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Occupation

Political Scientists

Study the origin, development, and operation of political systems. May study topics, such as public opinion, political decisionmaking, and ideology. May analyze the structure and operation of governments, as well as various political entities. May conduct public opinion surveys, analyze election results, or analyze public documents.

97 AI exposure
16 Human advantage
48 Market demand
61 AI leverage

Is Political Scientists a safe career from AI?

Political Scientists scores 97 out of 100 for AI exposure, which is high. A large share of this work is the kind current AI systems are measurably good at. That is not a prediction the job disappears, and the research does not support one. It means more of this role is likely to change than most.

Its human advantage score is 16, which is low. Most of this role can be done through a screen, and that is the half of the labor market AI has reached first. Market demand scores 48 out of 100, combining how many of these jobs exist with where that number is heading. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment roughly flat over ten years.

What Political Scientists pay

The median wage is $139,380 a year. The lower quarter earns under $103,030 and the upper quarter over $172,050. About 5,950 people do this work in the United States.

Where Political Scientists can go next

Occupations that share most of what this job already requires, ranked by how much carries over.

Sociologists 94% of the skills carry over $102k median
Geographers 91% of the skills carry over $97k median
Chief Sustainability Officers 81% of the skills carry over $206k median
Water Resource Specialists 81% of the skills carry over $161k median

Thinking about moving out of Political Scientists?

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Where this comes from

Work content and transitions from O*NET, the US Department of Labor's occupational database. Wages and employment projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. AI exposure from published research measuring which occupations current AI capabilities overlap with. None of it is a forecast, and none of these numbers are ours: they are public data, put next to each other.

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