Agricultural Technicians
Median $49,630
Occupation · SOC 19-4061
Social Science Research Assistants: pay and where the jobs are
What social science research assistants earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$61,990 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $66,140
- Median hourly wage
- $29.81
- Mean hourly wage
- $31.80
- Employment
- 30,640
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 19-4061.
Check your pay
See where your pay falls among social science research assistants nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Enter your pay to see where it falls.
Use these numbers
How much do social science research assistants make?
The median annual wage for social science research assistants was $61,990 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $38,090 and the highest-paid 10% more than $102,070. As an hourly rate, the median is $29.81. About 30,640 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Oklahoma ($69,090), Delaware ($68,230) and Kansas ($67,740). Oklahoma also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for social science research assistants looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $38,090 | $18.31 | $3,174 | $2,732 |
| 25th percentile | $48,620 | $23.38 | $4,052 | $3,437 |
| Median | $61,990 | $29.81 | $5,166 | $4,332 |
| 75th percentile | $77,760 | $37.38 | $6,480 | $5,295 |
| 90th percentile | $102,070 | $49.07 | $8,506 | $6,720 |
Social Science Research Assistants: pay by state
45 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$62,465 take-home in national prices
2
$59,405 take-home in national prices
3
$59,138 take-home in national prices
Where a median social science research assistant paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 100 | $69,090 | $40,140 | $115,660 | $54,871 | $62,465 |
| Delaware | 40 | $68,230 | $40,400 | $96,770 | $53,395 | $53,497 |
| Kansas | 170 | $67,740 | $43,140 | $67,740 | $53,505 | $59,405 |
| Georgia | 1,840 | $66,620 | $40,650 | $136,810 | $53,121 | $55,166 |
| Kentucky | 1,190 | $66,390 | $45,050 | $106,590 | $53,318 | $59,138 |
| Missouri | 750 | $65,940 | $39,250 | $79,860 | $53,001 | $58,360 |
| New Hampshire | 70 | $65,690 | $37,350 | $93,030 | $54,962 | $52,764 |
| Maryland | 700 | $65,550 | $47,260 | $113,020 | $52,102 | $49,640 |
| District of Columbia | 1,560 | $65,330 | $50,810 | $112,030 | $51,873 | $47,199 |
| Illinois | 250 | $64,890 | $37,460 | $116,530 | $51,252 | $51,273 |
| South Carolina | 500 | $64,490 | $48,200 | $130,300 | $52,037 | $55,507 |
| North Carolina | 2,930 | $63,710 | $49,980 | $81,650 | $51,338 | $54,426 |
| Massachusetts | Not published | $63,480 | $49,500 | $82,130 | $49,940 | $47,222 |
| New Jersey | 370 | $62,760 | $37,960 | $105,390 | $50,234 | $46,169 |
| Idaho | Not published | $62,570 | $48,770 | $80,800 | $50,247 | $52,618 |
| Alaska | 40 | $62,230 | $37,450 | $115,440 | $51,911 | $50,714 |
| Arizona | 1,020 | $61,680 | $47,130 | $82,470 | $50,592 | $50,251 |
| New York | 3,040 | $61,210 | $35,520 | $103,080 | $48,358 | $44,809 |
| California | 5,300 | $60,250 | $38,060 | $117,070 | $48,153 | $43,491 |
| Michigan | 750 | $60,210 | $41,970 | $82,870 | $48,251 | $50,148 |
| Connecticut | 50 | $60,110 | $35,860 | $88,270 | $47,622 | $45,963 |
| Texas | 1,180 | $58,070 | $38,120 | $108,730 | $48,839 | $50,320 |
| Indiana | 210 | $57,020 | $30,580 | $105,750 | $46,343 | $49,655 |
| Oregon | 220 | $56,770 | $48,150 | $85,110 | $43,729 | $42,307 |
| Nebraska | 230 | $56,190 | $37,830 | $78,880 | $45,652 | $50,666 |
| Pennsylvania | 860 | $54,610 | $44,710 | $81,640 | $44,344 | $45,448 |
| Virginia | 700 | $53,260 | $42,550 | $83,760 | $42,726 | $42,260 |
| Alabama | Not published | $53,080 | $52,430 | $57,160 | $42,625 | $47,989 |
| Louisiana | 340 | $52,600 | $43,890 | $64,290 | $43,252 | $49,035 |
| Rhode Island | 220 | $51,420 | $41,990 | $99,720 | $41,619 | $40,691 |
| West Virginia | 550 | $51,140 | $30,330 | $145,770 | $41,779 | $46,682 |
| Florida | 1,130 | $50,700 | $33,190 | $81,520 | $42,917 | $41,501 |
| Maine | 120 | $50,650 | $41,870 | $66,990 | $40,883 | $42,126 |
| New Mexico | 50 | $50,640 | $40,250 | $102,950 | $41,655 | $45,173 |
| Colorado | 100 | $50,430 | $42,590 | $63,610 | $40,968 | $39,755 |
| Washington | 450 | $50,420 | $45,530 | $75,720 | $41,993 | $39,241 |
| Ohio | 240 | $50,330 | $23,770 | $104,420 | $41,680 | $44,926 |
| Montana | 30 | $49,860 | $29,680 | $69,570 | $40,656 | $42,956 |
| Wisconsin | 110 | $48,090 | $34,710 | $71,050 | $39,338 | $41,806 |
| Vermont | 40 | $47,510 | $47,510 | $76,650 | $39,197 | $40,014 |
| Tennessee | 140 | $46,410 | $33,120 | $58,500 | $39,470 | $42,963 |
| Minnesota | 300 | $44,920 | $38,080 | $68,070 | $36,491 | $37,001 |
| South Dakota | 40 | $44,820 | $28,260 | $50,670 | $38,193 | $43,114 |
| Iowa | 140 | $40,940 | $22,260 | $58,470 | $34,171 | $38,936 |
| Nevada | Not published | $26,560 | $24,960 | $47,830 | $23,482 | $23,487 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 19-4061. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.