Employment

Social scientists held about 259,000 jobs in 1994. Over half of all social scientists are psychologists. Almost one-third of all social scientists--overwhelmingly psychologists--are self-employed, involved in counseling, consulting or research.

Salaried social scientists worked as researchers, administrators and counselors for a wide range of employers, including Federal, State and local governments, educational institutions, hospitals, research and testing services and management and public relations firms. Other employers include social service agencies, international organizations, associations, museums, historical societies, computer and data processing firms and business firms.

In addition, many persons with training in a social science discipline teach in colleges and universities and in secondary and elementary schools. The proportion of social scientists who teach varies by occupation; for example, the academic world generally is a more important source of jobs for graduates in sociology than for graduates in psychology.