Political Scientists Career, Salary and Skills
Political Scientists have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $142,080 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 5,540. Wage data is published for 20 locations.
Occupation description
Study the origin, development, and operation of political systems. May study topics, such as public opinion, political decisionmaking, and ideology. May analyze the structure and operation of governments, as well as various political entities. May conduct public opinion surveys, analyze election results, or analyze public documents.
O*NET code
19-3094.00
Job zone
5
Typical education
Doctoral Degree
Experience
Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
National salary and employment
Median annual
$142,080
Hourly median
$68.31
Employment
5,540
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.25 | 4.88 |
| Active Listening | 4.12 | 4.62 |
| Active Learning | 4.12 | 4.12 |
| Speaking | 4.12 | 4.75 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.00 | 4.75 |
| Writing | 4.00 | 4.62 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.75 | 3.75 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.62 | 3.88 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Instructing | 3.50 | 3.50 |
Typical tasks
- Teach political science.
- Maintain current knowledge of government policy decisions.
- Develop and test theories, using information from interviews, newspapers, periodicals, case law, historical papers, polls, or statistical sources.
- Disseminate research results through academic publications, written reports, or public presentations.
- Advise political science students.
- Collect, analyze, and interpret data, such as election results and public opinion surveys, reporting on findings, recommendations, and conclusions.
- Interpret and analyze policies, public issues, legislation, or the operations of governments, businesses, and organizations.
- Identify issues for research and analysis.
Technology
- Adobe Acrobat
- Bare Bones Software BBEdit
- CQ Press Political Reference Suite
- Data visualization software
- DataMystic TextPipe Pro
- EBSCO Publishing Academic Search Premier
- EBSCO Publishing Political Science Complete
- Email software
- Europa World Plus
- FedStats
- Gale Expanded Academic ASAP PLUS
- IBM SPSS Statistics
- IDM Computer Solutions UltraEdit
- Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) database
Political Scientists salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Political Scientists Salary in Washington, DCMedian $156,730 · Employment 3,700
- Political Scientists Salary in DCMedian $152,530 · Employment 3,070
- Political Scientists Salary in Boston, MAMedian $133,930 · Employment 190
- Political Scientists Salary in MIMedian $86,290 · Employment 180
- Political Scientists Salary in MAMedian $133,930 · Employment 170
- Political Scientists Salary in TXMedian $114,050 · Employment 160
- Political Scientists Salary in ILMedian $103,780 · Employment 110
- Political Scientists Salary in WAMedian $147,060 · Employment 110
- Political Scientists Salary in MDMedian $153,380 · Employment 100
- Political Scientists Salary in Chicago, ILMedian $103,780 · Employment 90
- Political Scientists Salary in Seattle, WAMedian $153,960 · Employment 80
- Political Scientists Salary in PAMedian $140,020 · Employment 70
Related careers
- Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, PostsecondaryNational median $76,590
- History Teachers, PostsecondaryNational median $83,820
- Equal Opportunity Representatives and OfficersNational median $80,730
- Intelligence AnalystsNational median $93,790
- Urban and Regional PlannersNational median $89,320
- Labor Relations SpecialistsNational median $95,420
- Chief ExecutivesNational median $213,990
- Management AnalystsNational median $101,860
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.