Sociologists Salary: $121,792 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 2,950 sociologists nationally earn a mean of $121,792. Employment in the series shown fell about 21% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 0.5% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Sociologists: what the data shows
Common questions about sociologists careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a sociologists?
Sociologists is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 19-3041.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 2,950 workers.
What does a sociologists do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Analyzing Data or Information, Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others, Processing Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Working with Computers, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a sociologists make?
BLS national median annual wage: $101,690 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $121,792 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $83,129 |
| 25th percentile | $98,876 |
| Median (50th) | $123,888 |
| 75th percentile | $135,793 |
| 90th percentile | $161,277 |
What education do you need?
For Sociologists, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Speaking, Active Learning, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Critical Thinking, and knowledge areas including Sociology and Anthropology, English Language, Education and Training, Mathematics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is sociologists in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.5% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -2.3%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -4.6%.
Current U.S. headcount: 2,950.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do sociologistss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 2,950 | 17.6% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 1,750 | 10.5% |
| Educational Services | 1,510 | 9.0% |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | 1,480 | 8.9% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1,290 | 7.7% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1,290 | 7.7% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Sociologists in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Sociologists workforce.
Employment Over Time
2,950 Workforce in 2023
The Sociologists workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Sociologists.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$121,792 Average Wage
In 2023, Sociologists earned an average of $121,792.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Sociologists.
Salary distribution for Sociologists.
Employment Growth Projections
-0.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
2,266 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -2.3%
2,214 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -4.6%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Sociologists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Sociologists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Sociologists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Sociologists.
Wage Trends by Industry
-2.6% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Sociologists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Sociologists.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 660 employees, $118,570 avg wage
- MA: 600 employees, $117,290 avg wage
- NC: 240 employees, $109,380 avg wage
- FL: 180 employees, $72,680 avg wage
- OH: 110 employees, $80,430 avg wage
- WI: 100 employees, $95,130 avg wage
- MD: 90 employees, $92,030 avg wage
- WA: 90 employees, $98,820 avg wage
- NY: 50 employees, $112,070 avg wage
- MN: 30 employees, $83,040 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Sociologists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 570 employees, $117,910 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 150 employees, $124,480 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA: 140 employees, $115,640 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 100 employees, $95,700 avg wage
- Columbus, OH: 80 employees, $80,540 avg wage
- Durham-Chapel Hill, NC: 80 employees, $107,520 avg wage
- Lansing-East Lansing, MI: 60 employees, $80,140 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 60 employees, $114,330 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: 60 employees, $118,690 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 60 employees, $96,350 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Sociologists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Sociologists in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Sociologists in 2023 was 2,950 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Sociologists.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Sociologists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Sociologists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Sociologists in 2023 were Business, Social Sciences, General Studies.
Common majors for Sociologists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Sociologists workers.
Education level distribution for Sociologists.
Skills
Sociologists need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, Active Learning, Reading Comprehension, Writing.
Required skills for Sociologists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Sociologists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Sociologists include Sociology and Anthropology, English Language, Education and Training, Mathematics, History and Archeology.
Knowledge areas required for Sociologists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Sociologists include Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Written Expression, Inductive Reasoning, Written Comprehension.
Required abilities for Sociologists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Sociologists.
Daily Activities
Sociologists spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Analyzing Data or Information, Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others, Processing Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge.
Most important work activities for Sociologists.
About
Sociologists
The average yearly wage for Sociologists was $121,792 in 2023.
SOC Code
19-3041 - Sociologists
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Sociologists reports an average salary of $121,792, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 2,950 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -0.5%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.