undergradly.
Major · Social Sciences

The math that explains why economies move the way they do

Econometrics and Quantitative Economics applies statistical and mathematical methods to economic questions — modeling markets, forecasting outcomes, and measuring the effects of policy. About 15,100 degrees have been awarded across 229 colleges, almost exclusively at the bachelor's level.

Schools offering
229
Annual completions
15,101
Typical degree level
Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$84k

About this major

Econometrics and Quantitative Economics occupies a precise niche within the social sciences: it applies the tools of mathematics and statistics to questions that economists care about. The curriculum is built around probability theory, regression analysis, optimization, and economic modeling, with applied work in forecasting and cost-benefit analysis woven through the upper-division sequence. Students spend real time with data and statistical software, not just textbook derivations. The CIP definition frames it as the systematic mathematical and statistical analysis of economic phenomena — and the coursework reflects that framing directly, sitting meaningfully closer to applied mathematics than a general economics program would.

The major attracts students who find the quantitative side of social science genuinely interesting — who want to understand not just what happened in a market or policy context, but how you would measure it, model it, and test whether the pattern is real. A tolerance for abstraction helps. So does comfort working through statistical inference problems that don't resolve cleanly on a first pass. The subject matter is economic, but the methods are mathematical, and students who are primarily interested in economic theory rather than statistical tools sometimes find the coursework harder to stay engaged with.

On the labor market side, this major feeds a few distinct career clusters. Data scientists — where median wages run $112,590 and projected job growth sits at 33.5% — are the most accessible high-earning path at the bachelor's level. Economists ($115,440 median) and statisticians ($103,300) are realistic long-run targets, but both occupations typically list a master's degree as the standard entry credential. About 15,100 degrees are awarded annually across 229 colleges — a relatively concentrated field compared to Economics, General — and the highest-volume programs sit at institutions like UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, Berkeley, NYU, and the University of Chicago.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Managers, all other $137k +4.5% Bachelor's degree
Data scientists $113k +33.5% Bachelor's degree
Social science research assistants $58k +4.4% Bachelor's degree
Statisticians $103k +8.5% Master's degree
Economists $115k +1.2% Master's degree
Economics teachers, postsecondary $120k +2.1% Doctoral or professional degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$84k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$59k

Bachelor's

$84k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you find the measurement problems in social science as interesting as the social science itself — if questions like "how would you actually test that?" or "what's the right model for this data?" feel like the real work rather than a formality. You may also fit well here if you're aiming at data science roles and want an economics framing alongside the statistical toolkit, since the quantitative methods in this major are directly competitive with what statistics and math majors bring to that job market, and the five-year earnings for bachelor's completers land around $84,293 — a solid starting point for a field where the ceiling runs considerably higher. Students who know early they want graduate school in economics will find the technical foundation here a genuine advantage over a general economics program.

Think twice if your interest in economics is primarily conceptual or policy-focused rather than mathematical — a general economics major or political economy program will feel more natural and covers a wider range of courses. Think twice, too, if you're expecting bachelor's-level access to the economist title specifically: the occupation grows at just 1.2% and is dominated by master's and PhD holders, so the path from this degree to that career runs through graduate school, not a job board. And if the idea of spending a semester working through regression diagnostics and time-series models sounds like overhead rather than the point, the day-to-day experience of this major will confirm that instinct.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Econometrics and Quantitative Economics

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 0 738 738
University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 0 667 667
University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA 0 631 631
New York University New York, NY 0 548 548
University of Chicago Chicago, IL 0 548 548
University of California-Davis Davis, CA 0 394 394
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA 0 340 340
Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA 0 324 324
University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA 0 306 306
Utah State University Logan, UT 0 304 304
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Psychology, General

133,179 completions/yr

Political Science and Government, General

36,654 completions/yr

Sociology, General

26,513 completions/yr

Economics, General

18,920 completions/yr

Mathematics, General

18,758 completions/yr

Social Sciences, General

14,846 completions/yr

Business/Managerial Economics

4,031 completions/yr

Statistics, General

3,379 completions/yr

Considering this direction?

We've taken a hard look at the debt, earnings trajectory, and degree-level tradeoffs for the Econometrics and Quantitative Economics field. Read our verdict before you commit.

Is Econometrics and Quantitative Economics worth it? Read verdict
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Econometrics and Quantitative Economics majors actually study day-to-day?
Expect a curriculum that sits closer to mathematics and statistics than to a general economics program. Core coursework covers probability, regression analysis, time-series modeling, optimization theory, and economic forecasting — alongside the standard micro and macroeconomics sequence. Upper-division work pushes into applied econometrics, cost-benefit analysis, and economic modeling. Students spend meaningful time working with data sets and statistical software, not just theory. The CIP definition frames it as systematic mathematical and statistical analysis of economic phenomena, and the coursework reflects that framing precisely.
Do I need a bachelor's, or is an associate's enough for this field?
This major is almost entirely a bachelor's-level credential — the data shows essentially no associate's completions in this CIP code. At the bachelor's level, median five-year earnings run about $84,293. That said, several of the most directly relevant careers — economists ($115,440 median wage) and statisticians ($103,300) — list a master's degree as the typical entry credential, not a bachelor's. A bachelor's gets you into entry-level analyst and research roles, but if your target is 'economist' specifically, a graduate degree is realistically part of the plan.
What kinds of jobs do graduates end up in?
The most common bachelor's-accessible paths are data scientist ($112,590 median wage, 33.5% projected job growth) and various manager roles ($136,550 median for the broad 'managers, all other' category). Research assistant positions ($58,040) are an early-career entry point at many universities and think tanks. The higher-earning titles — economists at $115,440 and postsecondary economics teachers at $119,980 — are realistic targets but typically require a master's or doctorate. Data science is the career destination where a bachelor's alone is most competitive, given its strong growth projection and lower formal-credential bar relative to the economics profession.
How competitive is the job market for this major?
It depends heavily on which career path you target. Data science shows a 33.5% projected growth rate — among the fastest tracked across occupations — and the quantitative skills from this major are directly relevant. Statisticians show 8.5% growth, which is also above average. Economists at 1.2% growth are a different story: the occupation is small, hiring is concentrated in government agencies and academia, and a master's is standard. Annual completions of roughly 15,100 are moderate, not high — this isn't a crowded field the way psychology or general business is.
Is this the right major, or should I consider a related field?
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics is the most mathematically intensive option within economics. Economics, General (about 18,920 completions per year) covers similar territory with less statistical rigor and is more widely available. If the quantitative methods interest you more than the economics framing, Statistics, General (about 3,379 completions) or Mathematics, General (about 18,758 completions) may align better with your goals — particularly if you're aiming at data science roles where those credentials are equally competitive. Business/Managerial Economics (about 4,031 completions) is a more applied alternative if corporate strategy and finance interest you more than research or forecasting.
What's a realistic earnings picture after this degree?
Five-year median earnings for bachelor's completers in this major run about $84,293. That sits above the national median for bachelor's degree holders but below what many students expect from a quantitatively demanding program. The ceiling is real — data scientists earn $112,590 median, managers in this family run $136,550 — but reaching those figures typically takes several years of experience or a graduate credential. The economics profession specifically, at $115,440, is concentrated among master's and PhD holders. If the five-year earnings figure looks lower than expected, the graduate-degree pattern for the highest-earning roles explains most of that gap.