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Social Science Research Assistants · SOC 19-4061

Social Science Research Assistants Salary in the San Jose Metro Area

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area

Figures describe the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metropolitan statistical area as defined by BLS/OMB — the whole multi-county metro region, not San Jose city limits.

Median annual wage$75,010
Median hourly wage$36.06

Social Science Research Assistants in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area earned a median of $75,010 per year ($36.06 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $44,350 at the 10th percentile to $132,900 at the 90th. BLS estimates 330 people work in this occupation in the area.

Pay distribution

Half of Social Science Research Assistants in the San Jose metro area earn more than $75,010 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $44,350 and $99,930.

Wage percentiles (BLS OEWS)
Wage10th25thMedian75th90th
Annual$44,350$44,350$75,010$99,930$132,900
Hourly$21.32$21.32$36.06$48.04$63.90

A percentile is a cut point: 25% of workers in this occupation and area earn less than the 25th-percentile wage. The median is the 50th percentile — half earn less, half earn more.

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How this area compares

  • San Jose metro areathis metro area
    $75,010
  • Californiastate (CA)
    $60,250
  • United Statesnational
    $61,990

Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.

The median here is +24% vs California overall and +21% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.

Compare with other areas

Where this metro sits nationally

$24,810$45,213$65,617$86,020Cleveland, OH — $24,810Reno, NV — $27,270Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL — $33,190Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA — $33,840Chico, CA — $36,080Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA — $36,710Ann Arbor, MI — $43,060Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI — $45,760Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN — $46,410Wilmington, NC — $46,480Omaha, NE-IA — $46,730New Orleans-Metairie, LA — $47,980Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL — $48,550Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX — $49,000Richmond, VA — $49,060Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC — $49,480Pittsburgh, PA — $50,070Madison, WI — $50,090Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA — $50,310Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO — $50,430Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA — $50,450Portland-South Portland, ME — $50,650Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL — $50,700Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL — $50,800Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC — $51,140Eugene-Springfield, OR — $51,530Lexington-Fayette, KY — $51,780Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY — $52,070Lafayette, LA — $52,070Providence-Warwick, RI-MA — $52,470Athens-Clarke County, GA — $52,890Greenville, NC — $53,140Charlottesville, VA — $53,260Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA — $54,310Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN — $57,020Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN — $57,370Worcester, MA — $58,110Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA — $59,240Lincoln, NE — $59,780Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA — $59,850Baton Rouge, LA — $60,710Trenton-Princeton, NJ — $60,980Tucson, AZ — $61,680Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD — $61,760Columbia, SC — $62,090Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI — $62,670Charleston-North Charleston, SC — $63,440Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH — $63,480Boise City, ID — $63,860Lansing-East Lansing, MI — $64,220Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ — $64,290Greensboro-High Point, NC — $64,490Kansas City, MO-KS — $64,650Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN — $64,890Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX — $64,900Columbia, MO — $65,050New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ — $65,330Raleigh-Cary, NC — $65,330Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV — $65,330Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD — $65,550Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC — $65,740Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX — $66,200San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA — $66,520Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA — $67,440San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX — $67,780Oklahoma City, OK — $72,710Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC — $74,060San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA — $75,010San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA — $82,020Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN — $82,500Bowling Green, KY — $84,680Flagstaff, AZ — $86,020

Each dot is one metro area with a published median — hover any dot for the name and figure. Metros without published estimates are not drawn.

The San Jose metro area has the 5th-highest published median for this occupation among the 72 metro areas where BLS publishes it. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Other metro areas in California

Metro areas in the same state with published May 2025 medians for social science research assistants, highest first. Areas without published estimates are not listed.

  • San Jose metro areathis page
    $75,010
  • San Francisco metro area
    $82,020
  • San Diego metro area
    $66,520
  • Los Angeles metro area
    $59,240
  • Sacramento metro area
    $54,310
  • Riverside metro area
    $36,710
  • Chico metro area
    $36,080

Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.

Keep exploring

Other occupations in the same SOC group with published medians here, largest employment first:

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists$159,300Occupational Health and Safety Specialists$128,980Biological Technicians$72,940Biological Scientists, All Other$133,790Clinical and Counseling Psychologists$102,710Chemists$114,890

Highest-paying metro areas for social science research assistantss · Highest-paying occupations in San Jose Metro

About this estimate

These figures are survey estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — modeled from employer reports collected over three years and benchmarked to May 2025. They describe what employers in this area currently pay across all industries, not what any individual worker will be offered.

Employment counts wage-and-salary jobs in the occupation (self-employed workers are excluded). Estimates carry sampling error; percentile wages are rounded by BLS. Some values are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or quality — suppressed values appear here as “not published”, never as zero. Read the full methodology.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.