Survey Methodologist

Studies how to ask questions so surveys give accurate answers.

A day in the life

Runs an experiment testing whether changing one word in a question changes how people answer, and redesigns the Census Bureau's online form.

Pay over a career

Starting
$75k
Typical
$120k
High
$175k

Estimate.

Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.

Training

Doctorate (PhD), about 10 years after high school. PhD in survey methodology or statistics.

Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.

Majors to look at: Statistics, Survey Methodology, Psychology.

Outlook

Growing about average (about 2% over 10 years). Estimate.

Will it last? Our AI estimate

Medium risk for 10 years. AI pretests question wording at scale; deep methodology and fixing biased surveys stay expert human work.

Start now, in high school

Classes: AP Statistics, AP Psychology, AP English Language.

Official data: O*NET occupation 19-3022.

More Survey Research, Polling & Demography careers

Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.