Average Political Scientist Salary in Mexico for 2026
A political scientist in Mexico earns about 658,300 MXN a year. That's 65% above the national average of 398,300 MXN.
Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Mexico sit around 341,400 MXN a year, while the very top stretches to 1,007,400 MXN. Everything on this page is in Mexican peso (MXN, symbol $), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.
The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Mexico, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.
How much does a political scientist make in Mexico?
A typical political scientist working in Mexico brings home around 54,858 MXN a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 341,400 MXN, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 1,007,400 MXN for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.
The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior political scientist working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.
How political scientist pay ranges in Mexico
A good way to think about salary in Mexico is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all political scientists in Mexico earn less than 631,200 MXN a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".
Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 436,200 MXN (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 788,000 MXN (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of political scientists sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 341,400 MXN. The highest stretch to 1,007,400 MXN, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.
Political scientist pay by experience in Mexico
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a political scientist in Mexico, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical political scientist salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years389,200 MXN
- 2-5 Years+34% from previous520,900 MXN
- 5-10 Years+30% from previous679,200 MXN
- 10-15 Years+21% from previous819,000 MXN
- 15-20 Years+10% from previous899,100 MXN
- 20+ Years+5% from previous945,400 MXN
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 34%. That is the point at which a political scientist typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.
Political scientist pay by education in Mexico
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving political scientist pay in Mexico. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.
Below is the average political scientist salary in Mexico broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- Bachelor's Degree502,200 MXN
- Master's Degree+23% from previous619,800 MXN
- PhD+61% from previous995,000 MXN
Political scientist gender pay gap in Mexico
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Mexico is no exception. Male political scientists in Mexico earn an average of 694,700 MXN a year, while female political scientists earn around 632,400 MXN. That works out to a 10% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.
A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.
Political Scientist gender pay gap
9%
Men earn this much more than women on average in Mexico.
Pay raises for a political scientist in Mexico
Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.
A typical worker doing this role in Mexico sees a raise of about 12% every 19 months, which works out to roughly 8% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.
Across all jobs in Mexico, the national average raise is around 8% every 18 months.
By industry
Industries with the highest pay raises in Mexico:
- Banking
- Energy
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Travel2%
- Construction
- Education1%
By experience level
Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.
- Junior Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
Political scientist bonus rates in Mexico
Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.
54% of political scientists in Mexico reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a political scientist a moderate-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.
Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5% of base salary. The remaining 46% of political scientists reported no bonus at all over the same period.
Which careers pay bonuses in Mexico
Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.
- Finance
- Architecture
- Sales
- Business Development
- Marketing / Advertising
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Customer Service
- Human Resources
- Construction
- Transport
- Hospitality
Political scientist: public vs private sector pay
Public-sector pay in Mexico is about 8% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.
Public vs private pay gap
8%
Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Mexico on average.
Political scientist salary by city in Mexico
Political scientist pay is not even across Mexico. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.
