Best colleges for Sociology in California
Program-level earnings — not school prestige — rank these. Among the California programs in the federal field-of-study file, University of California-Berkeley leads: its Sociology graduates earn a median $71,363 four years after finishing, against the field's $52,657 national median. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026.)
| # | College | Grad earnings, 4 yrs | Vs field median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Berkeley | $71,363 | +$18,706 |
| 2 | University of Southern California | $70,555 | +$17,898 |
| 3 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | $69,883 | +$17,226 |
How big is the earnings gap between California Sociology programs?
$1,480 separates the top and bottom of this list — $71,363 at University of California-Berkeley against $69,883 at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, four years after finishing. Same field, same state, same federal measure: where you study moves pay by that much.
Do California Sociology graduates earn more than the national median?
The state's strongest program pays $18,706 above the $52,657 national median for the field. Program-level medians come from federal tax records of graduates who received aid, so they track actual pay rather than advertised salaries.