There are a number of type of software used by researchers in economics to analyze data. Some of the most popular are:
STATA
Used extensively by academic economists, particularly those in microeconomics. It is very useful for studying cross-sectional and panel data sets.
R
This softare is completely open source and free. It is used for time series analysis. It is also useful for Bayesian Analysis.
SAS
This software is more popular in other fields, but is also favored by economists with ties to industry. It is known for handling large data sets.
Matlab
Matlab isn't econometric software per se, rather it is a matrix programing language that gives you complete control of the process. Matlab makes manipulating and working with matrices easy.
