Sociology

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2017

36,703

growing 0.0463%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$6,670

growing 2.96%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$33,376

growing 3.25%

Average Wage

$96,153

growing 2.58%

People in Workforce

3.82M

growing 3.81%

Average Employee Age

43.1

growing 0.254%

About

The locations with the highest concentration of Sociology degree recipients are Los Angeles, CA, , and New York, NY. The locations with a relatively high number of Sociology degree recipients are Cheyney University, PA, Denmark, SC, and Pippa Passes, KY. The most common degree awarded to students studying Sociology is a bachelors degree.

Social Sciences Sociology

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Sociology and the types of students that study this field. California State University-Northridge awards the most degrees in Sociology in the US, but Tougaloo College and Cheyney University of Pennsylvania have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Sociology.

Tuition costs for Sociology majors are, on average, $6,670 for in-state public colleges, and $33,376 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Sociology programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (568 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (25,516 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Sociology

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Sociology, is Public, 4-year or above (25,516 completions).

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

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$6,670

Median In-State Public

$33,376

Median Out of State Private

California State University-Northridge has the most Sociology degree recipients, with 658 degrees awarded in 2017.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Sociology.

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

Tougaloo College
21.7%
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
19.4%
Bloomfield College
15.7%

Out of all institutions that offer Sociology programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Tougaloo College and Cheyney University of Pennsylvania have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Sociology, with 21.7% and 19.4%, respectively.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Sociology

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Sociology 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 Sociology.

Employment

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

The average salary for Social Sciences majors is $96,153 and the most common occupations are Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers, Other managers, and Elementary & middle school teachers.

The industry that employs the most Social Sciences majors is Elementary & secondary schools, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Paint, coating, & adhesive manufacturing .

Wages

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Sociology is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

$96,153

Average Wage in Workforce

± $1,355

2.58%

1 Year Growth

± 1.96%

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Social Sciences majors.

Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Sociology is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

Highest Paying Pumas

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

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

Occupations

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Sociology is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

The most common occupations Social Sciences majors, by number of employees, are Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers, Other managers, and Elementary & middle school teachers.

Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Sociology is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Social Sciences majors working as Economists, Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers, and Miscellaneous social scientists, including survey researchers & sociologists.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Sociology is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

The highest paid occupations by median income for Social Sciences majors are Nuclear medicine technologists and medical dosimetrists, Cardiovascular technologists and technicians, and Physicians.

Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Sociology is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

3.82M

2018 Workforce

± 47,378

3.81%

1 Year Growth

± 1.71%

The number of Social Sciences graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.81%, from 3.68M in 2017 to 3.82M in 2018.

The largest single share of Social Sciences graduates go on to work as Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers (8.06%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Social Sciences by share of the total number of graduates.

Industries

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Sociology is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

The most common industries that employ Social Sciences majors, by number of employees, are Elementary & secondary schools, Legal services, and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Sociology is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

The highest paying industries of Social Sciences majors, by average wage, are Paint, coating, & adhesive manufacturing , Paper & paper products merchant wholesalers, and Securities, commodities, funds, trusts & other financial investments.

Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Sociology is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

3.82M

2018 Workforce

± 47,378

3.81%

1 Year Growth

± 1.71%

The number of Social Sciences graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.81%, from 3.68M in 2017 to 3.82M in 2018.

The industry which employs the most Social Sciences graduates by share is Elementary & secondary schools, followed by Legal services. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Social Sciences.

Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Sociology is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Social Sciences majors

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

Diversity

Demographic information on those who earn a degree in Social Sciences in the US. The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Social Sciences is 43.1, and the most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Social Sciences degrees, and White students earn the majority (15,365) of the degrees.

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Sociology is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

43.1

Average Age in 2018

± 0.168 Years

0.254%

1 Year Change

± 0.555%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Social Sciences. The most common ages of employees with this major are 35 and 30 years old, which represent 2.99% and 2.92% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Sociology are Bachelors Degree, Associates Degree, and Masters Degree.

Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Sociology is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

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

Gender Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (70.8%)

Most Common Gender with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by gender at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Sociology.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
15,365 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
9,698 degrees awarded
Black or African American
5,606 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Sociology for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

Race & Ethnicity by Gender

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Gender Combination

White Female
9,395 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino Female
5,318 degrees awarded
White Male
4,033 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by gender for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Sociology. White Female students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and gender.

Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Sociology is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

Most Common Countries of Origin

India
42,861 degree recipients
China
38,748 degree recipients
Philippines
29,986 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

Azerbaijan
5.17 times more than expected
Latvia
4.92 times more than expected
Norway
4.17 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Azerbaijan that hold Social Sciences degrees (5.17 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 India (42,861 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Sociology field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Sociology majors need many skills, but most especially Speaking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Sociology majors need more than the average amount of Management of Financial Resources, Coordination, and Systems Analysis.

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 Sociology 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 Management of Financial Resources is very distinctive for majors, but the Speaking, Reading Comprehension, and Writing are the three most important skills for people in the field.