U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) / Department of Transportation / Economist

Job-title file

Economist

Carry out the duties of this position in support of the agency's public mission.

143 employees hold this title in Department of Transportation. Median total compensation for the role is $148,689, above the department median of $137,624.

Employees: 143
Total payroll: $20.6M
Role median: $148,689
Agency median: $137,624
Comparison: Above

What the records show

Role pay distribution

Pay distribution for this role

$53,259$224,212+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How total compensation varies among the 143 people in this role. Even for one job title, pay differs with seniority, step, overtime, and tenure. Each bar is a pay range; the far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Compared with the local labor market

Economist pay vs. the United States

Across all employers in the United States, the median wage for Economists — about 17,790 people — is $124,720. Department of Transportation pays a median base salary of $148,689 for this role, 19% above that figure — about the 62nd percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where Department of Transportation sits in the local pay range

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$67,360

$89,330

$124,720

$174,720

$238,060

Department of Transportation median · $148,689

The bar is the range of annual wages for Economists across every employer in the United States, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Department of Transportation’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.

Median total compensation for this role at Department of Transportation is $148,689, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.

Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.

Compare departments

This role across U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)

Economist is held in 43 U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) departments. In Department of Transportation, the median of $148,689 ranks #24 of 43.

Highest-paying departments for this role

Commodity Futures Trading Commission

$247,426 · 32

Securities and Exchange Commission

$214,634 · 138

Federal Reserve System

$208,995 · 65

National Science Foundation

$204,000 · 5

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

$200,226 · 87

Federal Housing Finance Agency

$196,471 · 64

Federal Trade Commission

$191,900 · 88

Office of the U.S. Trade Representative

$191,900 · 3

Department of Justice

$191,900 · 55

Federal Communications Commission

$191,350 · 62

Department of Treasury

$183,749 · 363

Small Business Administration

$181,216 · 9

Median total compensation for the Economist role in other U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)departments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.

Compare jurisdictions

Economist beyond U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)

This role is reported in 5 jurisdictions. In U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense), the median of $144,042 ranks #1 of 5. See Economist across all of U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) →

Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role

$135,913 · 8

$79,810 · 69

$73,923 · 10

$65,123 · 35

Median total compensation for comparable Economistroles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.

Record list

Employees with this title

Page 1

William Ekins

Economist/Department of Transportation

2024 total comp

$162,750

Sub-department: Federal Aviation Administration
Base pay: $162,750
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $162,750
Pay grade: J
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $162,750
Basic Pay (before locality): $122,130
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 5
Occupation Code (OPM): 0110
Pay Plan (OPM): FV

William Ekins works as a Economist for Department of Transportation based in Washington, District of Columbia. William earned $162,750 in 2024. Their pay grade is J.

Mark Anderson

Economist/Department of Transportation

2024 total comp

$162,629

Sub-department: Federal Railroad Administration
Base pay: $162,629
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $162,629
Pay grade: 14
Work city: West River
Work county: Anne Arundel
Work state: Maryland

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $162,629
Basic Pay (before locality): $122,039
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 241669003
Length of Service (Years): 16
Occupation Code (OPM): 0110
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Mark Anderson is a Economist at Department of Transportation based in West River, Maryland. 2024 total compensation came to $162,629. They are classified at grade 14.

Valentin Vulov

Economist/Department of Transportation

2024 total comp

$162,629

Sub-department: Federal Highway Administration
Base pay: $162,629
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $162,629
Pay grade: 14
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $162,629
Basic Pay (before locality): $122,039
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 9
Occupation Code (OPM): 0110
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

At Department of Transportation, Valentin Vulov serves as a Economist based in Washington, District of Columbia. Their 2024 pay totaled $162,629. They are classified at grade 14.

Sean Puckett

Economist/Department of Transportation

2024 total comp

$162,629

Sub-department: Nat Highway Traffic Safety Administrative
Base pay: $162,629
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $162,629
Pay grade: 14
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $162,629
Basic Pay (before locality): $122,039
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 14
Occupation Code (OPM): 0110
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Sean Puckett holds the role of Economist at Department of Transportation based in Washington, District of Columbia. In 2024, their total compensation was $162,629. Their pay grade is 14.

