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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

19-3041 Sociologists

Study human society and social behavior by examining the groups and social institutions that people form, as well as various social, religious, political, and business organizations. May study the behavior and interaction of groups, trace their origin and growth, and analyze the influence of group activities on individual members.


National estimates for Sociologists
Industry profile for Sociologists
Geographic profile for Sociologists

National estimates for Sociologists:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Sociologists:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
2,640 11.9 % $ 46.28 $ 96,260 1.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for Sociologists:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 29.21 $ 31.51 $ 44.67 $ 54.95 $ 65.10
Annual Wage (2) $ 60,770 $ 65,530 $ 92,910 $ 114,300 $ 135,420


Industry profile for Sociologists:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Sociologists are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Sociologists, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Sociologists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Scientific Research and Development Services 1,220 0.15 $ 49.25 $ 102,440
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 470 0.02 $ 46.89 $ 97,540
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 310 0.01 $ 33.77 $ 70,240
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 220 0.00 $ 37.28 $ 77,530

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Sociologists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Scientific Research and Development Services 1,220 0.15 $ 49.25 $ 102,440
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 470 0.02 $ 46.89 $ 97,540
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 310 0.01 $ 33.77 $ 70,240
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 220 0.00 $ 37.28 $ 77,530

Top paying industries for Sociologists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Management of Companies and Enterprises (8) (8) $ 50.76 $ 105,590
Scientific Research and Development Services 1,220 0.15 $ 49.25 $ 102,440
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 470 0.02 $ 46.89 $ 97,540
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 220 (7) $ 37.28 $ 77,530
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 310 0.01 $ 33.77 $ 70,240


Geographic profile for Sociologists:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Sociologists are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Sociologists, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of sociologists by state, May 2021


States with the highest employment level in Sociologists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 860 0.05 2.79 $ 49.15 $ 102,230
North Carolina 200 0.05 2.46 $ 52.89 $ 110,000
Massachusetts 120 0.04 1.89 $ 47.62 $ 99,040
Michigan 90 0.02 1.19 $ 35.39 $ 73,620
New Jersey 90 0.02 1.20 $ 38.37 $ 79,810


Map of location quotient of sociologists by state, May 2021


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Sociologists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 860 0.05 2.79 $ 49.15 $ 102,230
North Carolina 200 0.05 2.46 $ 52.89 $ 110,000
Massachusetts 120 0.04 1.89 $ 47.62 $ 99,040
New Jersey 90 0.02 1.20 $ 38.37 $ 79,810
Michigan 90 0.02 1.19 $ 35.39 $ 73,620


Map of annual mean wages of sociologists by state, May 2021


Top paying states for Sociologists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Illinois (8) (8) (8) $ 56.59 $ 117,710
North Carolina 200 0.05 2.46 $ 52.89 $ 110,000
California 860 0.05 2.79 $ 49.15 $ 102,230
Massachusetts 120 0.04 1.89 $ 47.62 $ 99,040
New York (8) (8) (8) $ 46.72 $ 97,170



Map of employment of sociologists by area, May 2021


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Sociologists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 240 0.11 5.69 $ 52.77 $ 109,760
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 120 0.12 6.51 $ 50.92 $ 105,920
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 110 0.35 18.68 $ 48.40 $ 100,680
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 90 0.03 1.86 $ 51.60 $ 107,330
Columbus, OH 70 0.07 3.76 $ 36.71 $ 76,350
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 70 0.06 3.01 $ 62.44 $ 129,870
Trenton, NJ 50 0.23 12.34 $ 36.69 $ 76,310
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 40 0.02 0.92 $ 38.14 $ 79,330
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 30 0.02 0.97 $ 34.76 $ 72,300


Map of location quotient of sociologists by area, May 2021


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Sociologists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 110 0.35 18.68 $ 48.40 $ 100,680
Trenton, NJ 50 0.23 12.34 $ 36.69 $ 76,310
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 120 0.12 6.51 $ 50.92 $ 105,920
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 240 0.11 5.69 $ 52.77 $ 109,760
Columbus, OH 70 0.07 3.76 $ 36.71 $ 76,350
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 70 0.06 3.01 $ 62.44 $ 129,870
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 90 0.03 1.86 $ 51.60 $ 107,330
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 30 0.02 0.97 $ 34.76 $ 72,300
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 40 0.02 0.92 $ 38.14 $ 79,330


Map of annual mean wages of sociologists by area, May 2021


Top paying metropolitan areas for Sociologists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 70 0.06 3.01 $ 62.44 $ 129,870
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI (8) (8) (8) $ 56.33 $ 117,170
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 240 0.11 5.69 $ 52.77 $ 109,760
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 90 0.03 1.86 $ 51.60 $ 107,330
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 120 0.12 6.51 $ 50.92 $ 105,920
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 110 0.35 18.68 $ 48.40 $ 100,680
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA (8) (8) (8) $ 47.93 $ 99,690
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV (8) (8) (8) $ 46.38 $ 96,460
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 40 0.02 0.92 $ 38.14 $ 79,330
Columbus, OH 70 0.07 3.76 $ 36.71 $ 76,350


About May 2021 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022