by our College Data Analytics Team
[Sociology](/majors/social-sciences/sociology/) graduates earn very different salaries depending on where they study. The schools below stand out for the salaries their sociology graduates go on to command.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 48 schools on the early-career earnings of their sociology graduates.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools send sociology graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
Our analysis ranked Columbia University In The City Of New York the top school for sociology graduate earnings in New York. Set in the city of New York, Columbia University In The City Of New York is a private not-for-profit institution. Sociology graduates of Columbia University In The City Of New York earn a median of about $93,017 a year early in their careers.
Wagner College came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying sociology schools. Wagner College is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Staten Island. Students who complete the sociology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $64,199.
Strong graduate earnings at Barnard College earned it the #3 place for sociology. Located in the city of New York, Barnard College is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the sociology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $75,086.
Strong graduate earnings at St Lawrence University earned it the #4 place for sociology. St Lawrence University is a private not-for-profit school located in the town of Canton. Students who complete the sociology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $57,039.
Strong graduate earnings at Long Island University C W Post Campus earned it the #5 place for sociology. Located in the suburb of Brookville, Long Island University C W Post Campus is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the sociology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $56,783.
Saint John Fisher College placed #6 among the highest-paying schools for sociology. Saint John Fisher College is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Rochester. After graduating, sociology degree recipients from Saint John Fisher College typically earn about $55,539 annually.
Hartwick College earned the #7 position for sociology graduate earnings this year. Set in the town of Oneonta, Hartwick College is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, sociology degree recipients from Hartwick College typically earn about $54,129 annually.
Syracuse University landed the #8 spot for sociology salaries this year. Syracuse University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Syracuse. After graduating, sociology degree recipients from Syracuse University typically earn about $72,358 annually.
Colgate University landed the #9 spot for sociology salaries this year. Colgate University is a private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Hamilton. Sociology graduates of Colgate University earn a median of about $51,788 a year early in their careers.
Suny Institute Of Technology At Utica Rome ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying sociology schools. Suny Institute Of Technology At Utica Rome is a public school located in the suburb of Utica. Students who complete the sociology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $50,382.
Le Moyne College came in at #11 for sociology graduate earnings this year. Set in the suburb of Syracuse, Le Moyne College is a private not-for-profit institution. Sociology graduates of Le Moyne College earn a median of about $49,942 a year early in their careers.
Cornell University earned the #12 position for sociology graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Ithaca, Cornell University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, sociology degree recipients from Cornell University typically earn about $65,655 annually.
Cuny Brooklyn College placed #13 among the highest-paying schools for sociology. Set in the city of Brooklyn, Cuny Brooklyn College is a public institution. After graduating, sociology degree recipients from Cuny Brooklyn College typically earn about $58,167 annually.
Canisius College landed the #14 spot for sociology salaries this year. Set in the city of Buffalo, Canisius College is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career sociology graduates from Canisius College make a median of around $47,231 per year.
Cuny Lehman College came in at #15 for sociology graduate earnings this year. Cuny Lehman College is a public school located in the city of Bronx. Early-career sociology graduates from Cuny Lehman College make a median of around $52,108 per year.
Fordham University earned the #16 position for sociology graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Bronx, Fordham University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career sociology graduates from Fordham University make a median of around $66,658 per year.
Cuny York College landed the #17 spot for sociology salaries this year. Set in the city of Jamaica, Cuny York College is a public institution. After graduating, sociology degree recipients from Cuny York College typically earn about $54,250 annually.
Hofstra University earned the #18 position for sociology graduate earnings this year. Hofstra University is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Hempstead. Sociology graduates of Hofstra University earn a median of about $61,906 a year early in their careers.
Stony Brook University ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying sociology schools. Stony Brook University is a public school located in the suburb of Stony Brook. After graduating, sociology degree recipients from Stony Brook University typically earn about $63,549 annually.
St Johns University New York landed the #20 spot for sociology salaries this year. Located in the city of Queens, St Johns University New York is a private not-for-profit institution. Sociology graduates of St Johns University New York earn a median of about $55,129 a year early in their careers.
Suny College At Cortland came in at #21 for sociology graduate earnings this year. Located in the town of Cortland, Suny College At Cortland is a public institution. Students who complete the sociology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $59,571.
Suny College At Plattsburgh landed the #22 spot for sociology salaries this year. Set in the town of Plattsburgh, Suny College At Plattsburgh is a public institution. Sociology graduates of Suny College At Plattsburgh earn a median of about $51,423 a year early in their careers.
Cuny Queens College came in at #23 for sociology graduate earnings this year. Cuny Queens College is a public school located in the city of Queens. After graduating, sociology degree recipients from Cuny Queens College typically earn about $59,743 annually.
Suny At Geneseo earned the #24 position for sociology graduate earnings this year. Located in the town of Geneseo, Suny At Geneseo is a public institution. Early-career sociology graduates from Suny At Geneseo make a median of around $51,153 per year.
New York University earned the #25 position for sociology graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of New York, New York University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the sociology program here go on to a median salary of roughly $73,086.
These schools rounded out the top of this year’s highest-paid sociology ranking:
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries sociology graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 48 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
