Photo: TXGemGem (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Job description
Much of the work is research-driven: studying topics like alternative fuel use, land use, soil conservation, or endangered species protection, then collecting and analyzing data to compare how different policy options play out both economically and environmentally. Findings get written up as technical papers or presentations aimed at policymakers, and the job often means developing concrete recommendations for reaching environmental goals in cost-effective ways. The work is desk-based and highly structured, though it calls for real independent judgment in how a given study gets framed. A master's degree covers many roles, but a PhD is standard for research or academic positions, and pay ranges widely, from about $67,000 to over $238,000.
Pros
- Very high upside pay, topping out at $238k, well above most social science fields
- Work directly shapes environmental policy and regulation, offering real-world impact
- Standard desk-based indoor setting with predictable, structured work
Cons
- Above-average hours, expect more than a standard 40-hour work week
- Slower than average projected job growth (1.2%)
- Only about 900 positions nationwide, a narrow niche requiring a master's or PhD
A typical day
The morning is model work: estimating what a proposed watershed protection rule would cost farmers versus what cities downstream would save on water treatment. Midday brings a call with agency staff who want the analysis explained without the math, which is its own skill. The afternoon goes to data wrangling — cleaning a decade of land-use records and re-running a regression whose results will anchor a policy report. An hour before wrapping up, the economist reviews a colleague's draft on carbon pricing, checking whether the assumptions would survive a hostile hearing, because environmental numbers always face one.
Tasks at the job
- Write technical documents or academic articles to communicate study results or economic forecasts.
- Conduct research on economic and environmental topics, such as alternative fuel use, public and private land use, soil conservation, air and water pollution control, and endangered species protection.
- Collect and analyze data to compare the environmental implications of economic policy or practice alternatives.
- Assess the costs and benefits of various activities, policies, or regulations that affect the environment or natural resource stocks.
- Prepare and deliver presentations to communicate economic and environmental study results, to present policy recommendations, or to raise awareness of environmental consequences.
- Develop programs or policy recommendations to achieve environmental goals in cost-effective ways.
Workplace & working conditions
Work happens indoors in a climate-controlled setting, and most of the day is spent sitting at a desk.
You're expected to exercise significant independent judgment day to day. The work is highly structured, following set procedures.
Education necessary or common
Master's degree for many roles; a PhD is standard for research and academic positions
Common college majors
Career path
Related fields
Courses to take
- AP Economics (Micro and Macro) — the discipline itself
- AP Statistics — every result in this field is a statistical claim
- AP Calculus BC — graduate economics is mathematical from day one
- AP Environmental Science — the subject matter
- AP Computer Science Principles — real analysis happens in R and Python
Clubs, activities & competitions
- Economics or investment club
- Envirothon or environmental club
- Math team — the quantitative edge matters here
- Debate — cost-benefit argument is the daily output
First steps you can take now
- Read one real cost-benefit analysis (the EPA publishes them for major rules)
- Take a free intro econometrics or statistics course online
- Do a project pricing something local: what does congestion or litter actually cost your town?
- Learn basic R or Python with an environmental dataset
