SALARY DATA — SOC 19-3041
Sociologists
19-0000 Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations
The 90/10 ratio for Sociologists is 2.65× — the national median is $106,030 but top decile earns $172,550. The spread exists; it's concentrated in geography, specialization, and industry sector. Knowing which end of the band you're on is the whole negotiation.
BLS OEWS reference period: May 2025. Employment: 2,260.
Wage distribution — the receipts
National OEWS annual wage percentiles. "vs. median" column shows each percentile relative to the occupation's own national median — this is where your position in the band lives. Source and series IDs: methodology page.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs. median | Hourly (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th pct — bottom decile | $65,160 | -39% | ~$31 |
| 25th pct — lower quartile | $82,300 | -22% | ~$40 |
| Median — 50th pct | $106,030 | — | $50.98/hr |
| Mean — average | $114,920 | +8% | $55.25/hr |
| 75th pct — upper quartile | $137,420 | +30% | ~$66 |
| 90th pct — top decile | $172,550 | +63% | ~$83 |
Source: BLS OEWS national estimates. Annual wage ÷ 2,080 hrs = hourly estimate. Hourly-median is direct from OEWS when available; others are estimates only.
Pay by metro area
BLS publishes May 2025 wage estimates for Sociologists in 9 metro areas; the 9 with the most jobs are below, ranked by employment.
| Metro | Jobs | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 240 | $106,530 | $65,400 | $190,440 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 110 | $134,770 | $88,630 | $165,830 |
| Columbus, OH | 100 | $82,820 | $68,040 | $102,610 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 90 | $97,170 | $80,640 | $138,000 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 70 | $124,540 | $82,690 | $178,050 |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI | 60 | $64,180 | $52,520 | $111,450 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 60 | $103,840 | $67,770 | $162,680 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 40 | $131,170 | $89,280 | $162,230 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | 30 | $131,170 | $70,580 | $155,800 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — metropolitan area estimates (oesm25ma/MSA_M2025_dl.xlsx). Jobs are rounded to the nearest ten and exclude the self-employed; a dash means BLS suppressed that percentile.
Pay by industry
Across 5 detailed industries with a publishable estimate, the 5 that employ the most Sociologists are below, with the median wage each one pays.
| Industry | NAICS | Jobs | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific Research and Development Services | 541700 | 800 | $125,770 |
| State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 999200 | 620 | $104,390 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | 611300 | 610 | $87,290 |
| Social Advocacy Organizations | 813300 | 50 | $135,080 |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 999300 | 30 | $95,370 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — national 4-digit NAICS industry estimates (oesm25in4/nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx), all ownerships combined. Industries where BLS suppresses the wage are omitted rather than shown as zero.
What it pays vs. what it buys
The wage is only half the number. Below, the metro median for Sociologists is divided by that metro's BEA Regional Price Parity — the federal measure of what a dollar actually buys there. Nominal is what the job pays. Real is what it buys at local prices.
| Metro | Nominal | Prices | Real | Rank shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside | $131,170 | 101.3 | $129,530 | +1 |
| San Francisco | $134,770 | 106.2 | $126,920 | -1 |
| Los Angeles | $124,540 | 113.6 | $109,663 | — |
| Boston | $106,530 | 103.6 | $102,788 | — |
| Washington | $103,840 | 102.3 | $101,526 | — |
| Seattle | $97,170 | 111.1 | $87,436 | — |
| Columbus | $82,820 | 98.9 | $83,747 | — |
Top 10 of 7 metros by real wage. Rank shift = places gained or lost against the nominal ranking. Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan estimates; BEA Regional Price Parities (national = 100). Metros where BLS suppresses the estimate are omitted rather than shown as zero. Full data at /salaries-metro.json.
Is this job growing or dying?
BLS projects employment in Sociologists to move from 2,700 to 2,800 over 2025–2035 — +3.8% , with about 200 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted . Typical entry requirement: master's degree.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 (2025–2035). Openings count growth and replacement need together, which is why a shrinking occupation can still hire. Full data at /employment-projections.json.
Salary FAQ
- What is the median salary for Sociologists?
- The median annual salary for Sociologists is $106,030, and the mean is $114,920 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025).
- What is the salary range for Sociologists?
- Most Sociologists earn between $65,160 and $172,550 a year. The wage gap inside the occupation is a 2.65× ratio — workers at the 90th percentile earn 2.65 times those at the 10th (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
- Where does pay for Sociologists fall the most after adjusting for cost of living?
- Local prices reorder the ranking. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA ranks #1 by nominal pay but #2 of 7 metros once local prices are applied (BEA Regional Price Parities).
- Is employment for Sociologists growing or shrinking?
- BLS projects Sociologists employment to grow 3.8% over the 2025–2035 window, with about 200 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035).
- How many Sociologists jobs are there in the US?
- BLS counts about 2,260 workers in Sociologists nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Figures from this page's OEWS / Employment Projections / BEA data, above. Methodology at /methodology#oews-salaries.
Related occupations
Other Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations whose national median wage is closest to that of Sociologists: same SOC major group, nearest median first.
- Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists $103,410
- Geographers $102,040
- Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers $101,920
- Nuclear Technicians $110,240
- Psychologists, All Other $110,840
- Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other $101,110
- Clinical and Counseling Psychologists $100,580
- Atmospheric and Space Scientists $99,070
The national wage distribution and the metro and industry tables above are BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Sociologists (SOC 19-3041): percentiles from the OEWS API series, metro and industry rows from the published bulk tables — how they are fetched, what OEWS leaves out (equity, bonuses, benefits) and how the 90/10 ratio is read are documented at /methodology#oews-salaries and #oews-breakdown. The other sections keep their own sources and periods: the cost-adjusted metro table divides OEWS metro medians by BEA Regional Price Parities (/methodology#burnout-index); the outlook and its FAQ entry are BLS Employment Projections for 2025–2035.
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Raw JSON: /salaries/sociologists-19-3041.json · License: CC BY 4.0 · Source: BLS OEWS · Cite as: Office Blues OEWS Salary Data, Sociologists, officeblues.net/salaries/sociologists-19-3041
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