- Mexico City
- Ecatepec de Morelos
- Guadalajara
- Puebla
- Tijuana
- Aguascalientes
- San Luis Potosi
- Guadalupe
- Leon
- Monterrey
| Location | Type | Average | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | City | 861,300 MXN | 825,900 MXN | 448,500-1,320,500 MXN |
| Ecatepec de Morelos | City | 854,300 MXN | 875,000 MXN | 417,100-1,333,900 MXN |
| Guadalajara | City | 844,600 MXN | 913,400 MXN | 389,200-1,345,400 MXN |
| Puebla | City | 838,100 MXN | 803,400 MXN | 437,300-1,283,600 MXN |
| Tijuana | City | 828,400 MXN | 844,600 MXN | 404,600-1,296,900 MXN |
| Aguascalientes | City | 823,400 MXN | 840,100 MXN | 406,300-1,283,600 MXN |
| San Luis Potosi | City | 819,000 MXN | 885,000 MXN | 378,300-1,306,100 MXN |
| Guadalupe | City | 816,900 MXN | 836,800 MXN | 399,900-1,273,300 MXN |
| Leon | City | 814,100 MXN | 829,000 MXN | 398,300-1,273,300 MXN |
| Monterrey | City | 810,500 MXN | 778,900 MXN | 420,800-1,235,600 MXN |
| Hermosillo | City | 808,000 MXN | 778,200 MXN | 421,400-1,235,600 MXN |
| Mexicali | City | 807,900 MXN | 870,700 MXN | 369,300-1,283,600 MXN |
| Saltillo | City | 805,900 MXN | 818,100 MXN | 394,800-1,249,900 MXN |
| Tlalnepantla de Baz | City | 802,400 MXN | 769,500 MXN | 419,400-1,224,800 MXN |
| Culiacan | City | 800,200 MXN | 816,900 MXN | 392,300-1,249,900 MXN |
| Zapopan | City | 795,700 MXN | 765,100 MXN | 413,900-1,224,800 MXN |
| Nezahualcoyotl | City | 794,900 MXN | 860,300 MXN | 366,200-1,259,300 MXN |
| Tuxtla Gutierrez | City | 788,000 MXN | 849,200 MXN | 361,500-1,249,900 MXN |
| Acapulco | City | 785,400 MXN | 847,000 MXN | 362,200-1,249,900 MXN |
| Chihuahua | City | 780,700 MXN | 844,100 MXN | 359,900-1,235,600 MXN |
| Naucalpan | City | 778,900 MXN | 792,900 MXN | 383,300-1,212,800 MXN |
| Cuautitlan Izcalli | City | 778,200 MXN | 744,600 MXN | 403,100-1,187,900 MXN |
| Ciudad Lopez Mateos | City | 767,500 MXN | 829,000 MXN | 351,200-1,224,800 MXN |
| Durango | City | 767,000 MXN | 780,700 MXN | 375,200-1,195,600 MXN |
| Merida | City | 762,400 MXN | 733,300 MXN | 396,300-1,166,500 MXN |
| Morelia | City | 761,400 MXN | 732,400 MXN | 394,500-1,165,300 MXN |
| Toluca | City | 757,300 MXN | 727,400 MXN | 394,800-1,157,300 MXN |
| San Nicolas de los Garza | City | 756,700 MXN | 772,900 MXN | 371,100-1,182,400 MXN |
| Queretaro | City | 756,700 MXN | 818,100 MXN | 348,300-1,212,800 MXN |
| Cancun | City | 751,100 MXN | 810,500 MXN | 344,600-1,195,600 MXN |
| Torreon | City | 746,600 MXN | 717,900 MXN | 389,200-1,142,900 MXN |
| Chimalhuacan | City | 741,500 MXN | 710,500 MXN | 384,500-1,134,500 MXN |
| Ciudad Apodaca | City | 739,500 MXN | 752,600 MXN | 361,500-1,152,700 MXN |
| Veracruz | City | 735,500 MXN | 791,600 MXN | 340,000-1,166,500 MXN |
| Tlaquepaque | City | 735,200 MXN | 751,100 MXN | 362,200-1,148,200 MXN |
| Matamoros | City | 735,200 MXN | 707,600 MXN | 384,200-1,125,300 MXN |
| Celaya | City | 731,700 MXN | 745,000 MXN | 359,900-1,141,000 MXN |
| General Escobedo | City | 727,400 MXN | 741,500 MXN | 354,000-1,134,500 MXN |
| Reynosa | City | 724,300 MXN | 737,000 MXN | 353,600-1,129,700 MXN |
| Xalapa | City | 721,600 MXN | 778,900 MXN | 332,500-1,147,500 MXN |
| Tepic | City | 718,000 MXN | 689,900 MXN | 372,600-1,095,900 MXN |
