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Sociologists

Also called: Demographer, Medical Sociologist, Social Scientist, Sociologist

Study human society and social behavior by examining the groups and social institutions that people form, as well as various social, religious, political, and business organizations. May study the behavior and interaction of groups, trace their origin and growth, and analyze the influence of group activities on individual members.

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Median pay BLS, 2025$106,030
Openings a year BLS, 2025–35200
Typical education to start BLSMaster's degree
AI exposure BLS, Aug 2026 Very high
Projected job growth BLS, 2025–35 +3.8%

What the data says: AI could halve the time on 11 of its 13 rated tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 3.8% by 2035. In the most exposed occupations, the squeeze shows up first among early-career workers. How to think about this →

About this projection

BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”

It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”

On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”

Recent conditions

  • From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 38% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.

How to read these

Pay compared with all occupations BLS median wages Pays more than 87% of 825 occupations
lowest-paidhighest-paid

Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates

$47k$141knot published

Median pay in every state
StateMedianMiddle half earnJobs
Alaska$108,170$67,570 to $115,26040
California$125,770$98,770 to $138,710590
Florida$46,950$41,200 to $125,950160
Illinois$140,770$104,580 to $174,320not published
Kentucky$136,870$104,870 to $140,79030
Maryland$100,660$81,380 to $104,63050
Massachusetts$106,530$83,880 to $145,360250
Michigan$88,040$64,180 to $153,13090
North Carolina$126,760$82,300 to $169,940170
Ohio$78,850$71,680 to $95,620130
Washington$97,170$97,170 to $104,440130

Nationally: $106,030. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this

How AI touches the work

What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.

AI could halve the time on 11 of its 13 rated tasks

5 · AI alone could halve the time 6 · AI + software built on it could 2 · Not much 2 · Not rated
AI ratingIts main tasks Share of Claude conversations
May 2026
AI + software Analyze and interpret data to increase the understanding of human social behavior. 0.13%
AI alone Prepare publications and reports containing research findings. under 0.01%
AI alone Develop, implement, and evaluate methods of data collection, such as questionnaires or interviews. under 0.01%
Not much Teach sociology. Not published
AI + software Plan and conduct research to develop and test theories about societal issues such as crime, group relations, poverty, and aging. Not published
AI alone Collect data about the attitudes, values, and behaviors of people in groups, using observation, interviews, and review of documents. under 0.01%
See all 15 tasks
AI + software Present research findings at professional meetings. Not published
Not rated Explain sociological research to the general public. 0.01%
Not much Develop problem intervention procedures, using techniques such as interviews, consultations, role playing, and participant observation of group interactions. Not published
AI + software Direct work of statistical clerks, statisticians, and others who compile and evaluate research data. Not published
AI + software Collaborate with research workers in other disciplines. Not published
Not rated Write grants to obtain funding for research projects. Not published
AI alone Consult with and advise individuals such as administrators, social workers, and legislators regarding social issues and policies, as well as the implications of research findings. under 0.01%
AI + software Develop approaches to the solution of groups' problems, based on research findings in sociology and related disciplines. Not published
AI alone Observe group interactions and role affiliations to collect data, identify problems, evaluate progress, and determine the need for additional change. Not published

Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 6 of the 15 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.

Where people already use AI

The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 15 tasks fall under 12 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.

Tasks AI could speed up11 of 13 rated tasksEloundou et al. ratings (2023)
Its activities among the 50 people ask AI for help with most3 of 12 activities
  • #5 Provide information or assistance to the public
  • #18 Research historical or social issues
  • #20 Present research or technical information
Microsoft Copilot (2024), ranked among all 332 activities. The cut-off of 50 is ours.
Work activity This occupation's tasks under it People asked AI for help
in 10,000 conversations		 AI did it for them
in 10,000 conversations
Research historical or social issues 112#18 28#40
Present research or technical information 100#20 339#6
Develop research plans or methodologies 4.23#139 1.03#168
Collect information about patients or clients 3.53#155 4.48#98
Provide information or assistance to the public 356#5 1,375#2
Teach academic or vocational subjects 22#54 143#14
Advise others on legal or regulatory matters 8.33#101 22#45
Analyze data to improve operations 3.31#159 1.09#162
Show all 12 activities
Develop educational programs, plans, or procedures 2.52#181 2.47#121
Prepare proposals or grant applications 1.47#214 0.60#190
Direct scientific or technical activities 1.24#227 1.58#137
Supervise personnel activities 0.56#266 0.05#283
Task: AI alone Task: AI + software Task: not much #: rank among all 332 activities Microsoft measured (#1 = most common; activities that never came up share last place, shown as “tied”)
Where the two sources differ: “Supervise personnel activities” holds 1 task rated AI + software, yet people asked AI for help with it in 0.56 of every 10,000 conversations, #266 of 332.

How people in this work use Claude

What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations

  • An analysis or summary39%
  • An explanation or answer39%
  • A document or report6%
  • Advice or a recommendation5%
  • An academic paper or thesis2%

How they worked with Claude

23% handed the task off77% worked on it together

7% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.

How to read this

Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for sociologists specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.

The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.

More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude

High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs

BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.

AI exposure and projected job growth, 831 occupationsLow exposure: 134 of 213 occupations projected to grow. Moderate exposure: 151 of 206 occupations projected to grow. High exposure: 165 of 206 occupations projected to grow. Very high exposure: 141 of 206 occupations projected to grow.-20%-15%-10%-5%0%+5%+10%+15%+20%+25%Low134 of 213 growingModerate151 of 206 growingHigh165 of 206 growingVery high141 of 206 growing11 occupations outside −20% to +25% are drawn at the edge. Click a dot to see that occupation.Sociologists: +3.8%SociologistsAI exposure and projected job growth, 831 occupationsLow exposure: 134 of 213 occupations projected to grow. Moderate exposure: 151 of 206 occupations projected to grow. High exposure: 165 of 206 occupations projected to grow. Very high exposure: 141 of 206 occupations projected to grow.-20%-15%-10%-5%0%+5%+10%+15%+20%+25%Low134 of 213Moderate151 of 206High165 of 206Very high141 of 20611 occupations outside −20% to +25% are drawn at the edge. Tap a dot.Sociologists: +3.8%Sociologists

Career moves into and out of this occupation

From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.

Where people moved next

of 8,906 moves out

  1. 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
  2. 2 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 5%
  3. 3 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 5%
  4. 4 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 3%
  5. 5 Human Resources Managers High +5.5% 3%

Where people moved in from

of 10,706 moves in

  1. 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
  2. 2 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 5%
  3. 3 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 4%
  4. 4 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 3%
  5. 5 Financial Managers Very high +9.7% 3%

Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).

Education and training for the occupation

Education people in it hold

O*NET survey of workers in this occupation

  • 10% bachelor's
  • 30% master's
  • 50% research doctorate
  • 10% post-doctoral training

O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 20 people answered.

Programs that prepare people for it (NCES)
13 programs, such as Research Methodology and Quantitative Methods, Survey Research/Methodology and Criminology.
See all
  • Research Methodology and Quantitative Methods
  • Survey Research/Methodology
  • Criminology
  • Demography and Population Studies
  • Applied Demography
  • Demography, Other
  • Sociology, General
  • Applied/Public Sociology
  • Rural Sociology
  • Sociology, Other
  • Urban Studies/Affairs
  • Sociology and Anthropology
  • Medical/Health Humanities

Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023

BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.

Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor

These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide

See where your own career could go Start by uploading your resume Browse careers

BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS · Brynjolfsson, Chandar and Chen, Stanford (Aug 2026)

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