Social Science Research Assistants Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 19-4061 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$62,005
$29.81/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Is this a competitive Social Science Research Assistants salary in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$38K
P25$49K
P50$62K
P75$78K
P90$102K
Drag the dot or type an amount above.
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Demand: HOT. Demand is hot -- professional & business services job openings are running at 5.5% (JOLTS, June 2026), a tight market. Candidates have leverage, so a competitive offer sits at or above the median; below-median offers often will not close.
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Merit budget: Wages in professional services are rising about 2.5% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.1-2.6% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $62,005 to $77,750 (market median to the 75th percentile). Lean toward the top of the range for senior or hard-to-fill roles.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
How Social Science Research Assistants pay is moving in 2026
Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI
Pay trend
Median pay for this role rose 6.8% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, outpacing the 2.5% wage growth of Professional & Business Services (BLS ECI).
Hiring demand · HOT
Professional & Business Services is running a 5.5% job-openings rate with quits at 2.2% (BLS JOLTS). Demand has cooled for 2 straight months (6.2% down to 5.5%).
Pay spread
Top earners (P90) make about 2.7 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is wider than typical, so expect large pay differences by experience, employer size, and geography; build generous ranges and differentiate strongly.
What changed recently
Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings eased to 5.5% (down 0.3pp), still the highest of any major sector. Quits held at 2.2%.
Jul 31, 2026ECI Q2 2026: sector wages growing 2.5% per year. Nationally, wages rose 3.2% while CPI hit 3.5%, so real wages turned negative.
Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Social Science Research Assistants is $62,005 per year ($29.81/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $48,630 and $77,750 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $102,066 per year. There are approximately 30,640 social science research assistants employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Assist social scientists in laboratory, survey, and other social science research. May help prepare findings for publication and assist in laboratory analysis, quality control, or data management.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+4.4%
Faster than average
Annual openings
5K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
41K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
3% from new growth97% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
NAICS 611300
14K
$63,260
Scientific Research and Development Services
NAICS 541700
9K
$62,870
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
NAICS 622100
2K
$59,240
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services
NAICS 541600
830
$74,600
Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
NAICS 541900
720
$86,600
Wage range across top 5 industries: $59,240 to $86,600 (46% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$18.31
$38,085
P25
$23.38
$48,630
P50MEDIAN
$29.81
$62,005
P75
$37.38
$77,750
P90
$49.07
$102,066
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Hot
Openings Rate
5.5%
Quits Rate
2.2%
Professional & Business Services openings eased to 1.30M in June (-71K), rate 5.5% -- still the highest of any major sector. Quits held at 2.2%. White-collar demand is cooling at the edges but remains the tightest market.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average social science research assistants salary?
The national median salary for Social Science Research Assistants is $62,005 per year ($29.81/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $48,630 and $77,750 annually.
How much do top-earning social science research assistants make?
The 90th percentile salary for Social Science Research Assistants is $102,066 per year ($49.07/hr). The 75th percentile is $77,750 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for social science research assistants?
Entry-level Social Science Research Assistants (10th percentile) earn approximately $38,085 per year ($18.31/hr). The 25th percentile is $48,630 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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