There'a a battle going on between the top U.S. economics departments for new and established talent. Of particular interest to economics grad. students, though:
"Established or not, economists are hot commodities. Last year, the average starting salary for new assistant economics professors was nearly $112,000 – the highest ever in inflation-adjusted terms and one of the highest across academic departments, according to the American Economic Association."
© 2012, David E. Giles