Economists - Employment & Outlook

The table below provides information about the number of workers in this career in various regions. It also provides information about the expected growth rate and future job openings.

Employment

Major employers:

Federal, state, and local government agencies
Economic consulting firms
Economic research firms

Outlook

Growth for economists will be faster than average. Opportunities for economists should be best in private industry, especially in consulting firms. Many companies turn to economic consultants to help them analyze economic data and make forecasts. Demand for economists should come from the increasing complexity of the global economy, additional financial regulations, and a more competitive business environment.

Job prospects will be best for those who have advanced degrees in economics or a strong background in math, statistics, survey design, and computer science.

The employment and outlook figures do not include economists who teach at colleges and universities.

Economists (CIS 100064)

Location	Employment	&	Growth		>>>>	Annual openings
			This occupation	All occupations
Illinois	434 Very small	&	12.0%	8.2%	>>>>	37 Very few
Champaign Area	8 Very small	&	0.0%	5.2%	>>>>	0 None
Cook County	235 Very small	&	9.8%	9.2%	>>>>	19 Very few
DeKalb-Elgin-Aurora Area	15 Very small	&	20.0%	10.3%	>>>>	1 Very few
Du Page County	40 Very small	&	27.5%	8.8%	>>>>	4 Very few
Lake County	18 Very small	&	33.3%	11.7%	>>>>	2 Very few
Mt Vernon-Marion-Carbondale Area	5 Very small	&	0.0%	4.4%	>>>>	0 None
Northwest Illinois Area	5 Very small	&	0.0%	4.3%	>>>>	0 None
Peoria-Bloomington Area	17 Very small	&	17.6%	4.5%	>>>>	1 Very few
Rock Island-Moline Area	15 Very small	&	0.0%	5.6%	>>>>	1 Very few
Rockford Area	7 Very small	&	0.0%	6.6%	>>>>	0 None
Springfield Area	11 Very small	&	9.1%	4.6%	>>>>	1 Very few
St Louis-Belleville Area	15 Very small	&	6.7%	0.9%	>>>>	1 Very few
Will County	7 Very small	&	14.3%	14.9%	>>>>	0 None
United States	17,500 Very small	&	5.1%	4.0%	>>>>	1,000 Very few