The salary statistics of political scientists in the industry sector of professional, scientific, and technical services are shown in Table 1. In Table 2 we compare political scientist salaries in different industries within the professional, scientific, and technical services sector.
| Percentile Bracket | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile Wage | $55,840 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $69,390 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $114,760 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $148,090 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $166,380 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for political scientists in the industry sector of professional, scientific, and technical services. The salaries are shown in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) political scientists is $166,380. The median annual salary (50th percentile) is $114,760. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent paid political scientists is $55,840.
The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of political scientists in the industry sector of professional, scientific, and technical services from 2012 to 2018.
| Year | Median Salary | Yearly Growth | 6-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $114,760 | -3.10% | 26.04% |
| 2017 | $118,320 | -1.94% | - |
| 2016 | $120,610 | 4.32% | - |
| 2015 | $115,400 | 18.11% | - |
| 2014 | $94,500 | 14.98% | - |
| 2013 | $80,340 | -5.65% | - |
| 2012 | $84,880 | - | - |
The average salaries of political scientists in two industries in the professional, scientific, and technical services sector are shown below. For detailed political scientist salary information in a particular industry, use the links provided below.
| Industry Name | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences | |
| Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | |
Data source: The national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in 2018 and published in April 2019 [1].