Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2004

19-4061 Social Science Research Assistants

Assist social scientists in laboratory, survey, and other social research. May perform publication activities, laboratory analysis, quality control, or data management. Normally these individuals work under the direct supervision of a social scientist and assist in those activities which are more routine. Exclude "Graduate Teaching Assistants" (25-1191) who both teach and do research.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
15,710 6.7 % $17.26 $35,900 2.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $9.75 $12.68 $16.52 $20.77 $25.94
Annual Wage (2) $20,290 $26,380 $34,360 $43,190 $53,960

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Scientific research and development services 6,790 $16.41 $34,140
Colleges and universities 5,250 $17.56 $36,520
Local government (OES designation) 610 $18.25 $37,960
Management and technical consulting services 490 $15.29 $31,790
State government (OES designation) 240 $16.77 $34,890

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing (7) $25.81 $53,690
Other financial investment activities 50 $24.88 $51,760
Management of companies and enterprises 100 $21.84 $45,420
Social advocacy organizations 100 $20.95 $43,570
Newspaper, book, and directory publishers 120 $20.44 $42,520

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
District of Columbia 950 $17.69 $36,790 0.158%
Maryland 1,170 $20.55 $42,740 0.048%
Connecticut 630 $20.46 $42,560 0.039%
Washington 660 $16.40 $34,110 0.026%
North Carolina 960 $16.87 $35,100 0.026%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Pennsylvania 820 $21.67 $45,070 0.015%
Massachusetts 520 $21.60 $44,930 0.017%
Maryland 1,170 $20.55 $42,740 0.048%
Connecticut 630 $20.46 $42,560 0.039%
California 990 $19.92 $41,440 0.007%

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC MSA 830 $17.31 $36,000 0.122%
Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV PMSA 1,970 $18.98 $39,480 0.071%
Olympia, WA PMSA 50 $18.91 $39,340 0.058%
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA PMSA 440 $15.91 $33,090 0.034%
Philadelphia, PA-NJ PMSA 760 $21.61 $44,940 0.032%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Ann Arbor, MI PMSA (7) $22.38 $46,540 (7)
Boston, MA-NH PMSA 480 $21.66 $45,060 0.025%
Philadelphia, PA-NJ PMSA 760 $21.61 $44,940 0.032%
San Francisco, CA PMSA 70 $19.99 $41,580 0.007%
Oakland, CA PMSA 90 $19.69 $40,950 0.009%

About May 2004 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) Estimates not released.

All Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

May 2004 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2004 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: June 02, 2005