University of Southern California (USC) Sociology: Salary, Debt & Careers

Earnings, 4 years after graduating

$70,555

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

College Scorecard field of study

Earnings, 1 year after

$35,580

Median for graduates who received federal aid.

College Scorecard field of study

Median debt at graduation

$10,324

About 15% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $25,000.

College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)

What your family pays

$32,740 /yr

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

Sticker price $90,300. 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

Los Angeles area$59,240

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 USC, by income

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

College Scorecard

About USC

Acceptance rate: 10% · admissions
Graduation rate: 92% within 6 years
Median earnings, all majors, 10 years after starting: $92,498
Full cost breakdown · all 89 majors · overview

Related majors at USC

Psychology$70,461
Social Sciences$42,038
Political Science$75,090
Economics$94,435
Urban Studies / Affairs—

USC Sociology questions

How much do USC Sociology graduates earn?

Sociology graduates of University of Southern California earn a median $70,555 four years after graduating and $35,580 one year after. The U.S. median for Sociology graduates across 458 colleges is $52,120.

How much debt do USC Sociology graduates have?

The median federal loan debt for Sociology graduates of University of Southern California is $10,324, about 15% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $25,000.

Where does USC rank for Sociology in California?

Of 44 California colleges reporting Sociology graduate earnings, University of Southern California ranks 2nd. 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 $59,240 in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area and $61,990 nationally.

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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: “University of Southern California Sociology: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-southern-california/majors/sociology (College Scorecard and BLS data).

University of Southern California Sociology: earnings, debt & careers