In the table below, # is the journal's rank by citations (may be 2 years old, I didn't update this), and then there is data on the acceptance rate, desk rejection rate, average time to acceptance, median time to acceptance, and the 25th and 75th percentiles (all in terms of months). Only journals with at least 5 observations were included. Data come from here.
There are some similarities with the previous ranking by speed. The QJE is still the fastest, and the JME still brings up the rear -- despite the fact I've doubled the sample size.
One note is that I just copy-pasted and ran my previous code, so if you notice any errors below, please let me know.
My big hesitation with doing this is that I think it may not purely be a good thing to incentive journals to respond quickly. They tend to do this by desk-rejecting more papers, and I worry that desk-rejections are often done on the basis of institutional affiliation, or perhaps after a less-than-fully-thorough examination of the paper. I may do an updated version which conditions on the paper going out to journals. Nevertheless, if you are contemplating which journal to submit a paper to, this may be helpful.
| # | Journal Name | Accept % | Desk Reject % | Avg. Time | Median Time | 25th Percent. (Months) | 75th Percent. (Months) | N = |
| 1 | Quarterly Journal of Economics | 1% | 61% | 0.59 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 82 |
| 80 | Journal of Economic Geography | 0% | 80% | 0.67 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 12 | Journal of the European Economic Association | 3% | 58% | 1.16 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 31 |
| 81 | Kyklos | 8% | 33% | 1.33 | 1 | 0.5 | 2 | 12 |
| 94 | Economics and Human Biology | 43% | 43% | 1.50 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| 74 | Management Science | 18% | 45% | 1.55 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 22 |
| 15 | Review of Financial Studies | 11% | 37% | 1.59 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 27 |
| 78 | Demography | 0% | 80% | 1.60 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| 14 | Journal of Human Resources | 15% | 54% | 1.60 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 46 |
| 31 | European Economic Review | 28% | 44% | 1.72 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 50 |
| 6 | American Economic Journal: Applied Economics | 8% | 37% | 1.76 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 49 |
| 13 | American Economic Journal: Economic Policy | 8% | 36% | 1.83 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 36 |
| 100 | China Economic Review | 67% | 33% | 1.83 | 2 | 0.5 | 2 | 9 |
| 7 | Journal of Finance | 0% | 33% | 2.05 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 21 |
| 19 | Journal of Financial Economics | 24% | 18% | 2.06 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 17 |
| 27 | Journal of Financial Intermediation | 14% | 29% | 2.14 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| 9 | American Economic Review | 7% | 47% | 2.16 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 91 |
| 46 | Econometrics Journal | 0% | 50% | 2.17 | 0.5 | 0 | 5 | 6 |
| 55 | Review of Income and Wealth | 17% | 67% | 2.17 | 0.5 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| 38 | Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis | 29% | 6% | 2.18 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 17 |
| 37 | Journal of Population Economics | 22% | 44% | 2.22 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 9 |
| 76 | Explorations in Economic History | 56% | 11% | 2.22 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| 32 | Theoretical Economics | 8% | 0% | 2.23 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 13 |
| 90 | Economics Letters | 45% | 25% | 2.24 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 114 |
| 42 | Review of Finance | 0% | 8% | 2.25 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 3 | 12 |
| 16 | Economic Journal | 16% | 45% | 2.26 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 56 |
| 34 | Journal of Health Economics | 13% | 55% | 2.32 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 31 |
| 5 | American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics | 13% | 21% | 2.33 | 2 | 1.5 | 3 | 24 |
| 62 | Regional Science and Urban Economics | 52% | 14% | 2.35 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 21 |
| 65 | International Journal of Industrial Organization | 7% | 20% | 2.47 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 15 |
| 91 | Public Choice | 14% | 48% | 2.48 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 29 |
| 35 | Labour Economics | 9% | 27% | 2.55 | 2.5 | 2 | 3 | 22 |
| 41 | Journal of Law and Economics | 0% | 43% | 2.57 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 14 |
| 61 | Journal of Comparative Economics | 27% | 33% | 2.63 | 2 | 0.5 | 4.5 | 15 |
| 71 | European Journal of Political Economy | 38% | 23% | 2.69 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 13 |
| 58 | B.E. Journals in Economic Analysis & Policy | 33% | 7% | 2.71 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 15 |
| 26 | Journal of Urban Economics | 22% | 17% | 2.72 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 18 |
| 30 | American Economic Journal: Microeconomics | 19% | 25% | 2.74 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 16 |
| 4 | Econometrica | 6% | 23% | 2.77 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 35 |
| 24 | Journal of Applied Econometrics | 9% | 35% | 2.78 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 23 |
| 57 | Industrial and Labor Relations Review | 27% | 36% | 2.82 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 11 |
| 64 | The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization | 18% | 27% | 2.82 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 11 |
| 85 | Energy Journal | 38% | 0% | 2.88 | 3 | 2 | 3.5 | 8 |
| 36 | World Bank Economic Review | 8% | 31% | 2.92 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 13 |
