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Boston Career Explorer

Life, Physical, and Social Science

Social Science Research Assistants

Assist social scientists in laboratory, survey, and other social science research. May help prepare findings for publication and assist in laboratory analysis, quality control, or data management.

Also called: Clinical Research Assistant, Graduate Assistant, Graduate Research Assistant, Research Aide, Research Assistant, Research Associate

Median pay in Greater Boston
$63,480
$30.52/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
Not published
Massachusetts 2024–2034
Not published
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Bachelor's degree

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$49,610$49,980$63,480$71,700$82,130

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Design and create special programs for tasks such as statistical analysis and data entry and cleaning.
  • Provide assistance with the preparation of project-related reports, manuscripts, and presentations.
  • Prepare tables, graphs, fact sheets, and written reports summarizing research results.
  • Perform descriptive and multivariate statistical analyses of data, using computer software.
  • Verify the accuracy and validity of data entered in databases, correcting any errors.
  • Develop and implement research quality control procedures.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Higher exposure85 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 81
  • Language-model AIOE 79
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 94

Observed AI use today: Substantial (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure is higher for this job, and observed AI use is substantial. AI tools can help with data cleaning, statistical analysis, and drafting tables, graphs, and reports. People are still needed to check that data is accurate, judge what results mean, and support the research team.

Likely to change

  • Cleaning and entering data
  • Drafting tables, graphs, and report summaries

Still relies on people

  • Checking that data is accurate and valid
  • Deciding what research results mean

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

108 programs near Boston (plus 71 graduate)

Related occupations

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