Political Scientists
Government and Public AdministrationO*NET 19-3094.00United States
Study the origin, development, and operation of political systems. May study topics, such as public opinion, political decisionmaking, and ideology.
- Median annual earnings
- $140,211
- Projected change
- −3.4%
- Typical education
- Doctoral degree or more
- Employment
- 8.69K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
92.3% of the workforce
Growing to 8.4K by 2035
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The work
What political scientists do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Teach political science.
- Develop and test theories, using information from interviews, newspapers, periodicals, case law, historical papers, polls, or statistical sources.
- Maintain current knowledge of government policy decisions.
- 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.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $81,436
- 25th percentile
- $112,069
- 50th percentile
- $140,211
- 75th percentile
- $173,314
- 90th percentile
- $197,652
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $140,211 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
−3.4%projected to decline
20258,690 jobs
2035 projected8,396 jobs
294 fewer positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Doctoral degree or more
- 92.3%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 7.7%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Budget Analysts937 postings
- 02Policy Analysts817 postings
- 03Policy Advisors266 postings
- 04Policy Specialists193 postings
- 05Policy Managers162 postings
- 06Security Governance Analysts114 postings
- 07Health Policy Analysts108 postings
- 08Finance and Budget Analysts107 postings
- 09Advocacy Assistants106 postings
- 10Policy Associates104 postings
- 11Fiscal Analysts91 postings
- 12Public Policy Managers91 postings
- 13Analysts88 postings
- 14Government Relations Specialists82 postings
- 15Legislative Policy Analysts74 postings
- 16Directors of Public Policy70 postings
- 17Advisors69 postings
- 18Legislative Analysts67 postings
- 19Policy Directors66 postings
- 20Policy Fellows65 postings
Top employers
- 01Maximus472 postings
- 02State of Washington151 postings
- 03GovCIO109 postings
- 04American Heart Association103 postings
- 05American Institutes For Research98 postings
- 06Texas Health and Human Services Commission62 postings
- 07United States Department of Defense61 postings
- 08New York City60 postings
- 09Serco58 postings
- 10Western Digital55 postings
- 11Accenture52 postings
- 12Pearson Education51 postings
- 13Public Consulting Group50 postings
- 14Booz Allen Hamilton49 postings
- 15Lumen Technologies49 postings
- 16New York State Executive Chamber47 postings
- 17Insight Global46 postings
- 18Texas Health and Human Services46 postings
- 19United Nations43 postings
- 20System One Holdings42 postings
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