A working paper by Yolanda K. Kodrzycki and Pingkang David Yu of the Boston Fed attempts to rank economic journals according to their: 1) impact within the Economics field, 2) overall impact, 3) Policy Impact and 4) impact on non-economic journals. The top 10 journals in each category are as follows:
| Within Economics | Overall Impact | Policy Impact | Non-Econ Impact |
| Am Econ Rev | J Health Econ | AER | J Health Econ |
| Q J Econ | Health Econ | QJE | Health Econ |
| Econometrica | Inquiry-J Health Car | J Health Econ | Inquiry-J Health Car |
| J Polit Econ | Q J Econ | J Polit Econ | Q J Econ |
| Rev Econ Stud | Am Econ Rev | Econometrica | Am Econ Rev |
| J Monetary Econ | J Hum Resour | J Econ Perspect | J Hum Resour |
| Rev Econ Stat | J Risk Uncertainty | J Dev Econ | Hous Policy Debate |
| J Econ Perspect | Hous Policy Debate | J Dev Stud | J Risk Uncertainty |
| J Econometrics | J Econ Psychol | Rev Econ Stat | J Econ Psychol |
| J Econ Theory | Economterica | Econ J | Rand J Econ |
While it may not be surprising that journals such as The American Economic Review, The Quarterly Journal of Economics and Econometrica top the list of most influential economics journals, it is surprising that three health economics journals top the list in the ‘overall impact’ category. The Journal of Health Economics, Health Economics, and Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision and Financing are the journals that have the most overall impact and are most well-known outside the world of economics.