Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
19-4061 Social Science Research Assistants
Assist social scientists in laboratory, survey, and other social science research. May help prepare findings for publication and assist in laboratory analysis, quality control, or data management. Excludes “Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary” (25-9044).
National estimates for Social Science Research Assistants
Industry profile for Social Science Research Assistants
Geographic profile for Social Science Research Assistants
National estimates for Social Science Research Assistants:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Social Science Research Assistants:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 28,690 |
1.9 % |
$ 27.13 |
$ 56,430 |
0.9 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Social Science Research Assistants:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 15.02 |
$ 21.54 |
$ 23.90 |
$ 29.80 |
$ 38.05 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 31,240 |
$ 44,800 |
$ 49,720 |
$ 61,970 |
$ 79,140 |
Industry profile for Social Science Research Assistants:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Social Science Research Assistants are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Social Science Research Assistants, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Social Science Research Assistants:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
15,250 |
0.51 |
$ 26.58 |
$ 55,280 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services |
8,130 |
1.02 |
$ 28.70 |
$ 59,700 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
1,200 |
0.02 |
$ 24.58 |
$ 51,120 |
| Social Advocacy Organizations |
600 |
0.27 |
$ 26.17 |
$ 54,430 |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
410 |
0.02 |
$ 27.52 |
$ 57,250 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Social Science Research Assistants:
Top paying industries for Social Science Research Assistants:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 42.00 |
$ 87,360 |
| Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations |
270 |
0.07 |
$ 31.81 |
$ 66,160 |
| Monetary Authorities-Central Bank |
70 |
0.33 |
$ 28.89 |
$ 60,100 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services |
8,130 |
1.02 |
$ 28.70 |
$ 59,700 |
| Employment Services |
200 |
0.01 |
$ 28.42 |
$ 59,110 |
Geographic profile for Social Science Research Assistants:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Social Science Research Assistants are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Social Science Research Assistants, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Social Science Research Assistants:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
5,740 |
0.35 |
1.71 |
$ 28.43 |
$ 59,140 |
| New York |
2,860 |
0.33 |
1.62 |
$ 27.08 |
$ 56,330 |
| North Carolina |
2,630 |
0.60 |
2.92 |
$ 25.66 |
$ 53,360 |
| District of Columbia |
2,290 |
3.46 |
17.01 |
$ 32.08 |
$ 66,720 |
| Massachusetts |
1,550 |
0.46 |
2.24 |
$ 32.60 |
$ 67,810 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Social Science Research Assistants:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| District of Columbia |
2,290 |
3.46 |
17.01 |
$ 32.08 |
$ 66,720 |
| North Carolina |
2,630 |
0.60 |
2.92 |
$ 25.66 |
$ 53,360 |
| Massachusetts |
1,550 |
0.46 |
2.24 |
$ 32.60 |
$ 67,810 |
| Arizona |
1,230 |
0.43 |
2.10 |
$ 26.06 |
$ 54,200 |
| Georgia |
1,540 |
0.35 |
1.73 |
$ 34.91 |
$ 72,610 |
Top paying states for Social Science Research Assistants:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Georgia |
1,540 |
0.35 |
1.73 |
$ 34.91 |
$ 72,610 |
| Massachusetts |
1,550 |
0.46 |
2.24 |
$ 32.60 |
$ 67,810 |
| District of Columbia |
2,290 |
3.46 |
17.01 |
$ 32.08 |
$ 66,720 |
| Delaware |
50 |
0.12 |
0.59 |
$ 31.03 |
$ 64,550 |
| Wisconsin |
80 |
0.03 |
0.14 |
$ 29.81 |
$ 62,010 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Social Science Research Assistants:
| 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 |
2,930 |
1.00 |
4.90 |
$ 31.12 |
$ 64,740 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
2,250 |
0.26 |
1.27 |
$ 28.68 |
$ 59,660 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
1,540 |
1.11 |
5.43 |
$ 27.45 |
$ 57,100 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
1,530 |
0.27 |
1.31 |
$ 28.32 |
$ 58,910 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
1,260 |
0.49 |
2.40 |
$ 32.50 |
$ 67,590 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
870 |
0.39 |
1.90 |
$ 32.12 |
$ 66,800 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
850 |
0.86 |
4.24 |
$ 27.86 |
$ 57,940 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN |
670 |
0.66 |
3.25 |
$ 21.82 |
$ 45,380 |
| Tucson, AZ |
650 |
1.79 |
8.77 |
$ 27.26 |
$ 56,690 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
650 |
0.25 |
1.23 |
$ 42.66 |
$ 88,730 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Social Science Research Assistants:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Athens-Clarke County, GA |
610 |
7.15 |
35.10 |
$ 26.98 |
$ 56,130 |
| Columbia, MO |
300 |
3.25 |
15.96 |
$ 25.96 |
$ 53,990 |
| Tucson, AZ |
650 |
1.79 |
8.77 |
$ 27.26 |
$ 56,690 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA |
160 |
1.69 |
8.31 |
$ 27.96 |
$ 58,150 |
| Greenville, NC |
110 |
1.49 |
7.30 |
$ 19.58 |
$ 40,720 |
| Charlottesville, VA |
150 |
1.38 |
6.79 |
$ 20.47 |
$ 42,590 |
| College Station-Bryan, TX |
150 |
1.31 |
6.43 |
$ 16.21 |
$ 33,710 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
1,540 |
1.11 |
5.43 |
$ 27.45 |
$ 57,100 |
| Lincoln, NE |
180 |
1.03 |
5.06 |
$ 23.98 |
$ 49,880 |
| Ann Arbor, MI |
210 |
1.03 |
5.06 |
$ 19.13 |
$ 39,790 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Social Science Research Assistants:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
650 |
0.25 |
1.23 |
$ 42.66 |
$ 88,730 |
| Columbia, SC |
40 |
0.10 |
0.48 |
$ 37.39 |
$ 77,760 |
| Springfield, MA-CT |
190 |
0.60 |
2.96 |
$ 33.93 |
$ 70,570 |
| Worcester, MA-CT |
60 |
0.21 |
1.04 |
$ 33.74 |
$ 70,180 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
1,260 |
0.49 |
2.40 |
$ 32.50 |
$ 67,590 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
870 |
0.39 |
1.90 |
$ 32.12 |
$ 66,800 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
2,930 |
1.00 |
4.90 |
$ 31.12 |
$ 64,740 |
| Madison, WI |
40 |
0.10 |
0.51 |
$ 30.65 |
$ 63,750 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
2,250 |
0.26 |
1.27 |
$ 28.68 |
$ 59,660 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
270 |
0.19 |
0.92 |
$ 28.32 |
$ 58,910 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Social Science Research Assistants:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Social Science Research Assistants:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Social Science Research Assistants:
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.
(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
United States Department of Labor
