# Economics Teachers, Postsecondary

US SOC code 25-1063. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/25-1063

Also called: Economics professor, Econ professor, Economics postsec teacher, Economics faculty, Economics lecturer.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **11,560** US postsecondary economics teachers, with median pay of **$123,920** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the highest was **12,420**, in May 2024. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://cooperative-individualism.org/parrish-john_rise-of-economics-as-an-academic-discipline-1967-jul.pdf) of **200** from 1870, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for postsecondary economics teachers: R and Python for empirical economics, 2015 to 2022.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 2.4% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=25-1063&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **43.9%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend.

## Economics Teachers, Postsecondary employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1824
- Latest US employment: 11,560 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $123,920 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [7]
- Outlook: +2.4% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [17]

### All 28 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1870 | 200 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Parrish, John B. (1967) [1] |
| 1900 | 800 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Parrish (1967) [1] |
| 1950 | 5,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia [2] |
| 1965 | n/a | $17,500 (estimate) | Est., Irwin Collier [5] |
| 1975 | 11,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., CSWEP Annual Survey [3] |
| 2000 | n/a | $62,000 (estimate) | Est., AAUP [6] |
| 2003 | 11,420 | $64,950 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [4] |
| 2004 | 12,230 | $67,520 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 12,670 | $68,910 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 12,330 | $71,850 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [4] |
| 2007 | 12,840 | $75,300 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 12,540 | $80,130 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 12,860 | $81,170 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 13,020 | $83,370 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 13,300 | $85,310 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 13,390 | $87,950 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 13,600 | $90,070 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 13,710 | $90,870 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 13,580 | $94,000 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 13,060 | $95,770 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 12,770 | $98,350 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 12,750 | $101,480 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2020 | 13,080 | $107,260 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 11,790 | $104,940 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 11,640 | $103,930 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 12,210 | $115,300 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 12,420 | $119,980 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 11,560 | $123,920 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (81)

### Employment series

1. [Parrish, John B. (1967) -- "Rise of Economics as an Academic Discipline: The Formative Years to 1900" (Southern Economic Journal, July 1967): faculty appointment history at early US institutions](https://cooperative-individualism.org/parrish-john_rise-of-economics-as-an-academic-discipline-1967-jul.pdf), Southern Economic Journal / University of North Carolina
2. [Wikipedia -- Economics (textbook): Samuelson's "Economics" first published 1948; rapid adoption in US universities during the 1950s; AEA membership context](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economics_%28textbook%29), Wikipedia / multiple primary sources
3. [CSWEP Annual Survey -- Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession, established 1972; survey of US economics departments; ICPSR study 37118 covers 1994-2020](https://www.aeaweb.org/about-aea/committees/cswep/reports-and-publications/annual-survey), American Economic Association / CSWEP
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

5. [Irwin Collier -- "Economics in the Rear-View Mirror": Professors' salaries in US economics departments, 1964/5-1965/66 (survey by Francis M. Boddy, University of Minnesota, December 1965)](https://www.irwincollier.com/professors-salaries-in-u-s-economics-departments-1-19645-196566/), Economics in the Rear-View Mirror / Irwin Collier
6. [AAUP -- "Uncertain Times: The Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession, 2000-01": faculty salaries at doctoral institutions across all fields](https://www.aaup.org/reports-publications/2000-01salarysurvey), American Association of University Professors
7. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
8. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

9. [Bowdoin College / Zorina Khan -- "Who Was the First U.S. Economics Professor?": Samuel Phillips Newman 1824, influenced by Adam Smith; published Elements of Political Economy (1835)](https://research.bowdoin.edu/zorina-khan/life-on-the-margin/who-was-the-first-economics-professor/), Bowdoin College
10. [Wikipedia -- Economics (textbook): Marshall's Principles 1890 and the transformation of economics pedagogy; Samuelson's textbook history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economics_%28textbook%29), Wikipedia / multiple primary sources
11. [Parrish (1967) -- rise of economics as an academic discipline formative years to 1900; departmental formation at Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Johns Hopkins](https://cooperative-individualism.org/parrish-john_rise-of-economics-as-an-academic-discipline-1967-jul.pdf), Southern Economic Journal
12. [GitHub -- hanlulong/awesome-ai-for-economists: Stata-MCP, econometrics teaching tools; historical context for statistical computing in economics education](https://github.com/hanlulong/awesome-ai-for-economists), GitHub / Hanlu Long et al.
13. [Wikipedia -- JSTOR: launched 1995, originally encompassed ten economics and history journals; transformed access to academic journal archives for economics faculty and students](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JSTOR), Wikipedia / JSTOR
14. [Geerling, Mateer, Wooten & Damodaran (2023) -- "ChatGPT has Aced the Test of Understanding in College Economics: Now What?" (The American Economist 68(2):233-245): ChatGPT 91st pct Micro, 99th pct Macro on TUCE](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/05694345231169654), SAGE Publications / The American Economist
15. [Royal Economic Society / CTaLE / Stone Centre UCL -- "Rethinking Economics Assessments for a GenAI World" (Oct 2025): 10 recommendations for programme directors; 88% student AI use (HEPI/Kortext Feb 2025)](https://res.org.uk/rethinking-economics-assessments-for-a-genai-world/), Royal Economic Society / University College London
16. [Korinek, Anton (2023) -- "Generative AI for Economic Research: Use Cases and Implications for Economists" (Journal of Economic Literature / Brookings Jan 2024): six categories of AI use for economists; LLMs useful across a wide range of cognitive tasks](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/generative-ai-for-economic-research-use-cases-and-implications-for-economists/), Brookings Institution / Journal of Economic Literature

