Research Economist Family
Career series with 4 positions across 4 levels
Research Economist groups 4 related titles into a 4-level career ladder.
Entry is typically through Research Economist 1, advancing through the ladder toward Research Economist 4. Pay across the family spans $69,668 to $148,187, around the 78th percentile of all civil service job families by top pay. State payroll records show 6 people across the family's titles, most concentrated at Treasury.
Research Economist is a common next step after Health Economics Research Specialist and Research Scientist.
Positions in This Family
- RESEARCH ECONOMIST 1 (54001) $69,668 - $101,951/year
- RESEARCH ECONOMIST 3 (54005) $91,628 - $134,900/year
- RESEARCH ECONOMIST 4 (54006) $100,498 - $148,187/year
- RESEARCH ECONOMIST 2 (54104) $79,844 - $117,228/year
What the Research Economist family covers
New Jersey classifies Research Economist as a 4-level series holding 4 separate title codes. The family straddles jurisdictions: 3 state and 1 both state and local, so parts of it are hired by state departments and parts by local civil service employers.
Money titles are among the most portable in New Jersey government. The accounting, audit, budget and revenue series run in near-identical form at the state, in county finance offices and inside local civil service jurisdictions, which is why the same family often appears with both state and local codes. Requirements usually lean on a degree with accounting coursework rather than a license, and the CPA sits above the entry bar rather than at it. Promotion tends to follow the ledger: staff work first, then review of other people's work, then responsibility for a whole fund or program.
The ladder, ordered by pay
Sorted by pay instead of by title number, the Research Economist family stacks up as follows. Here the numbering happens to agree with the pay order, which is not guaranteed elsewhere in New Jersey's plan.
- Research Economist 4 — $100,498 to $148,187 (a doctoral degree)
- Research Economist 3 — $91,628 to $134,900 (a master's degree)
- Research Economist 2 — $79,844 to $117,228 (a master's degree)
- Research Economist 1 — $69,668 to $101,951 (a master's degree)
The distance from the bottom of Research Economist 1 to the top of Research Economist 4 is $78,519, an increase of about 113% over the entry minimum.
What each title does
The specifications themselves are the clearest guide to what separates these titles. Here is how each one opens.
- Research Economist 1: Under the direction of a Research Economist 4 or other supervisory official in a state department or agency, assists in the review and analysis of economic data…
- Research Economist 3: Under the direction of a Research Economist 4 or other supervisory official in a state department or agency, plans, organizes and directs assigned research activities…
- Research Economist 4: Under the direction of a supervisory official in a state department or agency, supervises professional and/or technical staff responsible for organizing, analyzing…
- Research Economist 2: Under the direction of a Research Economist 4 or other supervisory official in a state department or agency, gathers, analyzes and interprets economic data; designs…
Getting in: the stated requirements
Across the 4 titles we have parsed, the education requirements read as a master's degree on 3 of them and a doctoral degree on 1 of them. On how the jobs are filled: 4 are competitive, filled from an eligible list after an open competitive or promotional examination.
Who actually employs these titles
State payroll records show 6 people working under 3 of this family's titles, spread across 4 agencies. Treasury alone accounts for about 50% of them.
- Treasury — 3 employees
- Community Affairs — 1 employee
- Labor — 1 employee
- Board of the Public Utilities — 1 employee
Median actual pay varies across the family, from $80,756 for Research Economist 2 up to $120,138 for Research Economist 4. Those are medians of what people are really paid, not schedule minimums and maximums.
State payroll only, deduplicated by payroll title; local employers file separately, so a family with local codes looks smaller here than it is. How this is counted.
How the pay is set
Titles in this family are paid on the A-P-R-S salary schedule. See every step in that schedule. Bargaining is handled by CWA. Union contracts and rights are collected here.
Where these jobs exist
Because the family mixes jurisdictions, the answer to "who hires this" depends on the specific code. State codes run through the Civil Service Commission's announcement and eligible list process; local codes are hired by the counties, municipalities and authorities that adopted civil service under Title 11A. Check an employer's status before assuming a title is available where you live.
Related titles elsewhere in the plan
Nearby in the plan, ranked by how distinctive the shared terms are rather than by how many words happen to match.
- Home Economist (local jurisdiction)
- Chief Public Utility Economist ($111,503 to $156,118, state jurisdiction) — in the Chief family
- Research Aide (local jurisdiction)
- Research Scientist (state jurisdiction)
- Research Assistant (local jurisdiction)
- Research Analyst 1 ($58,222 to $84,763, state jurisdiction) — in the Research Analyst family
Common questions about Research Economist jobs
How many Research Economist titles are there in New Jersey civil service?
The Research Economist family holds 4 title codes arranged across 4 levels. Each code is a separate classification with its own published specification, requirements and salary treatment.
What does a Research Economist earn in New Jersey?
Published salary data for this family runs from $69,668 at the bottom of Research Economist 1 to $148,187 at the top of Research Economist 4. Those are schedule figures. Where the title appears on the state payroll, actual median pay is listed on the page above.
Do you need to take an exam to become a Research Economist?
Yes for most of the family. 4 of the 4 titles are in the competitive division, which means appointment comes from an eligible list built by an open competitive or promotional examination.
What qualifications does a Research Economist need?
The most common education requirement in this family is a master's degree, named on 3 of the 4 titles. Read the individual specification for the exact wording, including any experience substitution.
Which agencies employ Research Economist staff?
State payroll records show 6 people in this family across 4 agencies, with Treasury the largest at 3. Local government employers are not covered by that extract.