Best Social Sciences Schools (2026): 21 Ranked by Salary & ROI
These are the top schools offering Social Sciences, ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Social Sciences graduate earns $26,525/yr across 21 schools.
BLS projects 1.1% employment growth for occupations in this field from 2024–2034, with approximately 318 annual job openings per related program area.
All Social Sciences Programs Ranked
Click any row for full earnings projections and career path breakdown.
| # | School | TSW Score | Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Merced College
Merced, CA · Social Sciences |
77
72–79 |
$34,168/yr | 141.7x |
| 2 |
Tulsa Community College
Tulsa, OK · Social Sciences |
66
62–68 |
$34,203/yr | 48.7x |
| 3 |
Pasadena City College
Pasadena, CA · Social Sciences |
73
69–75 |
$29,847/yr | 125.5x |
| 4 |
Sierra College
Rocklin, CA · Social Sciences |
73
69–75 |
$30,103/yr | 129.2x |
| 5 |
Frederick Community College
Frederick, MD · Social Sciences |
64
61–66 |
$32,749/yr | 42.4x |
| 6 |
Roxbury Community College
Roxbury Crossing, MA · Social Sciences |
64
61–66 |
$37,941/yr | 31.8x |
| 7 |
Santa Rosa Junior College
Santa Rosa, CA · Social Sciences |
73
66–75 |
$27,691/yr | 164.5x |
| 8 |
Butte College
Oroville, CA · Social Sciences |
71
64–73 |
$26,482/yr | 147.2x |
| 9 |
Antelope Valley Community College District
Lancaster, CA · Social Sciences |
70
63–72 |
$24,052/yr | 189.0x |
| 10 |
East Los Angeles College
Monterey Park, CA · Social Sciences |
68
61–71 |
$22,947/yr | 159.0x |
| 11 |
Ohlone College
Fremont, CA · Social Sciences |
65
61–67 |
$22,545/yr | 92.8x |
| 12 |
Barstow Community College
Barstow, CA · Social Sciences |
66
62–68 |
$22,398/yr | 110.7x |
| 13 |
Tidewater Community College
Norfolk, VA · Social Sciences |
58
53–60 |
$29,425/yr | 31.1x |
| 14 |
Mt San Jacinto Community College District
San Jacinto, CA · Social Sciences |
65
57–68 |
$20,084/yr | 200.9x |
| 15 |
Northern Virginia Community College
Annandale, VA · Social Sciences |
54
47–57 |
$23,637/yr | 41.2x |
| 16 |
Virginia Peninsula Community College
Hampton, VA · Social Sciences |
56
50–59 |
$25,478/yr | 35.9x |
| 17 |
Brookdale Community College
Lincroft, NJ · Social Sciences |
56
49–58 |
$26,231/yr | 32.3x |
| 18 |
Harrisburg Area Community College
Harrisburg, PA · Social Sciences |
55
49–58 |
$27,600/yr | 26.7x |
| 19 |
Essex County College
Newark, NJ · Social Sciences |
53
45–55 |
$22,053/yr | 32.9x |
| 20 |
J Sargeant Reynolds Community College
Richmond, VA · Social Sciences |
50
43–52 |
$18,164/yr | 37.3x |
| 21 |
Virginia Western Community College
Roanoke, VA · Social Sciences |
50
43–53 |
$19,220/yr | 32.8x |
Programs by State
Top states by program availability. Click a state for the full in-state ranking.
| State | Programs | Avg Earnings | Avg TSW Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 10 | $26,032/yr | 51 |
| Virginia | 5 | $23,185/yr | 45 |
| New Jersey | 2 | $24,142/yr | 45 |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | $27,600/yr | 46 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | $34,203/yr | 57 |
| Maryland | 1 | $32,749/yr | 54 |
| Massachusetts | 1 | $37,941/yr | 54 |
About This Ranking
What we ranked
Best Social Sciences Schools ranks 21 programs across the United States by the TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines graduate earnings, return on investment, and job-market demand into a single 0-100 metric.
Data sources
Earnings figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, which tracks graduate income one and five years after program completion. Job-market projections use Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 employment data.
How to read the table
Use the sort controls below the headline to re-rank by earnings, ROI, or other metrics. Click any school name for full earnings projections, three-scenario modeling, and detailed program data. Most students attend a school within driving distance — local rankings are usually more actionable than national.
Caveats & limitations
Rankings reflect what the data can measure: post-graduation earnings, debt levels, and broad labor-market trends. They cannot capture program quality nuances like instructor expertise, hands-on equipment access, or industry connections. Treat rankings as a starting point — visit schools and talk to current students before committing.
Methodology
Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (projected earnings vs. program tuition).
Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.