### Forecasts and exposure studies

17. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 25-1063 Economics teachers, postsecondary (2025: 14.6 thousand; 2035: 15.0 thousand; +2.4%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=25-1063&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
18. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 25-1063.00, human-rated β 0.439)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

19. [Bowdoin College / Zorina Khan -- "Who Was the First U.S. Economics Professor?": Samuel Phillips Newman, 1824](https://research.bowdoin.edu/zorina-khan/life-on-the-margin/who-was-the-first-economics-professor/), Bowdoin College
20. [Wikipedia -- American Economic Association: founding 1885, initial academic membership, progressive economics orientation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Economic_Association), Wikipedia
21. [Wikipedia -- Economics (textbook): Samuelson "Economics" 1948, 300,000 copies per edition 1961-1976, 41 languages, best-selling economics textbook of all time](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economics_%28textbook%29), Wikipedia
22. [CSWEP 2015 Statistical Report on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession: women 28.2% of assistant professors, 12.2% of full professors](https://www.aeaweb.org/about-aea/committees/cswep/survey/2015-statistical-report), American Economic Association / CSWEP
23. [Historical Labor Market Influences (ERIC/ED509462) -- academic job market for PhD economists late 1970s-1990s; Cartter 1976 prediction; non-tenure-track substitution](https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED509462.pdf), ERIC / Institute of Education Sciences
24. [Geerling, Mateer, Wooten & Damodaran (2023) -- "ChatGPT has Aced the Test of Understanding in College Economics: Now What?" (The American Economist 68(2):233-245)](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/05694345231169654), SAGE Publications / The American Economist
25. [Royal Economic Society / CTaLE / Stone Centre UCL -- "Rethinking Economics Assessments for a GenAI World" (Oct 2025): 10 recommendations; 88% student AI use; sector-wide call to action](https://res.org.uk/rethinking-economics-assessments-for-a-genai-world/), Royal Economic Society / University College London

### Predecessors & successors

26. [Bowdoin College / Zorina Khan -- first US economics professor Samuel Phillips Newman 1824; separation from moral philosophy curriculum](https://research.bowdoin.edu/zorina-khan/life-on-the-margin/who-was-the-first-economics-professor/), Bowdoin College
27. [AEA Guide to the Economics Profession -- academic-to-policy and policy-to-academic career transitions in economics](https://www.aeaweb.org/resources/students/careers/the-economics-profession), American Economic Association
28. [Parrish (1967) -- rise of economics academic discipline; Johns Hopkins first econ PhD 1878 (Henry Carter Adams)](https://cooperative-individualism.org/parrish-john_rise-of-economics-as-an-academic-discipline-1967-jul.pdf), Southern Economic Journal

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Economics Teachers, Postsecondary (25-1063.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/25-1063.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Postsecondary Teachers (2024–2034, +7% projected growth)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/postsecondary-teachers.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Geerling, Mateer, Wooten & Damodaran (2023) — ChatGPT has Aced the Test of Understanding in College Economics: Now What? (The American Economist 68(2):233-245)](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/05694345231169654), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Royal Economic Society / CTaLE / Stone Centre UCL — Rethinking Economics Assessments for a GenAI World (Oct 2025): 10 recommendations for programme directors](https://res.org.uk/rethinking-economics-assessments-for-a-genai-world/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Federal Reserve FEDS Notes — Educational Exposure to Generative Artificial Intelligence (Timmerman & Xiao, Feb 2026): Economics/Business language-model z-score 0.89](https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/educational-exposure-to-generative-artificial-intelligence-20250226.html), accessed 2026-05-24
- [AEA Committee on Economic Education — Fall 2025 newsletter: ASSA 2026 AI teaching workshops and 14th CTREE Conference (Denver, May 2025)](https://www.aeaweb.org/about-aea/committees/economic-education), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Economics Network (UK) — AI and Higher Education in Economics: 2025–2026 symposium findings; 88% student AI use (HEPI/Kortext Feb 2025); "traffic light" AI policy frameworks](https://economicsnetwork.ac.uk/themes/ai), accessed 2026-05-24
- [NBER Working Paper 31161 — Large Language Models as Simulated Economic Agents (2023): LLMs fail novel causal-identification tasks requiring institutional knowledge](https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Brookings Institution — Generative AI for Economic Research: Use Cases and Implications for Economists (Journal of Economic Literature, Dec 2023): productivity gains and "10x leverage factor" for research economists adopting AI](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/generative-ai-for-economic-research-use-cases-and-implications-for-economists/), accessed 2026-06-22
- [LinkedIn Skills on the Rise 2026 — AI engineering and AI-fluency top fastest-growing skills; AI skills carry significant wage premium](https://news.linkedin.com/2026/Skills-on-the-rise-2026), accessed 2026-06-22
- [Gradescope — AI-assisted answer grouping for structured economics problem sets; deployed at University of Miami and 3,000+ institutions (2025)](https://www.gradescope.com/), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.