Sociologists
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.
- O*NET-SOC code
19-3041.00 - Preparation Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$106,030
Employment, U.S.2,260
Median hourly wage$50.98
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $65,160 | $82,300 | $106,030 | $137,420 | $172,550 |
By state (11)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 40 | $108,170 | 7.45 |
| California | 590 | $125,770 | 2.24 |
| Florida | 160 | $46,950 | 1.13 |
| Illinois | $140,770 | ||
| Kentucky | 30 | $136,870 | 1.16 |
| Maryland | 50 | $100,660 | 1.34 |
| Massachusetts | 250 | $106,530 | 4.71 |
| Michigan | 90 | $88,040 | 1.40 |
| North Carolina | 170 | $126,760 | 2.43 |
| Ohio | 130 | $78,850 | 1.59 |
| Washington | 130 | $97,170 | 2.57 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary | 5 | 0.983 |
| 2 | Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary | 5 | 0.974 |
| 3 | Political Scientists | 5 | 0.968 |
| 4 | Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 5 | 0.967 |
| 5 | Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 5 | 0.966 |
| 6 | Anthropologists and Archeologists | 5 | 0.964 |
| 7 | Education Teachers, Postsecondary | 5 | 0.962 |
| 8 | Library Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 5 | 0.962 |
| 9 | Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary | 5 | 0.957 |
| 10 | English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary | 5 | 0.957 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Sociologists, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary | Instructing | 0.87 | 0.983 |
| Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary | Instructing | 1.00 | 0.974 |
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | Time Management | 0.87 | 0.967 |
| History Teachers, Postsecondary | Time Management | 0.87 | 0.957 |
| Social Work Teachers, Postsecondary | Instructing | 1.13 | 0.952 |
| Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | Time Management | 0.87 | 0.951 |
| Survey Researchers | Mathematics | 1.24 | 0.943 |
| Geography Teachers, Postsecondary | Instructing | 1.00 | 0.942 |
| Special Education Teachers, Middle School | Time Management | 1.00 | 0.938 |
| Communications Teachers, Postsecondary | Instructing | 1.13 | 0.938 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Sociologists, excluding software Sociologists already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Desire2Learn LMS software | 14 of 20 | 16.6x |
| Blackboard Learn | 14 of 20 | 16.2x |
| Learning management system LMS | 14 of 20 | 13.7x |
| Image scanning software | 13 of 20 | 16.2x |
| Course management system software | 13 of 20 | 15.8x |
| DOC Cop | 13 of 20 | 15.8x |
| Sakai CLE | 13 of 20 | 15.8x |
| iParadigms Turnitin | 13 of 20 | 15.8x |
| Collaborative editing software | 13 of 20 | 15.4x |
| Google Docs | 15 of 20 | 6.5x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 4.12 | 4.62 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 4.12 | 4.62 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.75 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.75 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.38 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.25 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 3.88 | 4.38 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 3.88 | 4.25 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.62 | 3.88 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.50 | 3.88 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.50 |
| Science | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.38 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.88 | 3.38 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 2.50 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.38 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 0.75 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.75 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Sociology and Anthropology | 5.00 | 6.70 |
| English Language | 4.60 | 5.95 |
| Education and Training | 4.20 | 5.65 |
| Mathematics | 3.47 | 4.75 |
| History and Archeology | 3.40 | 4.55 |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.35 | 4.75 |
| Law and Government | 3.16 | 3.10 |
| Philosophy and Theology | 3.15 | 5.20 |
| Psychology | 3.15 | 4.10 |
| Communications and Media | 2.80 | 3.95 |
| Administration and Management | 2.75 | 3.40 |
| Geography | 2.70 | 3.85 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.65 | 3.70 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 2.37 | 3.11 |
| Administrative | 2.30 | 3.65 |
| Foreign Language | 2.15 | 2.70 |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.85 | 2.10 |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.85 | 1.85 |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.79 | 1.79 |
| Fine Arts | 1.75 | 1.25 |
| Public Safety and Security | 1.70 | 1.35 |
| Production and Processing | 1.65 | 1.45 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.60 | 1.10 |
| Biology | 1.58 | 1.32 |
| Telecommunications | 1.58 | 1.05 |
| Design | 1.32 | not rated |
| Transportation | 1.25 | 0.65 |
| Engineering and Technology | 1.11 | not rated |
| Food Production | 1.10 | not rated |
| Building and Construction | 1.05 | not rated |
| Mechanical | 1.05 | not rated |
| Chemistry | 1.00 | not rated |
| Physics | 1.00 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Comprehension | 4.25 | 5.00 |
| Oral Expression | 4.25 | 5.00 |
| Written Comprehension | 4.12 | 4.75 |
| Written Expression | 4.12 | 4.75 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.12 | 4.12 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.88 | 4.75 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.62 | 3.88 |
| Near Vision | 3.62 | 3.62 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.50 | 3.88 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.50 | 3.62 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.25 | 3.88 |
| Originality | 3.12 | 3.88 |
| Information Ordering | 3.12 | 3.75 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.00 | 3.50 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Selective Attention | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Memorization | 2.50 | 2.75 |
| Far Vision | 2.50 | 2.50 |
| Number Facility | 2.38 | 2.62 |
| Perceptual Speed | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Time Sharing | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Visualization | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 1.75 | 1.38 |
| Trunk Strength | 1.75 | 1.25 |
| Auditory Attention | 1.62 | 0.88 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 1.62 | 0.75 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 1.38 | 0.50 |
| Depth Perception | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Finger Dexterity | 1.12 | not rated |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 1.00 | not rated |
| Control Precision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
| Dynamic Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
| Explosive Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
| Extent Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.00 | not rated |
| Gross Body Coordination | 1.00 | not rated |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 1.00 | not rated |
| Manual Dexterity | 1.00 | not rated |
| Multilimb Coordination | 1.00 | not rated |
| Night Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Rate Control | 1.00 | not rated |
| Reaction Time | 1.00 | not rated |
| Response Orientation | 1.00 | not rated |
| Sound Localization | 1.00 | not rated |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.00 | not rated |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.00 | not rated |
| Stamina | 1.00 | not rated |
| Static Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Adobe Acrobat hot
- Adobe Photoshop hot
- ESRI ArcGIS software hot
- Facebook hot
- IBM SPSS Statistics hot
- Microsoft Access hot
- Microsoft Excel hot
- Microsoft Office software hot
- Microsoft Outlook hot
- Microsoft PowerPoint hot
- Microsoft Project hot
- Microsoft Visio hot
- Microsoft Windows hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- R hot
- SAP software hot
- SAS hot
- Salesforce software hot
- ATLAS.ti
- Adobe Dreamweaver
- Circle Systems Stat/Transfer
- Data visualization software
- Database management system DBMS
- Email software
- Fund accounting software
- Helios TextPad
- Microsoft Publisher
- Muthen & Muthen Mplus
- Online reference databases
- QSR International NVivo
All 39
- Qualtrics Research Suite
- Scientific Software International HLM
- Scientific Software International LISREL
- Social media sites
- StataCorp Stata
- Thomson Reuters EndNote
- VERBI MAXQDA
- Web browser software
- Web editing software
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus, OH | 100 | 6.11 | $82,820 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 240 | 6.09 | $106,530 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 110 | 3.29 | $134,770 |