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Environmental Economist

Environmental Economist profiles score highest on Analyzing and Exploring. This page covers what the work involves, what the trait profile looks like, what it pays, and where the fit tends to break.

Median pay
$124,720per year, U.S. BLS 2025
Entry education
Graduate or professional degreetypical for the occupation

SOURCE · O*NET 19-3011.01 and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Figures are national and vary widely by state and setting.

What the work involves

Conduct economic analysis related to environmental protection and use of the natural environment, such as water, air, land, and renewable energy resources. Evaluate and quantify benefits, costs, incentives, and impacts of alternative options using economic principles and statistical techniques.

Skills rated most important

Writing78
Active Listening75
Critical Thinking75
Mathematics75
Reading Comprehension75

Work context

Indoors, Environmentally Controlled93
Spend Time Sitting89
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams77
Contact With Others46
Spend Time Standing23
Spend Time Walking or Running8
Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled6
Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body1
Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling1
Spend Time Climbing Ladders, Scaffolds, or Poles0
Spend Time Keeping or Regaining Balance0

O*NET importance and frequency ratings, 0–100.

The trait profile

Where Environmental Economist profiles sit on the eleven Haliscope traits, derived from O*NET’s published interest and work-style data.

Analyzing98
Exploring80
Persevering55
Influencing52
Organizing51
Safety-Seeking50
Law-Abiding45
Operating30
Creating27
Helping22
Harmonizing20

Who it fits, and who it doesn’t

Strong signals

  • Low Operating. Measures your preference for hands-on, practical work. High scorers thrive in action-oriented roles with tangible outputs and prefer doing over theorizing.
  • High Analyzing. Measures your drive to understand systems and solve problems. High scorers are knowledge-seeking, strategic thinkers who enjoy investigating and finding solutions.
  • Low Creating. Measures your inclination toward original thinking and artistic expression. High scorers generate innovative ideas and find rigid structure limiting.
  • Low Helping. Measures your orientation toward supporting and serving others. High scorers find fulfillment in teaching, counseling, and contributing to others' success.
  • High Exploring. Measures your openness to new experiences and curiosity about the unknown. High scorers seek novelty, enjoy experimentation, and value the journey itself.
  • Low Harmonizing. Measures your focus on group cohesion and interpersonal peace. High scorers build consensus, facilitate cooperation, and prioritize team harmony.

Friction points

  • High Operating. Measures your preference for hands-on, practical work. High scorers thrive in action-oriented roles with tangible outputs and prefer doing over theorizing.
  • Low Analyzing. Measures your drive to understand systems and solve problems. High scorers are knowledge-seeking, strategic thinkers who enjoy investigating and finding solutions.
  • High Creating. Measures your inclination toward original thinking and artistic expression. High scorers generate innovative ideas and find rigid structure limiting.
  • High Helping. Measures your orientation toward supporting and serving others. High scorers find fulfillment in teaching, counseling, and contributing to others' success.
  • Low Exploring. Measures your openness to new experiences and curiosity about the unknown. High scorers seek novelty, enjoy experimentation, and value the journey itself.
  • High Harmonizing. Measures your focus on group cohesion and interpersonal peace. High scorers build consensus, facilitate cooperation, and prioritize team harmony.

These are what the occupation’s profile says, not a hiring criterion. Haliscope is not validated for hiring or screening, and none of these is disqualifying — they are where a fit most often breaks.

Getting in

Entry education: Graduate or professional degree.

Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

O*NET Job Zone descriptions, U.S. Department of Labor.

Exposure to AI

How much of this work AI can already do, and how much AI tools help the people doing it, is scored task by task in the AI Risk Index.

Will AI replace Environmental Economist?

Is this profile yours?

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