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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

19-3094 Political Scientists

Study the origin, development, and operation of political systems. May study topics, such as public opinion, political decisionmaking, and ideology. May analyze the structure and operation of governments, as well as various political entities. May conduct public opinion surveys, analyze election results, or analyze public documents. Excludes “Survey Researchers” (19-3022).


National estimates for Political Scientists
Industry profile for Political Scientists
Geographic profile for Political Scientists

National estimates for Political Scientists:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Political Scientists:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
5,650 5.7 % $ 57.90 $ 120,430 1.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for Political Scientists:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 29.56 $ 39.64 $ 58.90 $ 74.61 $ 82.93
Annual Wage (2) $ 61,480 $ 82,450 $ 122,510 $ 155,190 $ 172,490


Industry profile for Political Scientists:

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

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Political Scientists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 3,310 0.16 $ 63.75 $ 132,590
Scientific Research and Development Services 750 0.09 $ 53.86 $ 112,040
Social Advocacy Organizations 600 0.27 $ 46.39 $ 96,500
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 250 0.01 $ 43.29 $ 90,050
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 190 0.00 $ 45.75 $ 95,160

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Political Scientists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Social Advocacy Organizations 600 0.27 $ 46.39 $ 96,500
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 3,310 0.16 $ 63.75 $ 132,590
Scientific Research and Development Services 750 0.09 $ 53.86 $ 112,040
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services 120 0.03 $ 61.61 $ 128,150
Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations 70 0.02 $ 37.24 $ 77,460

Top paying industries for Political Scientists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 3,310 0.16 $ 63.75 $ 132,590
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services 120 0.03 $ 61.61 $ 128,150
Scientific Research and Development Services 750 0.09 $ 53.86 $ 112,040
Social Advocacy Organizations 600 0.27 $ 46.39 $ 96,500
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 190 (7) $ 45.75 $ 95,160


Geographic profile for Political Scientists:

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



Map of employment of political scientists by state, May 2021


States with the highest employment level in Political Scientists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 3,490 5.27 131.46 $ 60.68 $ 126,210
Washington 220 0.07 1.73 $ 53.00 $ 110,240
California 200 0.01 0.30 $ 57.29 $ 119,160
Texas 150 0.01 0.31 $ 43.87 $ 91,240
New York 110 0.01 0.32 $ 55.00 $ 114,400


Map of location quotient of political scientists by state, May 2021


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

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 3,490 5.27 131.46 $ 60.68 $ 126,210
Vermont 30 0.12 3.05 $ 29.09 $ 60,520
New Hampshire 60 0.10 2.39 $ 40.87 $ 85,010
Washington 220 0.07 1.73 $ 53.00 $ 110,240
Maine 40 0.07 1.63 $ 34.17 $ 71,080


Map of annual mean wages of political scientists by state, May 2021


Top paying states for Political Scientists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Virginia (8) (8) (8) $ 68.82 $ 143,150
Michigan 60 0.01 0.36 $ 68.16 $ 141,780
Maryland (8) (8) (8) $ 67.72 $ 140,850
District of Columbia 3,490 5.27 131.46 $ 60.68 $ 126,210
California 200 0.01 0.30 $ 57.29 $ 119,160



Map of employment of political scientists by area, May 2021


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Political Scientists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 4,040 1.38 34.33 $ 62.08 $ 129,130
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 170 0.09 2.24 $ 54.27 $ 112,880
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 80 0.01 0.23 $ 58.29 $ 121,250
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 70 0.02 0.42 $ 41.92 $ 87,190
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 40 0.02 0.49 $ 48.27 $ 100,410
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 40 0.01 0.33 (8) (8)
Portland-South Portland, ME 30 0.17 4.13 $ 33.78 $ 70,260


Map of location quotient of political scientists by area, May 2021


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

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 4,040 1.38 34.33 $ 62.08 $ 129,130
Portland-South Portland, ME 30 0.17 4.13 $ 33.78 $ 70,260
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 170 0.09 2.24 $ 54.27 $ 112,880
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 40 0.02 0.49 $ 48.27 $ 100,410
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 70 0.02 0.42 $ 41.92 $ 87,190
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 40 0.01 0.33 (8) (8)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 80 0.01 0.23 $ 58.29 $ 121,250


Map of annual mean wages of political scientists by area, May 2021


Top paying metropolitan areas for Political Scientists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD (8) (8) (8) $ 72.99 $ 151,830
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 4,040 1.38 34.33 $ 62.08 $ 129,130
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 80 0.01 0.23 $ 58.29 $ 121,250
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 170 0.09 2.24 $ 54.27 $ 112,880
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 40 0.02 0.49 $ 48.27 $ 100,410
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH (8) (8) (8) $ 42.14 $ 87,640
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 70 0.02 0.42 $ 41.92 $ 87,190
Portland-South Portland, ME 30 0.17 4.13 $ 33.78 $ 70,260


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