Behind a lot of economic research is someone running the numbers and building the datasets — and often that's you, supporting economists with data, analysis, and the careful grunt work of evidence. Where good research quietly gets done.
The work runs through gathering and cleaning data, running analyses and models, reviewing literature, and producing charts and drafts for the economists you support. You're often early in a research career, in academia, government, or a think tank. Careful, accurate execution is the value, since others build on it, and a lot of the job is painstaking data work that rarely gets credit.
What's harder than people expect is the repetition and the modest pay and autonomy — the work can be tedious, and credit tends to flow upward to the lead researcher. Mentorship and conditions vary widely by supervisor, and funding can make positions uncertain. It's often a stepping stone toward grad school or a research career.
It fits someone careful, curious, and patient with detailed data work. If you need autonomy or fast advancement, the role can feel limiting. But if you treat it as training — and find satisfaction in being the reason the analysis holds up — the role tends to be genuinely formative for what comes next.
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Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Behind a lot of economic research is someone running the numbers and building the datasets — and often that's you, supporting economists with data, analysis, and the careful grunt work of evidence. Where good research quietly gets done.
Median pay for an Economic Research Assistant is about $58K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $36K to $101K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Writing, Active Listening, and Complex Problem Solving.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 4.4% through 2034, with roughly 32,940 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Research Scientist, Research Analyst, and Graduate Assistant.
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