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.
Median pay (national)
$139,380
$74,750–$191,880 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
5,950
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
-3.1%
~500 openings/yr
Typical entry
Master's degree
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for political scientists shows an unusually wide range: the top 10% earn $191,880 versus $74,750 at the bottom 10% — 2.6x. The median of $139,380 leaves roughly 38% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change -3.1% from 2024 to 2034 — a projected decline, against +3% across all occupations. Even so, BLS projects about 500 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 16 states with released data, Virginia pays the most for this role (median $163,950, +18% vs the national median), while New Hampshire sits lowest at $63,500 — a 158% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint as in-demand technologies for this role.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Active Learning
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Learning Strategies
- Mathematics
- Monitoring
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Teach political science.
- Maintain current knowledge of government policy decisions.
- Develop and test theories, using information from interviews, newspapers, periodicals, case law, historical papers, polls, or statistical sources.
- Disseminate research results through academic publications, written reports, or public presentations.
- Advise political science students.
- Collect, analyze, and interpret data, such as election results and public opinion surveys, reporting on findings, recommendations, and conclusions.
- Interpret and analyze policies, public issues, legislation, or the operations of governments, businesses, and organizations.
- Identify issues for research and analysis.
- Serve on committees.
- Forecast political, economic, and social trends.
Tools & technology
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
- IBM SPSS Statistics
- Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP
- Microsoft Visio
- Python
- R
- SAP software
- SAS
- Tableau
- Bare Bones Software BBEdit
- CQ Press Political Reference Suite
- Data visualization software
Knowledge areas
- Law and Government
- English Language
- Education and Training
- History and Archeology
- Mathematics
- Communications and Media
- Sociology and Anthropology
- Geography