Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

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)
2,980 8.9 % $ 48.71 $ 101,310 2.9 %

Percentile wage estimates for Sociologists:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 27.64 $ 34.46 $ 47.40 $ 61.02 $ 79.83
Annual Wage (2) $ 57,490 $ 71,680 $ 98,590 $ 126,920 $ 166,040


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 1,120 0.13 $ 49.59 $ 103,140
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 610 0.03 $ 41.85 $ 87,050
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 340 0.01 $ 36.15 $ 75,200
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 190 0.00 $ 43.14 $ 89,730

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 1,120 0.13 $ 49.59 $ 103,140
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 610 0.03 $ 41.85 $ 87,050
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 340 0.01 $ 36.15 $ 75,200
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 190 0.00 $ 43.14 $ 89,730

Top paying industries for Sociologists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Scientific Research and Development Services 1,120 0.13 $ 49.59 $ 103,140
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 190 (7) $ 43.14 $ 89,730
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 610 0.03 $ 41.85 $ 87,050
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 340 0.01 $ 36.15 $ 75,200


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 2022


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 740 0.04 2.07 $ 51.91 $ 107,960
Massachusetts 420 0.12 5.84 $ 63.32 $ 131,700
North Carolina 330 0.07 3.53 $ 51.44 $ 106,990
Washington 190 0.06 2.79 $ 41.42 $ 86,160
Florida 170 0.02 0.94 $ 28.22 $ 58,700


Map of location quotient of sociologists by state, May 2022


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)
Massachusetts 420 0.12 5.84 $ 63.32 $ 131,700
North Carolina 330 0.07 3.53 $ 51.44 $ 106,990
Maryland 160 0.06 2.95 $ 46.94 $ 97,630
Washington 190 0.06 2.79 $ 41.42 $ 86,160
California 740 0.04 2.07 $ 51.91 $ 107,960


Map of annual mean wages of sociologists by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Sociologists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Massachusetts 420 0.12 5.84 $ 63.32 $ 131,700
Illinois (8) (8) (8) $ 55.51 $ 115,460
California 740 0.04 2.07 $ 51.91 $ 107,960
North Carolina 330 0.07 3.53 $ 51.44 $ 106,990
New York (8) (8) (8) $ 49.25 $ 102,450



Map of employment of sociologists by area, May 2022


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)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 280 0.03 1.53 $ 49.57 $ 103,100
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 170 0.07 3.60 $ 56.19 $ 116,880
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 160 0.05 2.65 $ 47.65 $ 99,110
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 150 0.45 22.53 $ 49.21 $ 102,350
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 140 0.07 3.44 $ 42.90 $ 89,220
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 120 0.12 5.79 $ 51.78 $ 107,700
Columbus, OH 70 0.06 3.13 $ 36.90 $ 76,760
Ann Arbor, MI 40 0.21 10.33 $ 33.93 $ 70,570
Stockton-Lodi, CA 40 0.13 6.45 $ 54.39 $ 113,120
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 40 0.03 1.55 $ 60.66 $ 126,170


Map of location quotient of sociologists by area, May 2022


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 150 0.45 22.53 $ 49.21 $ 102,350
Ann Arbor, MI 40 0.21 10.33 $ 33.93 $ 70,570
Stockton-Lodi, CA 40 0.13 6.45 $ 54.39 $ 113,120
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 120 0.12 5.79 $ 51.78 $ 107,700
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 170 0.07 3.60 $ 56.19 $ 116,880
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 140 0.07 3.44 $ 42.90 $ 89,220
Columbus, OH 70 0.06 3.13 $ 36.90 $ 76,760
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 160 0.05 2.65 $ 47.65 $ 99,110
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 40 0.03 1.55 $ 60.66 $ 126,170
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 280 0.03 1.53 $ 49.57 $ 103,100


Map of annual mean wages of sociologists by area, May 2022


Top paying metropolitan areas for Sociologists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH (8) (8) (8) $ 66.39 $ 138,100
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 40 0.03 1.55 $ 60.66 $ 126,170
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 170 0.07 3.60 $ 56.19 $ 116,880
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI (8) (8) (8) $ 55.69 $ 115,830
Stockton-Lodi, CA 40 0.13 6.45 $ 54.39 $ 113,120
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 120 0.12 5.79 $ 51.78 $ 107,700
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 280 0.03 1.53 $ 49.57 $ 103,100
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 150 0.45 22.53 $ 49.21 $ 102,350
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 160 0.05 2.65 $ 47.65 $ 99,110
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 140 0.07 3.44 $ 42.90 $ 89,220


About May 2022 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 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2023