Sociologists
Salary, job outlook, AI risk & career information
Sociologists in the United States earn a median salary of $106,030 per year — about $51 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Roughly 3K people work in this occupation nationwide, with projected employment growth of +4%.
AI & Automation Risk
Sociology is a knowledge-intensive field where core tasks like data analysis, literature reviews, and report writing are highly susceptible to AI enhancement. While qualitative field research and interpersonal interviews provide a buffer, the shift toward digital data collection and AI-driven statistical modeling significantly increases worker productivity and reshapes the research process.
Salary by City — What You Actually Take Home
Real purchasing power = salary adjusted for cost of living. Higher = more money in your pocket.
| City | Local Salary | Cost of Living | Real Purchasing Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NCBEST VALUE | $126,760 | Average (97.3) | $130,215 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $131,170 | Above avg (107.3) | $122,199 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $131,170 | Above avg (107.6) | $121,941 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $134,770 | Above avg (117.6) | $114,648 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $124,540 | Above avg (114.7) | $108,533 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $106,530 | Above avg (110.4) | $96,501 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $103,840 | Above avg (109.5) | $94,794 |
| Columbus, OH | $82,820 | Below avg (94.6) | $87,520 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $97,170 | Above avg (112.7) | $86,196 |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI | $64,180 | Below avg (93.0) | $68,991 |