Lead / Director Economists salary in California
Roles that direct strategy, lead teams, or hold full functional ownership. Typically ten or more years of experience or a Director-class title with budget responsibility.
Lead / Director Economists in California: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 13 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $190,000. Every figure below is an actual offered salary an employer attested to under federal law.
By DOL wage level
DOL classifies every offer into one of four wage levels based on the role's experience and skill requirements.
| Level | Filings | Median offer |
|---|---|---|
| Level IV — fully competent | 13 | $190,000 |
Top employers filing for this role
Companies with the most certified filings for Lead / Director Economists in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.
| Employer | Most-filed title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analysis Group, Inc. | Manager | 3 | $230,000 |
| Amazon.com Services LLC | Principal, Economist | 2 | $192,113 |
| Upgrade, Inc. | Senior Director, Capital Markets | 1 | $226,782 |
| Databricks, Inc. | Staff Product Manager, Economist & Business Insights | 1 | $180,731 |
| WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. | Senior Lead Commercial Banking Relationship Manager - 000268 | 1 | $180,731 |
| Nextdoor, Inc. | Researcher | 1 | $190,000 |
| Gotion, Inc. | Managerial Economist | 1 | $180,000 |
| Events.com | Behavioral Economist | 1 | $146,078 |
| HANWHA Q CELLS AMERICA, INC. | SENIOR MANAGER OF ENERGY ANALYTICS | 1 | $186,800 |
| Scale AI, Inc. | Economics Lead, Marketplace Incentives | 1 | $200,000 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Senior Director, Capital Markets at Upgrade, Inc.$226,782San FranciscoWage Level IVDecided Jul 23, 2025I-200-25197-178620
- Principal, Economist at Amazon.com Services LLC$183,706Culver CityWage Level IVDecided Jun 12, 2025I-200-25156-055313
- Staff Product Manager, Economist & Business Insights at Databricks, Inc.$180,731San FranciscoWage Level IVDecided Jun 5, 2025I-200-25149-030400
- Senior Lead Commercial Banking Relationship Manager - 000268 at WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A.$180,731Palo AltoWage Level IVDecided May 19, 2025I-200-25132-966448
- Researcher at Nextdoor, Inc.$190,000Santa MonicaWage Level IVDecided May 15, 2025I-200-25128-952431
- Managerial Economist at Gotion, Inc.$180,000FremontWage Level IVDecided May 2, 2025I-200-25115-906143
- Principal, Economist at Amazon.com Services LLC$200,520Culver CityWage Level IVDecided Mar 28, 2025I-200-25080-793553
- Behavioral Economist at Events.com$146,078La JollaWage Level IVDecided Mar 6, 2025I-200-25058-727999
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification. Disclosed wages reflect what employers attested to pay; actual paid wages may differ. Only certified filings are shown — denied and withdrawn cases are excluded.