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Economic Researcher Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

City of Antioch

Economic Development Specialist

Antioch, CA · On-site

$105K - $127K/yr

The Economic Development Division (which is part of the Community & Economic Development Department ... Research federal, state, regional, and local funding opportunities and assist in preparing grant ...

Neura Market

Economist

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$180 - $240/hr

You will work at the intersection of economic research, data science, and public policy to produce rigorous empirical work that informs decision-makers across the public, industry, and government.

OpenAI

Economist

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$120 - $150/hr

Research Areas of Interest * Economic Measurement of AI Impact (e.g., adoption trajectories, labor market transitions, productivity growth, and forecasting/scenario modeling for AI-driven economic ...

OpenAI

Economist

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$266K - $385K/yr

You will work at the intersection of economic research, data science, and public policy to produce rigorous empirical work that informs decision-makers across the public, industry, and government.

U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)

Economist

Edwards, CA · On-site

$74K/yr

Examples of specialized experience includes applying economics and quantitative social science methods as well as operations research analysis and models to perform difficult and complex assignments.

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Economic Researcher information

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$29.6K

$111.6K

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How much do economic researcher jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 23, 2026, the average yearly pay for economic researcher in California is $111,621.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $66,100.00 and $152,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does an economic researcher do?

An Economic Researcher analyzes data, trends, and policies to understand economic issues and provide insights. They conduct research, create reports, and develop models to help businesses, governments, or organizations make informed decisions. Their work often involves collecting data, using statistical tools, and evaluating market conditions. Economic Researchers may specialize in areas like labor markets, macroeconomics, or development economics.

What skills and qualifications are needed to thrive as an economic researcher?

To thrive as an Economic Researcher, you typically need strong analytical and quantitative skills, a background in economics or a related field, and experience with data analysis. Proficiency in statistical software such as R, Stata, or Python, as well as familiarity with large datasets and research databases, is often required. Excellent written and verbal communication, problem-solving abilities, and attention to detail are important soft skills. These competencies are crucial for producing rigorous research, conveying insights clearly, and supporting data-driven decision-making in organizations.

What are the typical responsibilities of an economic researcher?

As an Economic Researcher, your days often involve collecting and analyzing economic data, developing models, and preparing reports or presentations for various stakeholders. You may work both independently and as part of a team, collaborating with other researchers, analysts, or policy makers to interpret findings and support evidence-based recommendations. Regular tasks include monitoring economic trends, reviewing academic literature, and contributing to the drafting of research papers or policy briefs. These responsibilities help support organizational goals and provide valuable insights into market, industry, or policy developments.

How much do economic researchers get paid?

Economic researchers typically earn a median annual salary of around $70,000 to $100,000, depending on experience, education, and location. Entry-level positions may start lower, while experienced researchers or those in senior roles can earn significantly more, especially in government, academia, or private sector firms. Skills in data analysis, econometrics, and proficiency with statistical software are often required and can influence compensation.

What are popular job titles related to Economic Researcher jobs in California?

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What job categories do people searching Economic Researcher jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Economic Researcher jobs in California are:

Economic Researcher jobs near you
Infographic showing various Economic Researcher job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 94% Full Time, 5% Part Time, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 96% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 3% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $111,621 per year, or $53.7 per hour.

Transformative AI Research Economist, Economic Research

Anthropic

San Francisco, CA

Full-time

Re-posted 15 days ago

Job description

About the Role

As a Transformative AI Research Economist at Anthropic, you will build macroeconomic models of AI that could be genuinely transformative and develop the scenario-based forecasting tools that let us reason quantitatively about economic trajectories with no historical precedent. You will work on questions of aggregate growth, income distribution, and economic governance under scenarios that most of the profession has not yet modeled seriously.

You will ground projections in microeconomic signals from the Anthropic Economic Index - usage patterns across millions of real-world AI interactions, surfaced through privacy-preserving measurement - so that scenario forecasts are disciplined by what we actually observe about task transformation and productivity. You will use frontier methods in growth theory, computational macro, and structural estimation, and contribute to AI-powered tools that expand what economic research can do.

Our team combines rigorous empirical methods with novel measurement approaches. We're building first-of-its-kind datasets tracking AI's impact on labor markets, productivity, and economic transformation. Using our privacy-preserving measurement system, we analyze millions of real-world AI interactions to understand how AI augments and automates work across different occupations and tasks.

Responsibilities

  • Build macroeconomic models of transformative AI spanning growth, labor markets, and income distribution

  • Develop and maintain scenario-based forecasting tools; publish forecasts for GDP, productivity, and unemployment under a range of AI-capability trajectories

  • Ground macroeconomic projections in microeconomic data from the Anthropic Economic Index, constraining theory with observed patterns of adoption and task transformation

  • Analyze questions of income distribution and economic governance under transformative-AI scenarios

  • Contribute to the development of AI-powered research tools for economics

  • Contribute to Economic Index Reports and publish Research Briefs on first-order questions as they arise

  • Build and maintain relationships with academic institutions, policy think tanks, and other research partners

  • Amplify external engagement through research publications, policy briefs, and presentations to diverse stakeholders

You May Be a Good Fit If You Have

  • PhD in Economics, or an exceptional candidate close to completion

  • Background in macroeconomics, growth theory, or public finance ideally with exposure to task-based frameworks and labor economics

  • A research record that engages seriously with the possibility of transformative AI - you treat the scenarios in this posting as live questions worth modeling rigorously, not speculation to be hedged against

  • Relevant experience in some of:

    • Macroeconomic modeling and structural estimation

    • Scenario-based and time-series forecasting

    • Task-based approaches to technological change

    • Computational methods, agent-based modeling, or large-scale simulation

    • Income distribution and inequality

    • Using large language models in the research workflow

  • Technical skills including:

    • Proficiency in Python, Julia, or similar for computational economics

    • Facility with AI coding agents as part of a research workflow

    • Comfort learning new technical tools and frameworks

  • Demonstrated ability to:

    • Lead research projects from conception to publication

    • Ship on tight timelines and revise in public as new data arrives

    • Communicate technical findings to diverse audiences

  • Strong interest in ensuring AI development benefits humanity

Some Examples of Our Recent Work

  • Labor market impacts of AI: A new measure and early evidence

  • Anthropic Economic Index Report: Economic Primitives

  • Anthropic Economic Index Report: Uneven Geographic and Enterprise AI Adoption

  • Estimating AI productivity gains from Claude conversations

  • The Anthropic Economic Index

Additional Information

For this role, we're looking for candidates who combine rigorous macroeconomic theory with computational fluency, and who are willing to model economic scenarios that fall outside the profession's usual range. The ideal candidate works at the intersection of growth theory, forecasting, and frontier AI.

Deadline to apply: None. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis

Apply