Best Survey Researcher programs in North Carolina, ranked by enrollment
Plan, develop, or conduct surveys. May analyze and interpret the meaning of survey data, determine survey objectives, or suggest or test question wording.
22 schools in North Carolina run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,098 people a year. The job pays a median of $96,560 in North Carolina across about 350 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in North Carolina that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
7 programs in North Carolina that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in North Carolina (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own North Carolina page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 45.0601In North Carolina → | 541 | 49.3% | 14 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 2 | CIP 27.0501In North Carolina → | 280 | 25.5% | 5 | $59,718 | $20,150 |
| 3 | CIP 52.0601In North Carolina → | 209 | 19.0% | 5 | $53,269 | $21,962 |
| 4 | CIP 52.1302In North Carolina → | 45 | 4.1% | 2 | $62,069 | $23,500 |
| 5 | CIP 27.0601In North Carolina → | 14 | 1.3% | 2 | — | — |
| 6 | CIP 45.0602In North Carolina → | 8 | 0.7% | 2 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 7 | CIP 45.0102In North Carolina → | 1 | 0.1% | 1 | $35,590 | $24,095 |
Top 22 schools in North Carolina
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 11 of the 22 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC Public · 3 feeder programs | 268 | Statistics, General | $54,026 | 85% | — | 42% |
| 2 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC Public · 1 feeder programs | 258 | Economics, General | $65,344 | 91% | — | 15% |
| 3 | Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 150 | Economics, General | $56,416 | 89% | $20,914 | 22% |
| 4 | Duke University Durham, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 99 | Statistics, General | $97,197 | 97% | $16,260 | 6% |
| 5 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC Public · 2 feeder programs | 66 | Business/Managerial Economics | $43,826 | 69% | — | 80% |
| 6 | East Carolina University Greenville, NC Public · 1 feeder programs | 45 | Economics, General | $46,425 | 63% | — | 89% |
| 7 | Elon University Elon, NC Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 39 | Economics, General | $69,298 | 84% | $33,688 | 66% |
| 8 | Appalachian State University Boone, NC Public · 1 feeder programs | 31 | Business/Managerial Economics | — | 75% | — | 90% |
| 9 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC Public · 3 feeder programs | 29 | Economics, General | — | 56% | — | 89% |
| 10 | Greensboro College Greensboro, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 27 | Business/Managerial Economics | $42,816 | 46% | $19,549 | 70% |
| 11 | North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC Public · 1 feeder programs | 21 | Economics, General | $45,446 | 57% | — | 50% |
| 12 | University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, NC Public · 2 feeder programs | 18 | Economics, General | — | 71% | — | 64% |
| 13 | University of North Carolina Asheville Asheville, NC Public · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Economics, General | $28,301 | 54% | — | 92% |
| 14 | Winston - Salem State University Winston-Salem, NC Public · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Economics, General | $25,653 | 47% | — | 78% |
| 15 | Lenoir - Rhyne University Hickory, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Economics, General | — | 48% | $23,920 | 85% |
| 16 | Belmont Abbey College Belmont, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Applied Economics | — | 47% | $22,639 | 75% |
| 17 | Meredith College Raleigh, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Economics, General | — | 70% | $19,552 | 74% |
| 18 | Catawba College Salisbury, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Economics, General | — | 47% | $17,916 | 75% |
| 19 | Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC Public · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Applied Economics | — | 60% | — | 82% |
| 20 | Campbell University Buies Creek, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Economics, General | — | 61% | $23,331 | 87% |
| 21 | Guilford College Greensboro, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Economics, General | — | 46% | $25,345 | 80% |
| 22 | Methodist University Fayetteville, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Business Statistics | — | 44% | $24,551 | 75% |
All 22 schools in North Carolina
Every school in North Carolina with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh | Raleigh | Public | 268 | 3 |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill | Public | 258 | 1 |
| Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem | Private not-for-profit | 150 | 3 |
| Duke University | Durham | Private not-for-profit | 99 | 1 |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte | Public | 66 | 2 |
| East Carolina University | Greenville | Public | 45 | 1 |
| Elon University | Elon | Private not-for-profit | 39 | 2 |
| Appalachian State University | Boone | Public | 31 | 1 |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro | Public | 29 | 3 |
| Greensboro College | Greensboro | Private not-for-profit | 27 | 1 |
| North Carolina A & T State University | Greensboro | Public | 21 | 1 |
| University of North Carolina Wilmington | Wilmington | Public | 18 | 2 |
| University of North Carolina Asheville | Asheville | Public | 13 | 1 |
| Winston - Salem State University | Winston-Salem | Public | 9 | 1 |
| Lenoir - Rhyne University | Hickory | Private not-for-profit | 6 | 1 |
What survey researchers earn in North Carolina
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $69,460. North Carolina pays above the national figure.
Concentrated here: North Carolina employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in North Carolina
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Survey Researchers page.
How to become a Survey Researcher
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Master's degree
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).
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
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.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in North Carolina
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 9 majors mapped to Survey Researchers9 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 13.0608Institutional Research
- 27.0501Statistics, General
- 27.0601Applied Statistics, General
- 45.0102Research Methodology and Quantitative Methods
- 45.0601Economics, General
- 45.0602Applied Economics
- 52.0601Business/Managerial Economics
- 52.1302Business Statistics
- 52.1402Marketing Research
Common questions
Answers for people weighing survey researchers programs in North Carolina.
What degree do you need to become a Survey Researcher?+
Master's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Economics, General, which awarded 541 degrees in North Carolina in 2024-25, 49.3% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Survey Researcher?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Economics, Statistics, Business/Managerial Economics, Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, plus 2 more. Together they graduate about 1,098 people a year in North Carolina.
How much do survey researchers earn in North Carolina?+
The median is $96,560 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 39.0% above the U.S. median of $69,460. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for survey researchers growing?+
BLS projects a -5.2% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 700 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in North Carolina?+
22 institutions in North Carolina reported graduates from at least one of the 7 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do survey researchers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Survey Researcher, Research Associate, Research Scientist, Survey Methodologist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-3022.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
Explore every U.S. college in one conversation
Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card