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Field of degree: Social science

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Table 1. Social science degree, 2024
Data	Social science	All fields
Employment	5,291,010	65,886,610
Median wage	80,000	73,000
Percent employed part time	14	15
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	59	61
Percent with an advanced degree	45	39
Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Chart 1. Types of social science, 2024
Social science majors	Major share
Political Science And Government	31
Economics	28
Sociology	19
Anthropology And Archeology	6
International Relations	5
Other	11
Note: The sum of percents by major may not total 100 due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a social science degree, by occupational group, 2024
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Management occupations	21
Business and financial operations occupations	14
Legal occupations	9
Educational instruction and library occupations	9
Sales and related occupations	8
Other	40
Note: The sum of percents by major may not total 100 due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Table 2. Top-employing occupations for workers with a social science degree
Occupation	Percent degree holders in this field, this occupation, 2024	Percent of this occupation with an advanced degree, 2024	Percent growth, projected 2025–35	Typical entry-level education
Lawyers	8	91	5	Doctoral or professional degree
Managers, all other	6	22	5	Bachelor's degree
Chief executives	3	32	3	Bachelor's degree
Elementary school teachers, except special education	3	50	0	Bachelor's degree
Accountants and auditors	2	30	5	Bachelor's degree
Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary	2	57	0	Master's degree
Financial managers	2	22	10	Bachelor's degree
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary	2	75	18	Doctoral or professional degree
Management analysts	2	35	10	Bachelor's degree
Software developers	1	33	10	Bachelor's degree
Note: Occupational profiles may comprise multiple SOC occupations, which may have differing education categories. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Census Bureau.

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 October 29, 2026).

Last modified date: October 29, 2026