Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 19-3094

Political Scientists

Median pay sits 28% above the mid peer in Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations (neighbors include Physicists, Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers, Sociologists, Nuclear Technicians).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Political Scientists: Physicists ($172K) , Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers ($102K) , Sociologists ($106K) , Nuclear Technicians ($110K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Political Scientists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 19-3094 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Teach political science
  2. 2. Maintain current knowledge of government policy decisions
  3. 3. Develop and test theories, using information from interviews, newspapers, periodicals, case law, historical papers, polls, or statistical…
  4. 4. Disseminate research results through academic publications, written reports, or public presentations
  5. 5. Advise political science students
  6. 6. Collect, analyze, and interpret data, such as election results and public opinion surveys, reporting on findings, recommendations, and co…
  7. 7. Interpret and analyze policies, public issues, legislation, or the operations of governments, businesses, and organizations
  8. 8. Identify issues for research and analysis
  9. 9. Serve on committees
  10. 10. Forecast political, economic, and social trends
  11. 11. Consult with and advise government officials, civic bodies, research agencies, the media, political parties, and others concerned with po…
  12. 12. Evaluate programs and policies, and make related recommendations to institutions and organizations

O*NET skills and knowledge for Political Scientists

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 19-3094 - entity-keyed; sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 4.3
  2. 2. Active Listening 4.1
  3. 3. Speaking 4.1
  4. 4. Active Learning 4.1
  5. 5. Writing 4.0
  6. 6. Critical Thinking 4.0
  7. 7. Social Perceptiveness 3.8
  8. 8. Complex Problem Solving 3.6

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Law and Government 4.7
  2. 2. English Language 4.4
  3. 3. Education and Training 4.3
  4. 4. History and Archeology 3.4
  5. 5. Mathematics 3.4
  6. 6. Communications and Media 3.3
Pay vs Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations peers
+28%
vs mid peer median $110,840
This role $142,080/yr
$142K
National median
↓ -3%
Growth 2024-2034
500
Annual openings
5,540
Estimated US jobs
Physicists
Highest-pay peer · $172K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Master's degree

Top Paying States for Political Scientists

1. Pennsylvania $140,020
2. Oregon $119,460
3. Colorado $127,260
4. Massachusetts $133,930
5. Arizona $108,770
6. Maryland $153,380
7. Ohio $119,370
8. District of Columbia $152,530
9. Texas $114,050
10. Washington $147,060

Other Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations titles

  1. 1. Sociologists $106,030
  2. 2. Nuclear Technicians $110,240
  3. 3. Materials Scientists $117,790
  4. 4. Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers $101,920
  5. 5. Economists $124,720
  6. 6. Physicists $172,250

Among Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations peers on this card, Political Scientists sits 28% above the mid peer median ($110,840). Its own median is $142,080.

Employment Projections expect -3% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 500 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Master's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Pennsylvania at $140,020. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Physicists at $172,250. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Where Political Scientists sits in Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

Among 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations with a published OEWS median, Political Scientists is pay-rank #3, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024–2034.

Dive into Political Scientists in more depth or explore nearby career data.

Full Salary Details

State, metro, and percentile breakdown

Jobs in Pennsylvania

Top-paying state for this role

Jobs in Oregon

Second-highest state pay

Physicists

Highest-pay peer · $172K

Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers

Lower-pay peer · $102K

Compare Side-by-Side

Head-to-head with another role
Compare Political Scientists with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Political Scientists

Against another occupation

Physicists card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations titles sit near Political Scientists at the top of the pay table? ▼
Political Scientists is pay-rank #3 of 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Astronomers ($129K), Biochemists and Biophysicists ($127K), Economists ($125K), Physical Scientists, All Other ($123K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do political scientists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Political Scientists. Leading ones include: Teach political science; Maintain current knowledge of government policy decisions; Develop and test theories, using information from interviews, newspapers, periodicals, case law, historical papers, polls, or statistical…; Disseminate research results through academic publications, written reports, or public presentations. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for political scientists? ▼
For SOC 19-3094, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (4.3), Active Listening (4.1), Speaking (4.1), Active Learning (4.1). Knowledge areas emphasize Law and Government, English Language, Education and Training. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Political Scientists? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $142,080 as the national median for Political Scientists. The published 10th-90th range is $83,350 to $195,190. Beside Physicists ($172,250), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Political Scientists? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Political Scientists is -3%. Projected annual openings: about 500. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Political Scientists? ▼
BLS assigns Master's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Political Scientists. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Political Scientists? ▼
Pennsylvania ($140,020), Oregon ($119,460), Colorado ($127,260) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024–2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Political Scientists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 19-3094. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Political Scientists. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics