Political Scientists
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.
Wage Data According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Annual wage data for Political Scientists (2024)
Estimated Total Employment (U.S.)
5,950
Wage Distribution by Percentile
Line chart of annual wages by percentile. U.S. is the solid line. 10th percentile: U.S. $74,750. 25th percentile: U.S. $103,030. 50th percentile: U.S. $139,380. 75th percentile: U.S. $172,050. 90th percentile: U.S. $191,880. Use the left and right arrow keys to move between percentiles.
- U.S.
| Metric | U.S. |
|---|---|
| 10% of workers earn the following or less | $74,750 |
| 10% of workers earn the following or more | $191,880 |
| Workers on average earn | $137,600 |
+ indicates wage is at or above the BLS reporting cap ($239,200/year)
Skills & Requirements
Key competencies for this occupation, ranked by importance
- Law and Government4.7/5
- English Language4.4/5
- Education and Training4.3/5
- History and Archeology3.4/5
- Mathematics3.4/5
Tools & Technology
Equipment and software commonly used in this occupation
In-Demand Technology
Frequently requested by employers in job postings
- Adobe Acrobat
- IBM SPSS Statistics
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Microsoft Visio
- Microsoft Word
- Python
- R
- SAP software
- SAS
- Tableau
Technology Skills
- 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
Tools & Equipment
- Conference phones
- Desktop computers
- Digital audio recorders
- Digital video disk DVD players
- Handheld calculators
- Laptop computers
- Overhead display projectors