| 11 | Journal of Labor Economics | 0% | 32% | 3.00 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 19 |
| 21 | Journal of Public Economics | 12% | 27% | 3.10 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 60 |
| 83 | American Journal of Health Economics | 43% | 0% | 3.14 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| 3 | Review of Economic Studies | 4% | 34% | 3.16 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 73 |
| 23 | Journal of Development Economics | 17% | 41% | 3.16 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 54 |
| 63 | Oxford Economic Papers | 17% | 42% | 3.23 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 12 |
| 67 | Journal of Banking and Finance | 18% | 18% | 3.25 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 28 |
| 87 | Southern Economic Journal | 14% | 14% | 3.29 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| 99 | American Journal of Agricultural Economics | 23% | 0% | 3.31 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 13 |
| 82 | Journal of Macroeconomics | 31% | 25% | 3.31 | 3 | 0.5 | 5.5 | 16 |
| 69 | Economics and Politics | 40% | 0% | 3.33 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 5 |
| 89 | Journal of Economic History | 17% | 0% | 3.33 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 93 | Review of Economics of the Household | 20% | 10% | 3.46 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| 17 | Journal of Economic Growth | 0% | 0% | 3.50 | 2.5 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| 92 | Small Business Economics | 25% | 25% | 3.50 | 3 | 1.5 | 5 | 8 |
| 10 | Review of Economics and Statistics | 2% | 48% | 3.51 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 65 |
| 56 | Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization | 30% | 27% | 3.67 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 33 |
| 25 | Journal of Business and Economic Statistics | 20% | 10% | 3.70 | 2.5 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| 49 | Canadian Journal of Economics | 28% | 6% | 3.72 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 18 |
| 53 | Economics of Education Review | 50% | 7% | 3.79 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 14 |
| 51 | Journal of Industrial Economics | 13% | 33% | 3.81 | 4 | 1.5 | 5.5 | 15 |
| 88 | World Development | 39% | 37% | 3.92 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 49 |
| 33 | Journal of Economic Theory (Elsevier) | 21% | 18% | 3.94 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 33 |
| 22 | RAND Journal of Economics | 6% | 21% | 3.97 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 34 |
| 68 | Macroeconomics Dynamics (Cambridge) | 57% | 21% | 4.07 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 14 |
| 28 | Experimental Economics | 38% | 8% | 4.08 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 13 |
| 40 | Journal of Environmental Economics and Management | 24% | 8% | 4.15 | 3.5 | 2 | 5 | 25 |
| 45 | Econometric Theory | 0% | 40% | 4.20 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| 84 | Health Economics | 8% | 50% | 4.21 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
| 44 | Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control | 50% | 14% | 4.22 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 22 |
| 54 | Journal of Economics and Management Strategy | 54% | 8% | 4.23 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 13 |
| 66 | International Tax and Public Finance | 14% | 14% | 4.29 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 7 |
| 60 | B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics | 63% | 0% | 4.33 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| 75 | Economic Theory | 23% | 27% | 4.35 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 22 |
| 95 | Energy Economics | 55% | 0% | 4.42 | 4 | 3.5 | 6 | 11 |
| 98 | Economics of Transition | 71% | 14% | 4.50 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 6 | 7 |
| 47 | Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics | 29% | 36% | 4.64 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 14 |
| 72 | Environmental and Resource Economics | 27% | 47% | 4.69 | 4 | 2.5 | 6.5 | 15 |
| 18 | Journal of International Economics | 18% | 6% | 4.71 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 17 |
| 43 | Journal of International Money and Finance | 40% | 5% | 4.75 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 20 |
| 97 | Journal of Corporate Finance | 14% | 14% | 4.75 | 3.5 | 3 | 6.5 | 7 |
| 73 | Review of International Economics | 30% | 10% | 4.91 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 10 |
| 52 | Games and Economic Behavior | 18% | 18% | 4.94 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 50 |
| 59 | Economic Development and Cultural Change | 27% | 20% | 5.00 | 4.5 | 3 | 6.5 | 15 |
| 48 | Economic Inquiry | 25% | 25% | 5.18 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 36 |
| 39 | Journal of Economic Surveys | 0% | 40% | 5.20 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 5 |
| 2 | Journal of Political Economy | 0% | 50% | 5.34 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 32 |
| 96 | Empirical Economics | 44% | 13% | 5.56 | 5.5 | 3.5 | 6 | 16 |
| 50 | Economica | 11% | 53% | 5.57 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 19 |
| 20 | Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking | 13% | 13% | 5.72 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 9 | 30 |
| 77 | Journal of Public Economic Theory | 27% | 18% | 5.86 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 11 |
| 79 | The World Economy | 40% | 0% | 6.25 | 5 | 3.5 | 8.5 | 5 |
| 70 | Econometric Reviews | 33% | 0% | 6.86 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 6 |
| 29 | Journal of Econometrics | 10% | 10% | 6.90 | 6.5 | 5 | 10 | 10 |
| 86 | Journal of Empirical Finance | 38% | 0% | 8.22 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 8 |
| 8 | Journal of Monetary Economics | 21% | 11% | 9.12 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 19 |
