Sociologist Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of sociologists to grow 3.8% from 2025 to 2035 (about 100 more jobs), with about 200 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay of $106,030 a year ranks 105th of 825 occupations.
- Projected change
- +3.8%
- Openings a year
- 200
- Median pay
- $106,030
- Pay rank
- 105th of 825
Is employment of sociologists growing or shrinking?
Growing: BLS projects employment of sociologists to rise 3.8% (about 100 more jobs) from 2025 to 2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is slower than the +7.6% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 48 life, physical, and social science occupations with a projection. That change ranks 323rd of 830 projected occupations.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 2,700 |
| Employment, 2035 | 2,800 |
| Projected change | +3.8% |
| Openings a year | 200 |
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 2,700 jobs here differ from the 2,260 on the salary page because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed and a wider set of workers, while OEWS counts wage and salary jobs in May 2025. BLS published these projections on August 27, 2026; checked November 10, 2026. Confirm any figure in the BLS Employment Projections tables.
BLS's reasons for this projection are at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. State projections are at Projections Central; projections by industry are left to BLS. Education, licensing and work context at O*NET.
How many job openings are there each year?
About 200 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 796th most of 830 occupations. About 95% of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force; the rest come from the 10 jobs added in an average year.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
How does pay for sociologists rank?
The median of $106,030 a year ranks 105th of 825 occupations with a published median. It sits in the upper half of occupations on pay and the lower half on openings.
Source: BLS OEWS national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Ranks count only the occupations with that published figure: 830 for projected change, 830 for openings, 825 for median pay, which is why the totals differ.
What does it take to start?
- Typical entry-level education: master's degree.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, education and training assignments.
How do related jobs compare on outlook?
| Occupation | Change | Openings a year | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthropologists and Archeologists | +6.0% | 800 | $70,770 |
| Political Scientists | -2.0% | 400 | $142,080 |
| Survey Researchers | -4.8% | 600 | $69,460 |
| Social Science Research Assistants | +5.0% | 4,900 | $61,990 |
| Economists | +4.7% | 1,100 | $124,720 |
| Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | +6.5% | 300 | $193,950 |
| Historians | +3.0% | 300 | $76,750 |
| School Psychologists | +0.8% | 3,400 | $95,990 |
Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.