| Tonala | City | 710,500 MXN | 683,400 MXN | 369,900-1,088,100 MXN |
| Tampico | City | 707,700 MXN | 765,100 MXN | 325,600-1,125,500 MXN |
| Ixtapaluca | City | 702,800 MXN | 756,700 MXN | 322,600-1,114,700 MXN |
| Mazatlan | City | 698,200 MXN | 714,300 MXN | 341,900-1,091,600 MXN |
| Irapuato | City | 696,700 MXN | 670,600 MXN | 361,500-1,069,900 MXN |
| Nuevo Laredo | City | 694,700 MXN | 751,100 MXN | 319,600-1,105,600 MXN |
| Ciudad Obregon | City | 691,200 MXN | 744,600 MXN | 315,900-1,095,900 MXN |
| Ciudad Victoria | City | 688,900 MXN | 701,400 MXN | 339,100-1,069,800 MXN |
| Los Mochis | City | 687,100 MXN | 698,200 MXN | 335,800-1,070,600 MXN |
| Coacalco | City | 683,800 MXN | 659,400 MXN | 357,300-1,047,900 MXN |
| Los Reyes la Paz | City | 683,400 MXN | 658,300 MXN | 354,000-1,043,600 MXN |
| Villahermosa | City | 681,900 MXN | 695,400 MXN | 332,100-1,062,500 MXN |
| Ensenada | City | 669,100 MXN | 681,500 MXN | 327,800-1,041,900 MXN |
| Xico | City | 667,400 MXN | 639,900 MXN | 345,700-1,019,200 MXN |
| Cuernavaca | City | 664,500 MXN | 717,900 MXN | 307,400-1,057,100 MXN |
| Soledad de Graciano Sanchez | City | 663,200 MXN | 713,900 MXN | 305,600-1,051,400 MXN |
| Ciudad Santa Catarina | City | 659,400 MXN | 710,500 MXN | 301,600-1,045,100 MXN |
| Villa Nicolas Romero | City | 649,700 MXN | 663,100 MXN | 318,800-1,012,100 MXN |
| Pachuca | City | 648,200 MXN | 620,300 MXN | 335,800-990,700 MXN |
| Campeche | City | 643,800 MXN | 619,000 MXN | 335,100-986,700 MXN |
| Gomez Palacio | City | 639,900 MXN | 692,500 MXN | 294,300-1,016,300 MXN |
| Monclova | City | 633,300 MXN | 648,200 MXN | 312,400-990,700 MXN |
| Oaxaca | City | 633,300 MXN | 608,500 MXN | 330,700-971,200 MXN |
| Uruapan | City | 629,800 MXN | 605,700 MXN | 327,800-965,000 MXN |
| Buenavista | City | 623,700 MXN | 675,100 MXN | 288,100-991,100 MXN |
| La Paz | City | 623,200 MXN | 596,800 MXN | 325,800-953,300 MXN |
| San Pablo de las Salinas | City | 619,800 MXN | 672,600 MXN | 283,700-988,600 MXN |
| Tehuacan | City | 615,000 MXN | 625,000 MXN | 301,800-957,800 MXN |
| Ciudad del Carmen | City | 612,500 MXN | 623,700 MXN | 301,800-954,900 MXN |
| Nogales | City | 606,400 MXN | 656,800 MXN | 279,400-964,000 MXN |
| Ojo de Agua | City | 605,700 MXN | 581,000 MXN | 313,700-926,000 MXN |
| Acuna | City | 603,400 MXN | 650,700 MXN | 275,500-960,900 MXN |
| Coatzacoalcos | City | 603,400 MXN | 650,700 MXN | 275,500-958,700 MXN |
| Tapachula | City | 603,400 MXN | 615,700 MXN | 296,000-943,800 MXN |
| Cholula de Rivadabia | City | 600,000 MXN | 576,500 MXN | 311,700-918,500 MXN |
| Puerto Vallarta | City | 597,800 MXN | 612,500 MXN | 294,300-934,900 MXN |
| Jiutepec | City | 596,800 MXN | 573,500 MXN | 312,400-913,400 MXN |
| San Cristobal de las Casas | City | 595,300 MXN | 607,400 MXN | 294,700-931,700 MXN |
| Chalco | City | 590,200 MXN | 639,100 MXN | 272,800-938,700 MXN |
| Metepec | City | 590,200 MXN | 639,100 MXN | 273,300-939,000 MXN |
| Chilpancingo | City | 581,000 MXN | 592,600 MXN | 283,700-907,100 MXN |
| Salamanca | City | 580,600 MXN | 556,000 MXN | 301,600-888,400 MXN |
| Poza Rica | City | 576,500 MXN | 623,200 MXN | 265,000-917,700 MXN |
