Life & Physical Science
Sociologists
SOC 19-3041
Study how societies and groups form, function, and change.
The job
Median pay
$106k
$82k to $137k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing
+3.8% projected
Openings a year
200
BLS projection
Typical education
Master's
Our model
AI displacement risk
Very high
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
5/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
90th pct
More exposed than 90% of occupations · modeled estimate · 86th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
52/100
Key skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 590 | 0.0 | 2.2× | $126k |
| Massachusetts | 250 | 0.1 | 4.7× | $107k |
| North Carolina | 170 | 0.0 | 2.4× | $127k |
| Texas | 167 | 0.0 | 0.8× | $99k~ |
| Florida | 160 | 0.0 | 1.1× | $47k |
| New York | 130 | 0.0 | 0.9× | $108k~ |
| Ohio | 130 | 0.0 | 1.6× | $79k |
| Washington | 130 | 0.0 | 2.5× | $97k |
| Pennsylvania | 92 | 0.0 | 1.0× | $104k~ |
| Michigan | 90 | 0.0 | 1.4× | $88k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 71 | 0.0 | 0.8× | $141k~ |
| Virginia | 66 | 0.0 | 1.1× | $110k~ |
| New Jersey | 64 | 0.0 | 1.0× | $116k~ |
| Colorado | 55 | 0.0 | 1.3× | $109k~ |
| Georgia | 51 | 0.0 | 0.7× | $101k~ |
| Maryland | 50 | 0.0 | 1.3× | $101k |
| Minnesota | 49 | 0.0 | 1.1× | $107k~ |
| Indiana | 41 | 0.0 | 0.9× | $94k~ |
| Alaska | 40 | 0.1 | 8.4× | $108k |
| Wisconsin | 40 | 0.0 | 0.9× | $97k~ |
| Oregon | 37 | 0.0 | 1.3× | $103k~ |
| Arizona | 36 | 0.0 | 0.8× | $103k~ |
| Missouri | 35 | 0.0 | 0.8× | $97k~ |
| Tennessee | 34 | 0.0 | 0.7× | $98k~ |
| Kentucky | 30 | 0.0 | 1.0× | $137k |
| Washington DC | 27 | 0.0 | 2.6× | $165k~ |
| South Carolina | 26 | 0.0 | 0.8× | $98k~ |
| Utah | 26 | 0.0 | 1.0× | $99k~ |
| Louisiana | 24 | 0.0 | 0.8× | $97k~ |
| Alabama | 22 | 0.0 | 0.7× | $95k~ |
| Iowa | 22 | 0.0 | 1.0× | $93k~ |
| Connecticut | 20 | 0.0 | 0.8× | $126k~ |
| Idaho | 19 | 0.0 | 1.5× | $87k~ |
| Kansas | 19 | 0.0 | 0.9× | $93k~ |
| Oklahoma | 18 | 0.0 | 0.7× | $95k~ |
| Nevada | 17 | 0.0 | 0.8× | $103k~ |
| New Mexico | 15 | 0.0 | 1.2× | $104k~ |
| Montana | 14 | 0.0 | 1.9× | $91k~ |
| Nebraska | 14 | 0.0 | 0.9× | $86k~ |
| Mississippi | 13 | 0.0 | 0.8× | $83k~ |
| Arkansas | 12 | 0.0 | 0.6× | $81k~ |
| Hawaii | 12 | 0.0 | 1.3× | $95k~ |
| West Virginia | 11 | 0.0 | 1.1× | $88k~ |
| Delaware | 9 | 0.0 | 1.3× | $108k~ |
| Maine | 9 | 0.0 | 1.0× | $97k~ |
| New Hampshire | 9 | 0.0 | 0.9× | $102k~ |
| North Dakota | 7 | 0.0 | 1.1× | $92k~ |
| Rhode Island | 7 | 0.0 | 1.0× | $115k~ |
| South Dakota | 7 | 0.0 | 1.1× | $84k~ |
| Wyoming | 7 | 0.0 | 1.7× | $94k~ |
| Vermont | 5 | 0.0 | 1.1× | $97k~ |
Top metro areas
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH240 jobs · $107k median
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA110 jobs · $135k median
- Columbus, OH100 jobs · $83k median
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA90 jobs · $97k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA70 jobs · $125k median
- Lansing-East Lansing, MI60 jobs · $64k median
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV60 jobs · $104k median
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA40 jobs · $131k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Sociologists interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.