Public Administration and Social Service

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2022

97,584

declining 1.01%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$7,684

growing 2.34%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$34,500

growing 3.6%

Average Wage

$68,399

growing 8.39%

People in Workforce

815,828

growing 1.96%

Average Employee Age

43.2

declining 0.0689%

About

In 2022, the locations with the highest concentration of Public Administration and Social Service degree recipients are New York, NY, Phoenix, AZ, and Minneapolis, MN. The most common degree awarded to students studying Public Administration and Social Service is a masters degree.

Photo by Gabriel White

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Public Administration and Social Service and the types of students that study this field. Grand Canyon University awards the most degrees in Public Administration and Social Service in the US, but Springfield College-Regional, Online, and Continuing Education and Our Lady of the Lake University (227331) have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Public Administration and Social Service.

Tuition costs for Public Administration and Social Service majors are, on average, $7,684 for in-state public colleges, and $34,500 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Public Administration and Social Service programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (574 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (57,751 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Public Administration and Social Service (2022)

Grand Canyon University
1,856 degrees awarded
Walden University
1,656 degrees awarded
University of Southern California
1,125 degrees awarded

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Public Administration and Social Service, is Public, 4-year or above (57,751 completions in 2022).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Public Administration and Social Service programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$7,684

Median In-State Public

$34,500

Median Out of State Private

Grand Canyon University has the most Public Administration and Social Service degree recipients, with 1,856 degrees awarded in 2022.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Public Administration and Social Service.

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

Out of all institutions that offer Public Administration and Social Service programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Springfield College-Regional, Online, and Continuing Education has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Public Administration and Social Service, with 46.5%.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Public Administration and Social Service

New York County, NY
3,803 degrees awarded
Maricopa County, AZ
3,760 degrees awarded
Los Angeles County, CA
3,430 degrees awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Public Administration and Social Service by year.

Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest growth in degrees awarded for Public Administration and Social Service.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Public Administration and Social Service graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Public Administration and Social Service majors is $68,399 and the most common occupations are Social workers, all other, Social & community service managers, and Other managers.

The industry that employs the most Public Administration and Social Service majors is Individual & family services, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Sound recording industries.

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

$68,399

Average Wage in Workforce

± $1,814

8.39%

1 Year Growth

± 3.49%

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Public Administration and Social Service majors.

Highest Paying Locations

Highest Paying Pumas

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Public Administration and Social Service majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Public Administration and Social Service majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

Occupations by Share

815,828

2022 Workforce

± 22,116

1.96%

1 Year Growth

± 3.78%

The number of Public Administration and Social Service graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 1.96%, from 800,167 in 2021 to 815,828 in 2022.

The largest single share of Public Administration and Social Service graduates go on to work as Social workers, all other (20.3%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Public Administration and Social Service by share of the total number of graduates.

Most Common

The most common industries that employ Public Administration and Social Service majors, by number of employees, are Individual & family services, Elementary & secondary schools, and General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals.

Highest Paid

The highest paying industries of Public Administration and Social Service majors, by average wage, are Sound recording industries, Oil & gas extraction, and Communications, & audio & video equipment manufacturing.

Industries by Share

815,828

2022 Workforce

± 22,116

1.96%

1 Year Growth

± 3.78%

The number of Public Administration and Social Service graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 1.96%, from 800,167 in 2021 to 815,828 in 2022.

The industry which employs the most Public Administration and Social Service graduates by share is Individual & family services, followed by Elementary & secondary schools. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Public Administration and Social Service.

Specialty Locations

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Public Administration and Social Service majors

Guayama, Salinas & Patillas PUMA, PR
4.04
South Delta Region PUMA, MS
3.95
Carolina PUMA, PR
3.51

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Public Administration and Social Service majors.

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Public Administration and Social Service in the United States.

The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Public Administration and Social Service is 43.2.

The most common degree type these workers hold is a Masters Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Public Administration and Social Service degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Public Administration and Social Service (47,646 students).

Workforce Age

43.2

Average Age in 2022

± 0.353 Years

0.0689%

1 Year Change

± 1.16%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Public Administration and Social Service. The most common ages of employees with this major are 30 and 28 years old, which represent 2.84% and 2.83% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Public Administration and Social Service are Masters Degree, Bachelors Degree, and Associates Degree.

Workforce Degrees

The most common degree types held by the working population in Public Administration and Social Service are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Professional degree.

Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (81%)

Most Common Sex with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by sex at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Public Administration and Social Service.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
47,646 degrees awarded
Black or African American
18,069 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
17,774 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Public Administration and Social Service for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

Race & Ethnicity by Sex

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Sex Combination

White Female
19,781 degrees awarded
Black or African American Female
7,459 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino Female
6,744 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of Masters Degree recipients in Public Administration and Social Service.

White Female students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and sex.

Global Diversity

Most Common Countries of Origin

Mexico
10,294 degree recipients
Jamaica
3,863 degree recipients
India
3,702 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

St. Kitts-Nevis
11 times more than expected
Other Europe, not specified
6.71 times more than expected
Liberia
4.59 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in St. Kitts-Nevis that hold Public Administration and Social Service degrees (11 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is Mexico (10,294 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Public Administration and Social Service field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Public Administration and Social Service majors need many skills, but most especially Speaking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Public Administration and Social Service majors need more than the average amount of N/A.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Public Administration and Social Service majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of N/A is very distinctive for majors, but the Speaking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension are the three most important skills for people in the field.

Public Administration and Social Service

About

Institutions

Institutions

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

Specialized Colleges

Degrees Awarded by County

Growth in Awarded Degrees

Employment

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

Highest Paying Locations

Most Common

Most Specialized

Highest Paid

Occupations by Share

Most Common

Highest Paid

Industries by Share

Specialty Locations

Diversity

Workforce Age

Degrees Awarded

Workforce Degrees

Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Race & Ethnicity by Sex

Global Diversity

Skills

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart