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Field of degree: Public policy and social services

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Table 1. Public policy and social services degree, 2019
Data	Public policy and social services	All fields
Employment	891,290	56,820,460
Median wage	47,000	60,000
Percent employed part time	17	15
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	63	60
Percent with an advanced degree	48	37
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Chart 1. Types of public policy and social services majors, 2019
Public policy and social services majors	Major share
Social Work	65%
Human Services And Community Organization	17
Public Administration	11
Public Policy	7
Note: The sum of percents by major may not total 100 due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a public policy and social services degree, by occupational group, 2019
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Community and social service occupations	32%
Management occupations	15
Office and administrative support occupations	9
Educational instruction and library occupations	9
Business and financial operations occupations	7
Other	29
Note: The sum of percents by major may not total 100 due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Table 2. Top-employing occupations for workers with a public policy and social services degree
Occupational Outlook Handbook profile	Percent growth, projected 2021–31	Typical entry-level education	Percent degree holders in this field, this occupation, 2019	Percent of this occupation with an advanced degree, 2019
Medical and health services managers	28%	Bachelor's degree	2%	32%
Social and community service managers	12	Bachelor's degree	3	33
Social and human service assistants	12	High school diploma or equivalent	2	13
Therapists, all other	11	Bachelor's degree	2	59
Educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors	10	Master's degree	2	60
Lawyers	10	Doctoral or professional degree	2	92
Managers, all other	6	Bachelor's degree	3	20
Elementary school teachers, except special education	4	Bachelor's degree	3	48
Social workers, all other	3	Bachelor's degree	20	40
Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive	-10	High school diploma or equivalent	1	4
Note: Occupational profiles may comprise multiple SOC occupations, which may have differing education categories. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (projected growth, entry-level education) and U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (degree holders, advanced degrees).

Suggested citation:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Field of degree: Public policy and social services,
at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/field-of-degree/public-policy-and-social-services/public-policy-and-social-services-field-of-degree.htm (visited May 10, 2023).

Last Modified Date: Thursday, September 8, 2022