Social Science Research Assistants
Also called Graduate Research Assistant, Research Assistant, Research Associate, or Social Research Assistant
Updated · Source: O*NET 31.0
What Social Science Research Assistants do
You help researchers answer questions about people by gathering the data, cleaning it up, running the numbers, and writing up what it shows.
Social science research assistants support the scientists who study how people think, vote, learn, earn, and live. A professor or research team designs a study; you help make it happen. That means running surveys or lab sessions, entering and checking data, hunting down errors, and using statistics software to look for patterns. You also build tables, graphs, and short summaries, and help turn results into reports, articles, and presentations.
Most of the work happens indoors at a desk, often at a university, research center, or government or nonprofit office. You work as part of a team, checking in with the lead researcher and other assistants, and you often deal directly with people, whether that is interviewing survey participants or presenting findings to a group.
A day in the life
You start with email: a question from the lead researcher, a reminder about a meeting, a message from someone in the study. Then you open a dataset and check it line by line, fixing entries that do not match the records. Mid-morning you run a statistical analysis in software and build a graph from the results. After lunch you sit in on a team meeting and talk through what the numbers seem to say. You spend an hour on library and internet research, pulling background for a report. Later you write a plain-language summary of one finding for a fact sheet. Some days you interview participants face to face or present findings to a small group. Much of the day is sitting, indoors, focused.
This could fit you if you…
- ✓Like digging into a question until the answer holds up
- ✓Notice small errors that other people skim past
- ✓Enjoy writing clearly about complicated things
- ✓Want a mix of quiet desk work and real conversations with people
- ✓Are curious about how people and societies actually behave
You might not like it if you…
- –Need to be on your feet or outdoors most of the day
- –Lose patience with repetitive data entry and error checking
- –Want to run your own projects rather than support someone else's
- –Dislike working with numbers and statistics software
How people get in
- 1Take math and statistics classes in high school, and get comfortable writing essays and reports.
- 2Earn a bachelor's degree, which is the typical entry education. Common majors include psychology, sociology, political science, economics, and econometrics and quantitative economics (using math and statistics to study the economy).
- 3While in college, take at least one research methods course and one statistics course, and learn a statistics software program.
- 4Ask a professor if you can help on a research project, or apply for a paid or for-credit research assistant position on campus. Many people get in this way.
- 5Build a small portfolio: a cleaned dataset, a chart you made, a short report you wrote.
- 6Apply to research assistant roles at universities, research centers, government agencies, and nonprofits. Some people later add a graduate degree to move into leading their own studies.
Who tends to enjoy it
Curious
People who like figuring things out, research, science, and solving problems.
Organizing
People who like keeping things accurate, orderly, and running on schedule.
Helping
People who like teaching, caring for, and working closely with people.
Official task list
Social Science Research Assistants assist social scientists in laboratory, survey, and other social science research. May help prepare findings for publication and assist in laboratory analysis, quality control, or data management. (O*NET)
- Design and create special programs for tasks such as statistical analysis and data entry and cleaning.
- Provide assistance with the preparation of project-related reports, manuscripts, and presentations.
- Prepare tables, graphs, fact sheets, and written reports summarizing research results.
- Perform descriptive and multivariate statistical analyses of data, using computer software.
- Verify the accuracy and validity of data entered in databases, correcting any errors.
- Develop and implement research quality control procedures.
- Prepare, manipulate, and manage extensive databases.
- Perform data entry and other clerical work as required for project completion.
A typical day involves
Skills that matter most
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Complex Problem Solving
What you'll need to know
- English Language
- Computers and Electronics
- Administrative
- Mathematics
- Customer and Personal Service
How much Social Science Research Assistants make
The median pay for Social Science Research Assistants in the U.S. is $61,990 a year ($29.81 an hour). Most earn between $38,090 and $102,070. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025)
Pay depends a lot on where you live: the median is highest in Oklahoma ($69,090) and lowest in Nevada ($26,560).
Pay by state and territory
| State | Median pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $53,080 | — |
| Alaska | $62,230 | 40 |
| Arizona | $61,680 | 1,020 |
| California | $60,250 | 5,300 |
| Colorado | $50,430 | 100 |
| Connecticut | $60,110 | 50 |
| Delaware | $68,230 | 40 |
| District of Columbia | $65,330 | 1,560 |
| Florida | $50,700 | 1,130 |
| Georgia | $66,620 | 1,840 |
| Idaho | $62,570 | — |
| Illinois | $64,890 | 250 |
| Indiana | $57,020 | 210 |
| Iowa | $40,940 | 140 |
| Kansas | $67,740 | 170 |
| Kentucky | $66,390 | 1,190 |
| Louisiana | $52,600 | 340 |
| Maine | $50,650 | 120 |
| Maryland | $65,550 | 700 |
| Massachusetts | $63,480 | — |
| Michigan | $60,210 | 750 |
| Minnesota | $44,920 | 300 |
| Missouri | $65,940 | 750 |
| Montana | $49,860 | 30 |
| Nebraska | $56,190 | 230 |
| Nevada | $26,560 | — |
| New Hampshire | $65,690 | 70 |
| New Jersey | $62,760 | 370 |
| New Mexico | $50,640 | 50 |
| New York | $61,210 | 3,040 |
| North Carolina | $63,710 | 2,930 |
| Ohio | $50,330 | 240 |
| Oklahoma | $69,090 | 100 |
| Oregon | $56,770 | 220 |
| Pennsylvania | $54,610 | 860 |
| Rhode Island | $51,420 | 220 |
| South Carolina | $64,490 | 500 |
| South Dakota | $44,820 | 40 |
| Tennessee | $46,410 | 140 |
| Texas | $58,070 | 1,180 |
| Vermont | $47,510 | 40 |
| Virginia | $53,260 | 700 |
| Washington | $50,420 | 450 |
| West Virginia | $51,140 | 550 |
| Wisconsin | $48,090 | 110 |
Where to study for this
College programs that commonly lead to this career, and how many US colleges offer each.
- Psychology 1,653 colleges
- Political Science and Government 1,264 colleges
- Sociology 1,159 colleges
- Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 314 colleges
- Economics 813 colleges
- Social Sciences 491 colleges
- Public Policy Analysis 200 colleges
- Behavioral Sciences 145 colleges
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Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), occupation 19-4061.00, used under CC BY 4.0 and modified by Whittle. Pay: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), SOC 19-4061. Outlook and entry education: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Program links: NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. How we build these pages.