| Cuautla | City | 573,500 MXN | 585,900 MXN | 281,500-893,500 MXN |
| San Luis Rio Colorado | City | 568,500 MXN | 548,800 MXN | 296,000-874,300 MXN |
| Chicoloapan | City | 565,100 MXN | 543,200 MXN | 294,700-866,900 MXN |
| San Juan del Rio | City | 563,000 MXN | 538,600 MXN | 294,700-861,300 MXN |
| Chetumal | City | 559,000 MXN | 572,200 MXN | 273,000-875,000 MXN |
| Piedras Negras | City | 559,000 MXN | 605,700 MXN | 257,700-890,100 MXN |
| Ciudad Juarez | City | 558,300 MXN | 603,400 MXN | 258,400-890,700 MXN |
| Ciudad Valles | City | 547,800 MXN | 592,200 MXN | 252,300-875,000 MXN |
| Manzanillo | City | 544,800 MXN | 553,400 MXN | 266,000-848,200 MXN |
| Boca del Rio | City | 539,700 MXN | 518,900 MXN | 281,500-828,400 MXN |
| Playa del Carmen | City | 538,600 MXN | 582,700 MXN | 247,800-858,400 MXN |
| Cordoba | City | 535,900 MXN | 580,600 MXN | 246,500-854,300 MXN |
| Fresnillo | City | 531,700 MXN | 510,200 MXN | 275,500-814,500 MXN |
| Orizaba | City | 531,700 MXN | 544,800 MXN | 261,300-832,100 MXN |
| Iguala | City | 525,700 MXN | 566,900 MXN | 240,500-839,500 MXN |
| Delicias | City | 525,700 MXN | 535,900 MXN | 257,700-823,900 MXN |
| Colima | City | 524,700 MXN | 504,400 MXN | 273,300-802,400 MXN |
| Zamora de Hidalgo | City | 524,700 MXN | 535,800 MXN | 258,400-816,900 MXN |
| Minatitlan | City | 510,300 MXN | 489,500 MXN | 265,000-780,600 MXN |
| Guaymas | City | 502,200 MXN | 480,300 MXN | 261,300-767,400 MXN |
| Zacatecas | City | 501,400 MXN | 513,300 MXN | 246,200-783,800 MXN |
| Navojoa | City | 499,300 MXN | 535,900 MXN | 228,000-790,600 MXN |
| Hidalgo del Parral | City | 492,400 MXN | 502,200 MXN | 239,300-767,500 MXN |
| San Pedro Garza Garcia | City | 487,600 MXN | 525,700 MXN | 225,700-773,400 MXN |
Political Scientist in Mexico: FAQs
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How much does a political scientist make per month in Mexico?
A political scientist in Mexico earns about 54,858 MXN a month before tax, based on an annual average of 658,300 MXN.
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What's the salary range for a political scientist in Mexico?
Entry-level political scientists in Mexico start near 341,400 MXN. Top-end pay reaches around 1,007,400 MXN. The middle 50% of earners sit between 436,200 and 788,000 MXN.
-
Is the median political scientist salary in Mexico higher or lower than the average?
The median is 631,200 MXN, lower than the average of 658,300 MXN. Half of political scientists in Mexico earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for political scientists in Mexico?
Men working as a political scientist in Mexico earn around 10% more than women on average (694,700 vs 632,400 MXN a year).
-
Do political scientists in Mexico get bonuses?
About 54% of political scientists in Mexico reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5% of base salary.
-
Do political scientists earn more in the public or private sector in Mexico?
In Mexico, the public sector pays a political scientist about 8% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
-
How often do political scientists in Mexico get a pay raise?
A political scientist in Mexico sees a raise of around 12% every 19 months, equivalent to roughly 8% a year.