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Political Scientist Jobs in Springfield, IL (NOW HIRING)

Political Scientist information

See Springfield, IL salary details

$7

$31

$67

How much do political scientist jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 1, 2026, the average hourly pay for political scientist in Springfield, IL is $31.10, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $17.02 and $42.23 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a political scientist?

Political scientists research and analyze government and public policies. As a political scientist, your job duties include conducting polls and surveys, analyzing public opinion data, monitoring current events and political trends, and making predictions based on political theories, research, and analysis. This information helps you evaluate the effects of laws and public policies on citizens, businesses, and the government. You gather data from multiple sources and compare current trends with past political events and government systems. Utilizing your knowledge, you draw conclusions using both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Strong analytical skills and excellent reading comprehension and writing abilities are vital for a career in political science.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a political scientist, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Political Scientist, you need strong analytical skills, research proficiency, and typically a master's or doctoral degree in political science or a related field. Familiarity with statistical analysis software (like SPSS or STATA), data visualization tools, and experience with qualitative and quantitative research methods are commonly required. Excellent written and verbal communication, critical thinking, and the ability to synthesize complex information are important soft skills in this role. These competencies are crucial for producing rigorous research, informing public policy, and effectively conveying findings to diverse audiences.

How do political scientists typically collaborate with government agencies or non-profit organizations in their daily work?

Political scientists often work closely with government agencies and non-profit organizations by conducting research, analyzing policy impacts, and providing recommendations based on their findings. These collaborations may involve designing surveys, evaluating program effectiveness, or advising on legislative initiatives. Working in interdisciplinary teams is common, and political scientists frequently present their insights to stakeholders to inform decision-making. This collaborative environment helps ensure that their research addresses real-world policy challenges and contributes to meaningful societal outcomes.

What is the difference between Political Scientist vs Policy Analyst?

AspectPolitical ScientistPolicy Analyst
Required CredentialsMaster's or Ph.D. in Political Science or related fieldBachelor's or Master's in Political Science, Public Policy, or related areas
Work EnvironmentAcademia, research institutions, government agenciesGovernment agencies, think tanks, consulting firms
Employer & Industry UsageUniversities, research organizations, governmentPolicy development, advocacy groups, government
Common Search & Comparison IntentUnderstanding roles, career paths, qualificationsComparing job functions, responsibilities, and skills

Political Scientists analyze political systems, theories, and behaviors, often working in academia or research. Policy Analysts focus on evaluating and developing policies, typically working in government or think tanks. While both roles require knowledge of political systems, Political Scientists tend to focus on research and theory, whereas Policy Analysts are more involved in practical policy development and analysis.

What is the work of a political scientist?

A political scientist studies government systems, political behavior, and public policies. They analyze political trends, conduct research, and often use statistical tools to interpret data, helping inform decision-making and policy development.

What jobs do political scientists do?

Political scientists analyze government systems, political behavior, and public policies. They conduct research, develop theories, and often work in academia, government agencies, think tanks, or consulting firms, utilizing skills in data analysis, research methods, and policy evaluation.

What job categories do people searching Political Scientist jobs in Springfield, IL look for?

The top searched job categories for Political Scientist jobs in Springfield, IL are:

What cities near Springfield, IL are hiring for Political Scientist jobs?

Cities near Springfield, IL with the most Political Scientist job openings:

Infographic showing various Political Scientist job openings in Springfield, IL as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 11% As Needed, 67% Full Time, and 22% Part Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $64,693 per year, or $31.1 per hour.

Data Scientist (Statistician)

Springfield, IL


US Department of the Treasury
Public Administration • 10K+ employees

8.2

Company rating: 8.2 out of 10

Based on 13 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

311th of 854 rated public administrative organizations

Good employer

Paid breaks

Respectful managers


$125K/yr

Full-time

Posted 6 days ago


Job description

WHAT IS LARGE BUSINESS AND INTERNATIONAL?

A description of the business units can be found at: https://www.jobs.irs.gov/about/who/business-divisions
  • Position(s) are to be filled in following area(s):
    • LBI - ADCCI - Compliance Planning & Analytics (CP&A), Workload Development & Delivery (WDD). Team will be determined at time of selection.

