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Field of degree: Social science

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Table 1. Social science degree, 2023
Data	Social science	All fields
Employment	5,226,990	63,725,710
Median wage	75,000	70,000
Percent employed part time	14	15
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, 2023
Social science majors	Major share
Political Science And Government	30%
Economics	28
Sociology	19
Anthropology And Archeology	7
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, 2023
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	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
Occupation	Percent degree holders in this field, this occupation, 2023	Percent of this occupation with an advanced degree, 2023	Percent growth, projected 2024–34	Typical entry-level education
Lawyers	8%	91%	4%	Doctoral or professional degree
Managers, all other	6	21	4	Bachelor's degree
Chief executives	3	32	4	Bachelor's degree
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary	3	74	17	Doctoral or professional degree
Elementary school teachers, except special education	2	49	-2	Bachelor's degree
Management analysts	2	36	9	Bachelor's degree
Financial managers	2	24	15	Bachelor's degree
Accountants and auditors	2	29	5	Bachelor's degree
Software developers	1	32	16	Bachelor's degree
Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary	1	56	-2	Master's degree
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 October 21, 2025).

Last Modified Date: Thursday, August 28, 2025