Economics — the versatile analytical major

One of the most flexible majors — opens finance, consulting, data science, policy, and academia. Here's the honest read.

Career fit for economics majors →

What you'll study

Micro/macro economics, econometrics, statistics, mathematical modeling, and typically a specialisation (development, labour, finance, behavioural).

Career paths

  • Financial analyst — $85K median (US)
  • Data analyst / scientist — $95K median
  • Management consultant — $95K median
  • Economist (govt / research) — $115K median (US federal)
  • Policy analyst — $70K median
  • Actuary — $110K median

Frequently asked questions

Is economics a good pre-MBA major?

Yes — one of the most common feeder majors to top MBA programs alongside engineering and CS.

Careers this major opens

The US Department of Education maps Economics, General (CIP 45.0601) to 6 Standard Occupational Classification codes. Salary and employment figures come from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics via O*NET; the AI-durability signal is our own composite score.

Median salary (US)
$90,010
across 6 careers
Salary range
$44,850 – $104,690
p10 → p90 across careers
Avg AI exposure
0.48
0% high-exposure (0-1 scale)
Career Median Employment AI
Managers, all other
SOC 11-9199
 $136,550 1,333,700 0.52
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
SOC 25-2031
 $64,580 1,094,500 0.41
Social science research assistants
SOC 19-4061
 $58,040 40,600 0.48
Economists
SOC 19-3011
 $115,440 17,600 0.63
Economics teachers, postsecondary
SOC 25-1063
 $119,980 15,800 0.35
Survey researchers
SOC 19-3022
 $63,380 8,800 0.46

Sources: NCES CIP-2020 → SOC-2018 crosswalk · US Bureau of Labor Statistics (via O*NET) · WhatTNext Ai AI-durability score. Careers ranked by US employment volume.

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