GraduateSmart
GraduateSmart
Research, analyze, and evaluate public policies related to education, health, environment, or economics. Work for think tanks, nonprofits, and government agencies to shape legislation.
$52,000
Lower reported wage
—
Not available in our data
$105,000
Upper reported wage
Annual U.S. salaries. Actual pay varies by location, employer, and experience. The lower and upper figures do not represent starting and senior salaries.

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Create free account →BLS political scientists is a related research benchmark, not every policy-analyst role. [1]
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U.S. career guide. Program, employer, and state requirements can differ.
No Policy Analyst SOC. Aggregated to 19-3094 Political Scientists. Salary figures shown are not drawn from that BLS aggregate.
Annual median review, October 27, 2026: The stored BLS occupation includes a broader population than this specialty, title, or credential. No separate annual median for this role has been verified in the reviewed source, so the broader occupation median is not presented as its own. Sources: https://www.bls.gov/oes/2025/may/oes_stru.htm . Existing employment and projection figures were not refreshed.
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Compare tuition after aid, required supplies and exams, travel, and any unpaid training time for the route you choose.
Planning questions: request a written estimate from each program or sponsor. A total cost has not been verified here.
A related major can be preparation; it does not by itself qualify you for the career.
Direct foundation; add quantitative methods and field projects. [1]
Research problems, assess impacts, and brief decision-makers. [1]
Government, nonprofits, think tanks, and consulting teams. [1]
Mostly regular hours, with deadlines around decisions or legislation. [1]
Incomplete evidence and competing goals require transparent assumptions. [1]
Experience can lead to senior policy or program leadership. [1]
These are possible directions. Promotion timing and pay depend on the role and employer.