Tyrone Sharpe

Economist/Department of Transportation

2024 total comp

$162,629

Sub-department: Office of Inspector General
Base pay: $162,629
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $162,629
Pay grade: 14
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $162,629
Basic Pay (before locality): $122,039
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 16
Occupation Code (OPM): 0110
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Tyrone Sharpe works as a Economist for Department of Transportation based in Washington, District of Columbia. Tyrone earned $162,629 in 2024. Their pay grade is 14.

Theresa Firestine

Economist/Department of Transportation

2024 total comp

$162,629

Sub-department: Office of Secretary of Transportation
Base pay: $162,629
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $162,629
Pay grade: 14
Work city: Greenbelt
Work county: Prince George's
Work state: Maryland

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $162,629
Basic Pay (before locality): $122,039
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 240710033
Length of Service (Years): 14
Occupation Code (OPM): 0110
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

At Department of Transportation, Theresa Firestine serves as a Economist based in Greenbelt, Maryland. Their 2024 pay totaled $162,629. They are classified at grade 14.

Christopher Pinheiro

Economist/Department of Transportation

2024 total comp

$159,431

Sub-department: Federal Aviation Administration
Base pay: $159,431
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $159,431
Pay grade: J
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $159,431
Basic Pay (before locality): $119,639
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 11
Occupation Code (OPM): 0110
Pay Plan (OPM): FV

Christopher Pinheiro holds the role of Economist at Department of Transportation based in Washington, District of Columbia. In 2024, their total compensation was $159,431. Their pay grade is J.

Aleksandra Damsz

Economist/Department of Transportation

2024 total comp

$159,188

Sub-department: Federal Aviation Administration
Base pay: $159,188
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $159,188
Pay grade: J
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $159,188
Basic Pay (before locality): $119,457
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 14
Occupation Code (OPM): 0110
Pay Plan (OPM): FV

Aleksandra Damsz is a Economist at Department of Transportation based in Washington, District of Columbia. 2024 total compensation came to $159,188. They are classified at grade J.

David Hyde

Economist/Department of Transportation

2024 total comp

$158,504

Sub-department: Office of Secretary of Transportation
Base pay: $158,504
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $158,504
Pay grade: 14
Work city: Denver
Work county: Denver
Work state: Colorado

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $158,504
Basic Pay (before locality): $122,039
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 080600031
Length of Service (Years): 19
Occupation Code (OPM): 0110
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

David Hyde holds the role of Economist at Department of Transportation based in Denver, Colorado. In 2024, their total compensation was $158,504. Their pay grade is 14.

Hodan Wells

Economist/Department of Transportation

2024 total comp

$157,982

Sub-department: Federal Railroad Administration
Base pay: $157,982
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $157,982
Pay grade: 14
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $157,982
Basic Pay (before locality): $118,552
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 19
Occupation Code (OPM): 0110
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

At Department of Transportation, Hodan Wells serves as a Economist based in Washington, District of Columbia. Their 2024 pay totaled $157,982. They are classified at grade 14.

Bentley Clinton

Economist/Department of Transportation

2024 total comp

$156,453

Sub-department: Office of Secretary of Transportation
Base pay: $156,453
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $156,453
Pay grade: 14
Work city: Cambridge
Work county: Middlesex
Work state: Massachusetts

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $156,453
Basic Pay (before locality): $118,552
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 250170017
Length of Service (Years): 3
Occupation Code (OPM): 0110
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Bentley Clinton is a Economist at Department of Transportation based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2024 total compensation came to $156,453. They are classified at grade 14.

Shawn Danoff

Economist/Department of Transportation

2024 total comp

$156,179

Sub-department: Maritime Administration
Base pay: $156,179
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $156,179
Pay grade: 14
Work city: Weston
Work county: Broward
Work state: Florida

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $156,179
Basic Pay (before locality): $125,526
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 123193011
Length of Service (Years): 16
Occupation Code (OPM): 0110
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Shawn Danoff holds the role of Economist at Department of Transportation based in Weston, Florida. In 2024, their total compensation was $156,179. Their pay grade is 14.