Survey Researchers: Career Profile
Plan, develop, or conduct surveys. May analyze and interpret the meaning of survey data, determine survey objectives, or suggest or test question wording. Includes social scientists who primarily design questionnaires or supervise survey teams.
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What Tasks Do Survey Researchers Take On?
The core tasks performed by survey researchers cover:
- Conduct surveys and collect data, using methods such as interviews, questionnaires, focus groups, market analysis surveys, public opinion polls, literature reviews, and file reviews.
- Prepare and present summaries and analyses of survey data, including tables, graphs, and fact sheets that describe survey techniques and results.
- Consult with clients to identify survey needs and specific requirements, such as special samples.
- Determine and specify details of survey projects, including sources of information, procedures to be used, and the design of survey instruments and materials.
- Support, plan, and coordinate operations for single or multiple surveys.
- Monitor and evaluate survey progress and performance, using sample disposition reports and response rate calculations.
- Collaborate with other researchers in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of surveys.
- Conduct research to gather information about survey topics.
Skills and Knowledge
Top survey researchers combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The competencies that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Analytic Methodologist
- Bilingual Field Interviewer
- Data Analyst
- Data Collection Specialist
- Data Collector
- Evaluation Analyst
- Field Collector
- Field Data Collector
How Many Survey Researchers Are There?
The U.S. employs around 68,888 survey researchers working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +11.1% over the projection horizon.
Survey Researchers Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $108,538 |
| Hourly median | $52.18 |
| 10th percentile | $64,275 |
| 25th percentile | $86,407 |
| 75th percentile | $130,669 |
| 90th percentile | $152,801 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| New Jersey | $102,410 |
| District of Columbia | $96,670 |
| Minnesota | $95,650 |
| Illinois | $92,520 |
| Maryland | $90,190 |
| New York | $82,550 |
| Oregon | $82,300 |
| Iowa | $77,830 |
| California | $77,180 |
| North Carolina | $76,990 |
| Ohio | $75,400 |
| Colorado | $75,290 |
| Wisconsin | $75,070 |
| Connecticut | $66,220 |
| Washington | $64,160 |
| Michigan | $63,040 |
| Wyoming | $62,910 |
| Alaska | $62,640 |
| Nebraska | $61,960 |
| Pennsylvania | $61,100 |
| Kansas | $60,380 |
| New Mexico | $58,950 |
| Arizona | $58,460 |
| Tennessee | $55,950 |
| Virginia | $54,550 |
| Oklahoma | $51,900 |
| Missouri | $51,680 |
| Utah | $50,150 |
| Georgia | $48,800 |
| Maine | $42,960 |
| Texas | $36,950 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Compensation for survey researchers shift depending on where you work. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Atlantic | $86,465 | 18.2% | 1.93 |
| Great Lakes | $83,479 | 6.1% | 0.66 |
| Far Western US | $75,582 | 21.4% | 1.19 |
| Plains States | $62,476 | 12.4% | 2.73 |
| Rocky Mountains | $56,530 | 1.2% | 1.73 |
| Southeast | $55,481 | 21.4% | 2.43 |
| New England | $46,328 | 4.0% | 2.12 |
| Southwest | $40,406 | 15.2% | 1.35 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | NJ | $180,060 | 40 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | IL | $98,510 | 240 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | DC | $96,710 | 530 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | NY | $88,570 | 170 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $87,290 | 260 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | MN | $83,810 | |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $83,000 | 220 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | OR | $82,300 | 80 |
Industry Breakdown
The largest employers of survey researchers are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4,700 | $64,640 |
| Educational Services | 1,490 | $63,290 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 260 | $61,530 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 160 | $56,100 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 120 | $63,960 |
Below are examples of industries where survey researchers work:
Software Survey Researchers Use
- Object or component oriented development software: C++ (hot technology)
- Enterprise application integration software: Extensible markup language XML (hot technology)
- Analytical or scientific software: IBM SPSS Statistics (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: JavaScript (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Project management software: Microsoft Project (hot technology)
- Project management software: Microsoft Teams (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
What the Workplace Is Like
Daily working conditions for survey researchers tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Spend Time Sitting
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
Getting Started in This Career
Typical survey researchers positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Clinical Research Coordinators (Supplemental)
- Management Analysts (Primary-Short)
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists (Primary-Long)
- Financial Quantitative Analysts (Supplemental)
- Operations Research Analysts (Supplemental)
- Statisticians (Primary-Short)
- Biostatisticians (Primary-Long)
- Data Scientists (Primary-Short)
Degree Programs
Future survey researchers often complete programs in:
Social Sciences
3 programs across 2 majors
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
3 programs across 3 majors
Mathematics and Statistics
2 programs across 2 majors
Education
1 programs across 1 majors
Sources
This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 19-3022.00 (Survey Researchers).
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