLS group “Statisticians” | Not compared | None |
Compared with Economists, median $124,720. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as economists (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
87% skill match · $123,920 · −1% pay
Instructing · Technology Design · Management of Personnel Resources
No work-context factor stands out as unusually hard in O*NET data.
84% skill match · $166,570 (broader BLS group)
Management of Financial Resources · Negotiation · Management of Material Resources
84% skill match · $120,230 (broader BLS group)
Quality Control Analysis · Operation and Control · Programming
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Economics Teachers, Postsecondary (87% skill match, median $123,920), Investment Fund Managers (84% skill match, median $166,570) and Business Intelligence Analysts (84% skill match, median $120,230), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 7 pay more than economists at the median. The biggest increases: Natural Sciences Managers (+34%, $167,220), Database Architects (+12%, $139,500) and Computer and Information Research Scientists (+12%, $140,300).
25 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.