REVIEW THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BELOW FOR FURTHER DETAILSQualifications:

Federal experience is not required. Experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector or through Volunteer Service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-timework is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume.
You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
BASIC REQUIREMENTS (IOR) ALL GRADES:
EDUCATION: A degree that included 15 semester hours in statistics (or in mathematics and statistics, provided at least 6 semester hours were in statistics), and 9 additional semester hours in one or more of the following: physical or biological sciences, medicine, education, or engineering; or in the social sciences including demography, history, economics, social welfare, geography, international relations, social or cultural anthropology, health sociology, political science, public administration, psychology, etc. Credit toward meeting statistical course requirements should be given for courses in which 50 percent of the course content appears to be statistical methods, e.g., courses that included studies in research methods in psychology or economics such as tests and measurements or business cycles, or courses in methods of processing mass statistical data such as tabulating methods or electronic data processing.
OR
COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Combination of education and experience includes courses as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The experience should have included a full range of professional statistical work such as (a) sampling, (b) collecting, computing, and analyzing statistical data, and (c) applying statistical techniques such as measurement of central tendency, dispersion, skewness, sampling error, simple and multiple correlation, analysis of variance, and tests of significance.
AND
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-14: In addition to meeting basic requirements, to be eligible for this position at this grade level, you must have one (1) year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service.
Specialized experience for this position includes:

  • Experience identifying and assessing the validity and reliability of relevant data sources and retrieving structured and unstructured data in multiple types and formats, including Extensible Markup Language (XML) files and large datasets, for use in data science projects.
  • Experience cleaning, transforming, combining, and integrating structured and unstructured data from multiple sources, including identifying and resolving missing values, outliers, and duplicate records, to prepare data for analysis.
  • Experience applying data-mining process models, including the Cross-Industry Standard Process for Data Mining (CRISP-DM) or Sample, Explore, Modify, Model, Assess (SEMMA), to collect, prepare, analyze, and evaluate data during data science projects.
  • Experience applying statistical methods, probability, statistical inference, hypothesis testing, experimental design, forecasting, and sampling methods to analyze data, evaluate results, and support program or business decisions.
  • Experience developing and evaluating analytical and artificial intelligence models using machine learning, text analytics, natural language processing, large language models, graph theory, link analysis, optimization models, complex adaptive systems, or deep-learning neural networks.
  • Experience using programming languages, query languages, data-intelligence platforms, and data-storage technologies, including R, Python, Structured Query Language (SQL), Java, Databricks, Sybase, Oracle, or open-source databases, to retrieve, process, query, analyze, and integrate data during data science projects.
  • Experience planning, coordinating, monitoring, and evaluating data science projects; reviewing technical deliverables for validity and reliability; and communicating analytical findings, model results, limitations, conclusions, and recommendations to technical and nontechnical stakeholders through written products, presentations, graphs, tables, charts, or business-intelligence products.


AND
You must also meet the following requirement(s):

  • TIME AFTER COMPETITIVE APPOINTMENT (TACA): By the closing date (or if this is an open continuous announcement, by the cut-off date) specified in this job announcement, current civilian employees must have completed at least 90 days of federal civilian service since their latest non-temporary appointment from a competitive referral certificate, known as time after competitive appointment. For this requirement, a competitive appointment is one where you applied to and were appointed from an announcement open to "All US Citizens"
  • TIME IN GRADE (TIG): For positions above the GS-05,applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year (52 weeks) at the next lower grade level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the grade you are applying for. For positions at the GS-05, you cannot advance to the GS-05 if you have held a GS-02 in the past 52 weeks. There is no TIG restriction for GS-02, 03 or 04 positions.


For more information on qualifications please refer to OPM's Qualifications Standards.

Education:A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Click here (Section 3, Explanation of Terms) or here for Foreign Education Credentialing instructions.
We recommend choosing an evaluator from a member organization of one of the following national associations of credential evaluation services: National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or Association of International Credentials Evaluators (AICE).Employment Type: OTHER


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