Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

19-3041 Sociologists

Study human society and social behavior by examining the groups and social institutions that people form, as well as various social, religious, political, and business organizations. May study the behavior and interaction of groups, trace their origin and growth, and analyze the influence of group activities on individual members.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
2,630 7.6 % $43.55 $90,590 2.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $22.56 $30.03 $40.10 $52.16 $68.16
Annual Wage (2) $46,920 $62,460 $83,420 $108,500 $141,770


Industry profile for this occupation:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Scientific Research and Development Services 1,270 0.18 $48.43 $100,730
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 450 0.02 $42.09 $87,540
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 400 0.01 $36.67 $76,270
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 40 0.00 $33.21 $69,080

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Scientific Research and Development Services 1,270 0.18 $48.43 $100,730
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 450 0.02 $42.09 $87,540
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 400 0.01 $36.67 $76,270
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 40 0.00 $33.21 $69,080

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Scientific Research and Development Services 1,270 0.18 $48.43 $100,730
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 450 0.02 $42.09 $87,540
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 400 0.01 $36.67 $76,270
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) (8) (8) $35.00 $72,800
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 40 (7) $33.21 $69,080


Geographic profile for this occupation:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 1,020 0.06 3.27 $47.54 $98,890
New York 160 0.02 0.95 $39.67 $82,510
Massachusetts 110 0.03 1.75 $44.97 $93,540
Michigan 110 0.03 1.46 $42.75 $88,920
Ohio 100 0.02 0.99 $33.13 $68,920




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
South Dakota 40 0.09 5.29 $26.20 $54,490
California 1,020 0.06 3.27 $47.54 $98,890
Utah 60 0.04 2.08 $34.57 $71,900
Washington 90 0.03 1.53 $34.90 $72,590
Michigan 110 0.03 1.46 $42.75 $88,920




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Pennsylvania 60 0.01 0.54 $61.07 $127,020
Oregon 30 0.02 0.90 $59.68 $124,140
New Jersey 40 0.01 0.54 $55.53 $115,500
North Carolina 40 0.01 0.49 $53.25 $110,770
California 1,020 0.06 3.27 $47.54 $98,890





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 300 0.12 6.87 $48.76 $101,420
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 270 0.04 2.45 $48.98 $101,870
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 140 0.01 0.81 $41.90 $87,160
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 110 0.11 6.24 $43.30 $90,070
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 110 0.04 2.13 (8) (8)
Columbus, OH 80 0.07 4.13 $33.42 $69,510
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 80 0.02 1.33 $47.37 $98,540
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 60 0.05 2.95 $47.57 $98,940
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 50 0.03 1.46 $35.32 $73,460
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 50 0.53 29.60 $43.90 $91,320




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 50 0.53 29.60 $43.90 $91,320
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 300 0.12 6.87 $48.76 $101,420
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 110 0.11 6.24 $43.30 $90,070
Columbus, OH 80 0.07 4.13 $33.42 $69,510
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 60 0.05 2.95 $47.57 $98,940
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 110 0.04 2.13 (8) (8)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 270 0.04 2.45 $48.98 $101,870
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 50 0.03 1.46 $35.32 $73,460
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 40 0.03 1.51 $52.88 $109,980
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 80 0.02 1.33 $47.37 $98,540




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 40 0.03 1.51 $52.88 $109,980
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 270 0.04 2.45 $48.98 $101,870
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 300 0.12 6.87 $48.76 $101,420
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 60 0.05 2.95 $47.57 $98,940
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 80 0.02 1.33 $47.37 $98,540
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI (8) (8) (8) $45.88 $95,440
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 50 0.53 29.60 $43.90 $91,320
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 110 0.11 6.24 $43.30 $90,070
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 140 0.01 0.81 $41.90 $87,160
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 50 0.03 1.46 $35.32 $73,460


About May 2019 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: July 6, 2020