Life, Physical, and Social Science · Holland code ISA

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.

Also called: Demographer, Medical Sociologist, Social Scientist, Sociologist, Evaluation Specialist, Policy Analyst, Research Associate, Research Coordinator.

O*NET 19-3041.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $106,030; Middle half earn $82,300 to $137,420. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Doctoral Degree; 50% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 5 of 5; Extensive preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +4% · As fast as average; 3,400 jobs in 2024, projected 3,600. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Sociologists".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Analyze and interpret data to increase the understanding of human social behavior.
Prepare publications and reports containing research findings.
Develop, implement, and evaluate methods of data collection, such as questionnaires or interviews.
Collect data about the attitudes, values, and behaviors of people in groups, using observation, interviews, and review of documents.
Teach sociology.
Plan and conduct research to develop and test theories about societal issues such as crime, group relations, poverty, and aging.
Present research findings at professional meetings.
Explain sociological research to the general public.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Active Listening4.1 / 5
Speaking4.1 / 5
Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
Writing4.0 / 5
Critical Thinking4.0 / 5
Active Learning4.0 / 5

Knowledge areas

Sociology and Anthropology5.0 / 5
English Language4.6 / 5
Education and Training4.2 / 5
Mathematics3.5 / 5
History and Archeology3.4 / 5
Computers and Electronics3.4 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic9
Investigative92
Artistic50
Social56
Enterprising35
Conventional43

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

anthropologist · DE Anthropologe/Anthropologin · FR anthropologue
media scientist · DE Medienwissenschaftler/Medienwissenschaftlerin · FR sociologue des médias
behavioural scientist · DE Verhaltensforscher/Verhaltensforscherin · FR spécialiste en sciences du comportement
criminologist · DE Kriminologe/Kriminologin · FR criminologue
sociologist · DE Soziologe/Soziologin · FR sociologue
social work researcher · DE Sozialarbeitswissenschaftler/Sozialarbeitswissenschaftlerin · FR chercheur en sciences sociales/chercheuse en sciences sociales

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Social and humanities scientists (2115)35,500 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.41. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (19-3041).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test