San Francisco State University Sociology: Salary, Debt & Careers

Earnings, 4 years after graduating

$62,385

U.S. median for this major: $52,120.

College Scorecard field of study

Earnings, 1 year after

$40,763

Median for graduates who received federal aid.

College Scorecard field of study

Median debt at graduation

$15,000

About 24% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $25,000.

College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)

What your family pays

$12,278 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $26,488. College Scorecard.

Sociology at California colleges

Every California college we cover that reports Sociology graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants.

Rank	College	Earnings, 4 yrs	Median debt	Avg. net price	Graduation
1	University of California-Berkeley	$71,363	$13,131	$13,481	93%
2	University of Southern California	$70,555	$10,324	$32,740	92%
3	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	$69,883	$16,750	$16,665	86%
4	Loyola Marymount University	$68,053	$19,500	$48,381	79%
5	California Lutheran University	$67,998	—	$30,109	70%
6	National University	$64,860	$28,125	$22,878	43%
7	University of California-Los Angeles	$64,692	$14,500	$12,548	93%
8	University of Massachusetts Global	$63,036	$30,273	$32,654	43%
9	University of Redlands	$62,516	$24,500	$30,031	67%
10	California State University-East Bay	$62,427	$18,654	$9,320	48%
11	San Francisco State University	$62,385	$15,000	$12,278	50%
12	Chapman University	$62,047	$20,500	$46,555	82%
13	University of San Francisco	$61,883	$25,000	$41,431	70%
14	University of La Verne	$61,350	$23,415	$20,161	63%
15	University of California-Santa Barbara	$60,013	$13,500	$16,109	83%
16	Mount Saint Mary's University	$59,575	$29,250	$21,413	53%
17	University of California-Davis	$59,171	$12,600	$14,741	86%
18	Occidental College	$58,598	$21,250	$38,263	81%
19	University of the Pacific	$58,275	$25,000	$25,447	69%
20	California State University-Sacramento	$56,886	$16,100	$9,338	56%
21	California State University-Channel Islands	$56,855	$15,000	$9,849	51%
22	Sonoma State University	$56,581	$18,000	$12,885	58%
23	University of California-Irvine	$56,457	$15,000	$14,251	87%
24	University of California-Riverside	$55,682	$16,500	$14,304	76%
25	University of California-San Diego	$55,534	$14,413	$12,470	86%
26	University of California-Santa Cruz	$55,338	$16,500	$17,890	75%
27	California State University-Dominguez Hills	$55,100	$15,000	$8,615	43%
28	California State University-Northridge	$54,500	$13,000	$7,021	57%
29	University of San Diego	$54,338	$26,000	$30,365	84%
30	California Baptist University	$54,060	$27,000	$26,285	62%
31	San Diego State University	$53,387	$12,500	$15,364	76%
32	California State University-San Marcos	$53,287	$15,000	$10,229	55%
33	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona	$52,694	$13,300	$11,531	68%
34	California State University-Bakersfield	$52,618	—	$5,652	50%
35	California State University-Chico	$52,323	$16,049	$14,480	63%
36	California State University-Long Beach	$51,982	$12,831	$10,440	69%
37	California State University-Fullerton	$50,922	$13,917	$6,555	70%
38	University of California-Merced	$50,468	$17,515	$11,983	69%
39	California State University-Los Angeles	$50,249	$12,500	$3,967	53%
40	California State University-Fresno	$49,407	$11,114	$7,000	57%
41	California State University-San Bernardino	$48,954	$13,852	$4,564	55%
42	California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt	$48,143	$16,458	$13,171	49%
43	Biola University	$47,052	$26,990	$31,495	68%
44	California State University-Stanislaus	$46,340	$10,613	$6,067	53%

16 more California colleges offer Sociology but have too few graduates to report earnings.

Careers for Sociology graduates

Social Science Research Assistants

San Francisco area$82,020

California$60,250

U.S.$61,990

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +5.0% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35. Careers from the federal major-to-occupation crosswalk.

What families pay at San Francisco State University, by income

School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.

College Scorecard

About San Francisco State University

Acceptance rate: 96% · admissions
Graduation rate: 50% within 6 years
Median earnings, all majors, 10 years after starting: $68,077
Full cost breakdown · all 84 majors · overview

Related majors at San Francisco State University

Psychology$55,902
Social Work$68,524
Social Sciences—
Political Science$61,915
Economics$82,697
Urban Studies / Affairs$70,207

San Francisco State University Sociology questions

How much do San Francisco State University Sociology graduates earn?

Sociology graduates of San Francisco State University earn a median $62,385 four years after graduating and $40,763 one year after. The U.S. median for Sociology graduates across 458 colleges is $52,120.

How much debt do San Francisco State University Sociology graduates have?

The median federal loan debt for Sociology graduates of San Francisco State University is $15,000, about 24% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $25,000.

Where does San Francisco State University rank for Sociology in California?

Of 44 California colleges reporting Sociology graduate earnings, San Francisco State University ranks 11th. The highest is University of California-Berkeley at $71,363.

What jobs do Sociology graduates get?

A common career is social science research assistants, with a median wage of $82,020 in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area and $61,990 nationally.

Is San Francisco State University the right fit for your family?

Get a free report comparing San Francisco State University with up to 4 other schools on what you'd actually pay, what graduates in your major earn, and how each fits your priorities.

Build my free report Check my chances of getting in

We never share your contact information.

Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (field of study: median earnings and federal loan debt of graduates who received federal aid); BLS. How we score
Data: JSON · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “San Francisco State University Sociology: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/san-francisco-state-university/majors/sociology (College Scorecard and BLS data).

San Francisco State University Sociology: earnings, debt & careers