Compared with the local labor market
Economist pay vs. the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC area
Across all employers in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC area, the median wage for Economists — about 80 people — is $117,600. Economic Development pays a median base salary of $143,299 for this role, 22% above that figure — about the 58th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
Where Economic Development sits in the local pay range
$55,640
$74,150
$117,600
$194,210
$238,050
Economic Development median · $143,299
The bar is the range of annual wages for Economists across every employer in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC area, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Economic Development’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Economists — about 17,790 people — is $124,720. Economic Development’s median base salary is 15% above that national figure, about the 59th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
$67,360
$89,330
$124,720
$174,720
$238,060
Economic Development median · $143,299
Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC range relative to the national one.
Median total compensation for this role at Economic Development is $143,299, 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.