Environmental Economists
Life, Physical, and Social Science
Most of the time goes to research on how economic choices affect air, water, land, renewable energy, and related resources. That includes collecting data, building models and forecasts, and weighing the costs and benefits of policies or practices such as pollution control, land use, or species protection. Results are written up in technical papers or academic articles and presented to others, often with recommendations meant to meet environmental goals at a reasonable cost. The role fits people who like applying math and economic reasoning to environmental questions and explaining those findings in writing and in person.
Typical education: Doctoral Degree (Ph.D., Ed.D.)
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$124'720
Median Wage Market Position
$124'720
What you might do
- Research the economics of land, water, and energy
- Weigh costs and benefits of environmental rules
- Compare how policy options affect air, water, and land
- Build models that project economic and environmental outcomes
- Write technical papers on findings and forecasts
- Present recommendations that meet goals at lower cost
Skills that matter
- Writing technical papers and articles
- Cost-benefit analysis of environmental rules
- Models of future economic and environmental outcomes
- Research on pollution, land, and fuels
- Cost-effective environmental policy recommendations
- Presentations of study results to audiences
AI & the future of this role
Cost-benefit modeling, valuation estimates, and literature-heavy impact reviews could be accelerated or partly substituted by AI. Stakeholder negotiation, contested policy judgment, and liability-aware advice on natural resources may hold up, but the analytical core remains quite exposed.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details