Start with the answer
Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary pay in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary is $157,630 per year in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA. It is $97,580 per year in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA is 61.5% above Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 25-1067 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 70 wage and salary jobs in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA and 200 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.