Sociologists Salary - How Much Does a Sociologists Make?

DOL Median Salary

$62,000

From 638 DOL filings

BLS Median Salary

$101,690

BLS OEWS 2024 survey

Total Employers

243

Companies with DOL filings

Total Employment

2,950

Estimated US workers (BLS)

DOL Filings vs BLS Survey

What Employers File with DOL

$62,000

DOL-Filed Salary Range

$31,200$51,000$62,000$80,560$247,000

This figure comes from 638 employer filings with the US Department of Labor under legal obligation. Employers file this salary when sponsoring workers for PERM green cards or H-1B visas.

What BLS Says the Market Pays

$101,690

BLS Survey Salary Range

$60,710$78,150$101,690$134,780$168,590

This figure comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey of 2,950 establishments. This is an independent survey-based estimate of what all workers in this occupation earn.

DOL-filed salaries are 39% lower than BLS survey data, which may reflect that sponsored positions concentrate in high-cost locations or experience-intensive roles.

Salary Distribution

Top Paying Employers for Sociologists

Ranked by median salary from DOL filings

Rank	Employer	Median Salary	Filings	vs Market
1	Harvard University	$210,000	5	+106.5%
2	The RAND Corporation	$113,691	6	+11.8%
3	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	$98,000	6	-3.6%
4	The Johns Hopkins University	$93,114	6	-8.4%
5	Results for Development Institute,Inc.	$93,000	16	-8.6%
6	Oxfam-America, Inc.	$90,979	8	-10.5%
7	Mississippi State University	$87,125	5	-14.3%
8	THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD, JR. UNIVERSITY	$85,000	17	-16.4%
9	Johns Hopkins University	$85,000	11	-16.4%
10	INSIGHT CASE MANAGEMENT INC	$72,800	7	-28.4%
11	Northwestern University	$72,572	13	-28.6%
12	Human Rights Watch	$72,000	13	-29.2%
13	Publicis Health, LLC	$71,779	6	-29.4%
14	Tides Center	$69,063	5	-32.1%
15	Boston College	$67,000	7	-34.1%
16	NORC	$63,200	17	-37.9%
17	The Pennsylvania State University	$61,380	6	-39.6%
18	University of Michigan	$60,000	28	-41%
19	Columbia University	$59,500	10	-41.5%
20	New York University	$56,734	6	-44.2%
21	Michigan State University	$55,909	8	-45%
22	Family Health International	$55,000	6	-45.9%
23	The Trustees of Princeton University	$54,000	11	-46.9%
24	University of California, Berkeley	$53,808	6	-47.1%
25	Washington University in St. Louis	$53,000	7	-47.9%
26	Dartmouth College	$53,000	7	-47.9%
27	University of Houston System	$52,223	5	-48.6%
28	Arizona State University	$51,500	8	-49.4%
29	The University of Texas at Austin	$51,238	6	-49.6%
30	Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania	$50,000	8	-50.8%
31	Purdue University	$49,615	5	-51.2%
32	Yale University	$47,484	9	-53.3%
33	Institute for Advanced Study	$45,000	5	-55.8%
34	The University of Southern California	$43,555	7	-57.2%
35	Freedom House	$31,200	5	-69.3%

View all companies hiring Sociologists

Salary by Metro Area

Metro Area	Median	vs National	Filings	Employers
Boston, MA	$92,344	+48.9%	14	7
Baltimore, MD	$85,000	+37.1%	13	2
Stanford, CA	$85,000	+37.1%	15	3
Washington, DC	$75,575	+21.9%	32	18
New York, NY	$69,000	+11.3%	50	28
Ann Arbor, MI	$60,000	-3.2%	22	1
New York, NE	$60,000	-3.2%	13	9
Chicago, IL	$55,890	-9.9%	15	6
Los Angeles, CA	$55,162	-11%	12	6

Salary by State

State	Median	vs National	Filings
Alaska	$247,000	N/A	1
Mississippi	$87,125	N/A	2
Montana	$87,000	N/A	1
Maryland	$84,100	-11.8%	26
District of Columbia	$75,000	N/A	37
Massachusetts	$74,235	-28.3%	44
Hawaii	$72,600	N/A	1
Missouri	$72,000	N/A	6
New York	$72,000	-44.7%	67
California	$67,009	-44.4%	64
Illinois	$64,262	-52.3%	20
Wisconsin	$64,078	-22.4%	2
Washington	$60,000	-32.1%	3
Colorado	$58,325	N/A	6
Florida	$58,000	+45%	7
Virginia	$57,630	N/A	6
Oregon	$57,151	-73%	2
Minnesota	$57,030	-28.2%	8
Michigan	$56,909	-31.4%	35
Pennsylvania	$55,999	N/A	14
Indiana	$55,865	N/A	10
North Carolina	$55,132	-49%	2
New Jersey	$55,000	N/A	3
Nebraska	$54,000	N/A	28
Rhode Island	$52,500	N/A	2
Georgia	$52,000	N/A	5
New Hampshire	$51,500	N/A	4
Arizona	$51,500	N/A	4
Wyoming	$50,844	N/A	1
Ohio	$50,395	-35%	10
Delaware	$50,000	N/A	2
Texas	$48,464	N/A	21
Connecticut	$47,652	N/A	8
Arkansas	$46,675	N/A	1
Tennessee	$43,250	N/A	2
Oklahoma	$40,945	N/A	2

Salary Trend - DOL Data

Education Requirements

From PERM filings

For Sociologists positions, 18% of PERM filings required a Bachelor's degree, 59% required a Master's degree, and 0% required no formal degree.

Education by Top Employer

Most common minimum education from PERM filings

Employer	Most Common Education	Median Salary
University of Michigan	Not specified	$60,000
THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD, JR. UNIVERSITY	Not specified	$85,000
NORC	Master's	$63,200
Results for Development Institute,Inc.	Master's	$93,000
Human Rights Watch	Not specified	$72,000
Northwestern University	Not specified	$72,572
The Trustees of Princeton University	Not specified	$54,000
Johns Hopkins University	Not specified	$85,000
Columbia University	Not specified	$59,500
Yale University	Not specified	$47,484

Salary by Industry

Same occupation, different industries (NAICS)

The highest-paying industry for Sociologists is Professional and Technical Services at $81,097. The lowest-paying industry with significant hiring is Educational Services at $64,664.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a Sociologists make?

Based on 638 DOL filings, the median salary for a Sociologists is $62,000, ranging from $51,000 to $80,560.

What is the highest salary for a Sociologists?

The 90th percentile salary is $168,590 according to BLS data.

Which city pays the most for Sociologists?

Based on DOL filings, Boston, MA offers the highest median at $92,344.

Does this data include all Sociologists salaries or only visa-sponsored workers?

DOL filing data covers positions where the employer filed for PERM green card sponsorship or an H-1B visa. These filings represent a subset of all Sociologists positions. We compare this data against BLS OEWS data which covers all workers in this occupation.

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Advertising disclosure

Source: US Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) public disclosure files (PERM Form ETA-9089 and LCA Form ETA-9035), and US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Salary figures represent employer filings and government survey estimates, not individual worker pay.

Sociologists Salary in the United States