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Sociologists Salary in CA

In the 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS dataset, Sociologists in CA have a median annual salary of $125,770, with 590 recorded jobs in this area. Recorded earnings range from $85,030 at the 10th percentile to $161,710 at the 90th percentile.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · Data year: 2025 · Last updated: 2026-09-22

Salary overview

Median annual salary

$125,770

Data year: 2025

Hourly median

$60.47

Employment

590

Source

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS

Salary distribution

$85,030
10th
$98,770
25th
$125,770
Median
$138,710
75th
$161,710
90th

Local compared with national

CA

$125,770

Median annual · 2025

United States

$106,030

Median annual · 2025

The CA median is 18.6% above the national median in the available dataset (a difference of $19,740).

Top skills

  1. 1.Active ListeningImportance 4.1
  2. 2.SpeakingImportance 4.1
  3. 3.Reading ComprehensionImportance 4.0
  4. 4.WritingImportance 4.0
  5. 5.Critical ThinkingImportance 4.0
  6. 6.Active LearningImportance 4.0
  7. 7.Learning StrategiesImportance 3.9
  8. 8.Social PerceptivenessImportance 3.9
  9. 9.InstructingImportance 3.6
  10. 10.Complex Problem SolvingImportance 3.6
  11. 11.Judgment and Decision MakingImportance 3.6
  12. 12.MonitoringImportance 3.5

Career information

Education and experience

Typical education
Doctoral Degree
Experience
None
Job zone
5

Technology used

  • Adobe Acrobat
  • Adobe Dreamweaver
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • ATLAS.ti
  • Circle Systems Stat/Transfer
  • Data visualization software
  • Database management system DBMS
  • Email software
  • ESRI ArcGIS software
  • Facebook
  • Fund accounting software
  • Helios TextPad
  • IBM SPSS Statistics
  • Microsoft Access
  • Microsoft Excel

Common tasks

  • Collaborate with research workers in other disciplines.
  • Write grants to obtain funding for research projects.
  • 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.

Related careers

Occupations recorded as related in the dataset. A relationship does not imply a guaranteed transition.

Sociologists salary in other locations

Other occupations in CA