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Field of degree: Social science

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Table 1. Social science degree, 2019
Data	Social science	All fields
Employment	4,647,920	56,820,460
Median wage	64,000	60,000
Percent employed part time	15	15
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	59	60
Percent with an advanced degree	44	37
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Chart 1. Types of social science majors, 2019
Social science majors	Major share
Political Science And Government	31%
Economics	28
Sociology	20
Anthropology And Archeology	6
International Relations	4
Other	10
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 social science degree, by occupational group, 2019
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Management occupations	20%
Business and financial operations occupations	13
Educational instruction and library occupations	10
Legal occupations	10
Sales and related occupations	9
Other	38
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 social science 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
Financial managers	17%	Bachelor's degree	2%	21%
Postsecondary teachers	12	Doctoral or professional degree	3	73
Management analysts	11	Bachelor's degree	2	32
Lawyers	10	Doctoral or professional degree	8	92
Managers, all other	6	Bachelor's degree	5	20
Accountants and auditors	6	Bachelor's degree	2	26
Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary	5	Master's degree	2	56
Elementary school teachers, except special education	4	Bachelor's degree	3	48
Social workers, all other	3	Bachelor's degree	2	40
Chief executives	-7	Bachelor's degree	3	30
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: Social science,
at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/field-of-degree/social-science/social-science-field-of-degree.htm (visited March 16, 2023).

Last Modified Date: Thursday, September 8, 2022