Survey Researchers
What Survey Researchers Do
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.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- Self-employed
- 4%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 5 of 5Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience.
- Education
- Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
- Job training
- Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- English Languageimportance 4.6/5
- Sociology and Anthropologyimportance 3.9/5
- Mathematicsimportance 3.7/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.6/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 3.5/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.5/5
- Psychologyimportance 3.5/5
- Administrativeimportance 3.1/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- E-Mail5.0/5
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.8/5
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.6/5
- Spend Time Sitting4.5/5
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.5/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.4/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Industrial-Organizational Psychologists97% skill match
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists97% skill match
- Statisticians97% skill match
- Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary96% skill match
- Atmospheric and Space Scientists96% skill match
- Economists96% skill match
- Statistical Assistants96% skill match
- Operations Research Analysts96% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.8/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.4/5
- Systems Analysisimportance 3.3/5
- Systems Evaluationimportance 3.3/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.1/5
- Service Orientationimportance 3.1/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.1/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
In-Demand Technologies
- Qualtrics Insight
- REDCap Research Electronic Data Capture
- StataCorp Stata
Other Software Used
- Acarda CallAssist
- Acarda ForbiddenCalls
- Adobe ColdFusion
- Apian SurveyPro
- Argus Perceptual Mapper
- Askia Design
- Askia Vista
- Askia Web
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Intellectual Curiosity
- Integrity
- Cooperation
- Achievement Orientation
- Innovation
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- InvestigativeHigh
- ConventionalHigh
- EnterprisingMedium
- SocialLow
- ArtisticLow
- RealisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where survey researchers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY8.60× national avg
- 2Eugene-Springfield, OR6.22× national avg
- 3Ann Arbor, MI5.48× national avg
- 4Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV3.71× national avg
- 5Albuquerque, NM3.49× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- StatisticiansCareer Change
- Industrial-Organizational PsychologistsLateral Move
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing SpecialistsCareer Change
- Statistical AssistantsCareer Change
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Management Science
- Northwestern University (Evanston, IL)grads earn ~$180,186
- Columbia University in the City of New York (New York, NY)grads earn ~$116,859
- Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus (Atlanta, GA)grads earn ~$180,530
- University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)grads earn ~$158,632
- University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
Marketing/Marketing Management, General
- Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL)grads earn ~$84,981
- The University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL)grads earn ~$77,451
- Western Governors University (Salt Lake City, UT)grads earn ~$71,431
- University of Cincinnati-Main Campus (Cincinnati, OH)grads earn ~$72,881
- Ohio State University-Main Campus (Columbus, OH)grads earn ~$81,119
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics
- University of California-Berkeley (Berkeley, CA)grads earn ~$135,050
- University of California-Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA)grads earn ~$95,440
- University of California-Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara, CA)grads earn ~$98,178
- University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)grads earn ~$159,578
- University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (Ann Arbor, MI)grads earn ~$110,552