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Economic Think Tank Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Architect/Designer Level 2

Truckee, CA · On-site

$33.92 - $44.68/hr

... open think-tank environment. Our goal is a sustainable balance of community, the environment, and economic reality. Our corporate culture is well known as one of respect, empowerment, mentorship ...

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Economic Think Tank information

See California salary details

$45.4K

$81K

$120.9K

How much do economic think tank jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 29, 2026, the average yearly pay for economic think tank in California is $80,990.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $68,100.00 and $97,200.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is an economic think tank?

An Economic Think Tank job involves conducting research, analyzing economic policies, and providing recommendations to influence decision-making in government, business, or public institutions. Professionals in this role assess economic trends, draft reports, and contribute to discussions on issues like taxation, trade, and labor markets. They often work for nonprofit organizations, research institutes, or advisory firms. Strong analytical, writing, and communication skills are essential for success in this field.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in an economic think tank position?

To thrive in an economic think tank, you need strong analytical skills, a background in economics or a related field, and experience in research methodologies. Familiarity with statistical software such as STATA, R, and econometric modeling tools is often required, along with advanced degrees like a master's or PhD sometimes preferred. Excellent communication, teamwork, and critical thinking skills set outstanding candidates apart. These competencies are vital for producing rigorous, influential policy research and effectively conveying complex ideas to decision-makers or the public.

What are the typical career advancement opportunities for professionals working at an economic think tank?

Economic think tanks often offer well-defined career pathways, starting from research assistant or analyst roles and progressing to senior researcher, project leader, or even director positions. Many professionals gain valuable experience and visibility by publishing research, presenting at conferences, or collaborating on policy initiatives. Advancement can also involve specializing in a key research area or expanding into public policy advising or communications. Think tanks value proactive team members who contribute innovative ideas and demonstrate leadership potential, so there are numerous opportunities for growth within the organization and in the broader policy or academic communities.

What are the most commonly searched types of Economic Think Tank jobs in California?

The most popular types of Economic Think Tank jobs in California are:

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

For Economic Think Tank jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

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

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

What cities in California are hiring for Economic Think Tank jobs?

Cities in California with the most Economic Think Tank job openings:

Infographic showing various Economic Think Tank 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 $80,990 per year, or $38.9 per hour.

Research Economist, Economic Research

San Francisco, CA • On-site

Anthropic
Software Development • 11 - 50 employees

Full-time

Re-posted 9 days ago


Job description

About the Role

As an Economist at Anthropic, you will work to measure and understand AI's effects on the global economy. You will make fundamental contributions to the development of the Anthropic Economic Index, establishing new methodologies to measure the usage, diffusion, and impact of AI throughout the economy using privacy-preserving tools and novel data sources. You will use frontier methods in econometrics, machine learning, and structural estimation. Such rigour will drive impact, shaping both policy discussions externally and informing Anthropic's internal business and product decisions.

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 (Clio), we analyze millions of real-world AI interactions to understand how AI augments and automates work across different occupations and tasks.

Responsibilities
  • Make fundamental contributions to the development and expansion of the Anthropic Economic Index, including quarterly reports and industry-specific deep dives
  • Design and conduct empirical research on AI's economic effects, drawing on external data sources and the privacy-preserving measurement systems internally
  • Develop new methodological approaches for studying AI's impact on:
    • Labor markets and the future of work
    • Productivity and task transformation
    • Economic inequality and displacement
    • Industry-specific disruption and adaptation
    • Aggregate economic trajectories (GDP, productivity, unemployment) under varying AI-adoption scenarios
  • Develop causal-inference tooling - e.g. surrogate indexes, heterogeneous-effect pipelines - to help Anthropic evaluate the downstream economic consequences of its own compute, product, and pricing decisions
  • Build and maintain relationships with academic institutions, policy think tanks, and other research partners
  • Work cross-functionally with other technical teams to improve our measurement infrastructure and data collection
  • Translate research insights into actionable recommendations for both product decisions and policy discussions
  • 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
  • Strong track record of empirical research, particularly studies combining novel data sources and economic theory or those implementing frontier methods in causal inference and machine learning
  • Experience relevant to the study of AI's impact on the economy, including:
    • Labor market analysis and occupational change
    • Task-based approaches to technological transformation
    • Large-scale data analysis and econometric methods
    • Large language models for social science research
    • Policy-relevant economic research
    • Experimental and quasi-experimental methods for causal inference
    • Macroeconomic modeling and time series forecasting
    • Agent-based modeling or large-scale simulation
  • Technical skills including:
    • Proficiency in Python, R, SQL, or similar tools for large-scale data analysis
    • Experience working with novel datasets and measurement systems
    • Comfort learning new technical tools and frameworks
  • Demonstrated ability to:
    • Lead complex research projects from conception to publication
    • Communicate technical findings to diverse audiences
    • Build relationships across academic, policy, and industry communities
  • Strong interest in ensuring AI development benefits humanity
  • Comfort working with AI systems and ability to think critically about their capabilities and limitations
Some Examples of Our Recent Work
  • 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 can combine rigorous economic analysis with novel measurement approaches to understand AI's transformative effects on the economy. The ideal candidate will be comfortable working at the intersection of empirical economics, technological change, and policy impact.

Application Question

Please provide a writing sample, preferably a job-market paper or other article that showcases your research and technical expertise.

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