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Field of degree: Social science

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Table 1. Social science degree, 2021
Data	Social science	All fields
Employment	4,901,540	59,687,450
Median wage	68,000	63,000
Percent employed part time	14	14
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	60	62
Percent with an advanced degree	45	38
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Chart 1. Types of social science, 2021
Social science majors	Major share
Political Science And Government	31%
Economics	28
Sociology	19
Anthropology And Archeology	6
International Relations	4
Other	11
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, 2021
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Management occupations	20%
Business and financial operations occupations	14
Legal occupations	10
Educational instruction and library occupations	10
Sales and related occupations	8
Other	39
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 2022–32	Typical entry-level education	Percent degree holders in this field, this occupation, 2021	Percent of this occupation with an advanced degree, 2021
Financial managers	16%	Bachelor's degree	2%	21%
Management analysts	10	Bachelor's degree	2	35
Lawyers	8	Doctoral or professional degree	9	91
Accountants and auditors	4	Bachelor's degree	2	29
Postsecondary teachers, all other	4	Doctoral or professional degree	3	72
Managers, all other	3	Bachelor's degree	5	21
Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary	1	Master's degree	1	57
Elementary school teachers, except special education	1	Bachelor's degree	3	49
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education	1	Bachelor's degree	1	55
Chief executives	-8	Bachelor's degree	3	32
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 September 06, 2023).

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, September 6, 2023