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In May 2015, the United States had about 32,000 people employed as geoscientists (not including hydrologists and geographers). Their work involved the study of the composition, structure, and other physical aspects of the Earth. They might use geological, physics, and mathematics knowledge to explore for oil, gas, minerals, or underground water; or in waste disposal, land reclamation, or other environmental problems. On average, the mean annual wages of geoscientists were close to $106,000.
Northwest Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area
30
93,440
Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, MI Metropolitan Division
80
91,370
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
190
76,470
Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS
260
94,030
Jackson, MS
50
57,860
Kansas City, MO-KS
100
85,590
St. Louis, MO-IL
40
67,490
Billings, MT
90
101,470
Central Montana nonmetropolitan area
50
86,420
Southwest Montana nonmetropolitan area
100
87,290
Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA
90
71,170
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV
230
76,820
North Nevada nonmetropolitan area
360
99,970
Reno, NV
230
110,960
Manchester, NH
30
87,280
Camden, NJ Metropolitan Division
50
69,530
Newark, NJ-PA Metropolitan Division
130
86,930
Trenton, NJ
60
82,300
Albuquerque, NM
120
82,060
Eastern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area
120
142,130
Santa Fe, NM
50
62,250
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
210
70,930
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY
90
79,960
Nassau County-Suffolk County, NY Metropolitan Division
100
64,080
New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division
580
83,060
Rochester, NY
70
82,540
Syracuse, NY
30
79,760
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
130
75,210
Raleigh, NC
200
83,430
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
90
65,200
Cleveland-Elyria, OH
40
80,460
Columbus, OH
110
65,920
Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area
120
130,770
Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area
80
107,870
Oklahoma City, OK
530
103,920
Tulsa, OK
260
154,320
Corvallis, OR
40
84,300
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
310
71,200
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA
130
71,570
Montgomery County-Bucks County-Chester County, PA Metropolitan Division
200
79,070
Northern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area
40
56,940
Pittsburgh, PA
330
90,600
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA
50
62,760
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA
110
68,560
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
50
107,100
Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC
30
100,060
Abilene, TX
40
83,400
Knoxville, TN
70
78,920
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
90
66,520
Austin-Round Rock, TX
450
84,800
College Station-Bryan, TX
110
74,690
Corpus Christi, TX
130
100,560
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division
460
134,070
Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metropolitan Division
340
85,500
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
6,140
157,750
Midland, TX
460
163,750
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area
50
102,130
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
240
92,310
Eastern Utah nonmetropolitan area
50
57,330
Salt Lake City, UT
140
86,060
Charlottesville, VA
50
56,800
Richmond, VA
70
57,390
Bellingham, WA
30
83,810
Kennewick-Richland, WA
80
98,060
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division
770
85,790
Tacoma-Lakewood, WA Metropolitan Division
40
82,670
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH
40
62,370
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI
70
74,300
Casper, WY
40
80,690
Central-Southeast Wyoming nonmetropolitan area
50
67,480
Cheyenne, WY
30
61,410
Northwest Wyoming nonmetropolitan area
30
94,220
Over 6,000 geoscientists were employed in the Houston, Texas, area; their average annual wages were nearly $158,000. Another 1,800 geoscientists worked in the Denver, Colorado, area, earning $124,000 per year. Other areas in Texas, California, Oklahoma, Washington, and New York also were home to large numbers of people employed as geoscientists.
Midland, Texas, was the area with the highest average wages for geoscientists, nearly $164,000 per year. Other metropolitan areas with the high average wages for geoscientists were in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, California, Oklahoma, and Alaska.
United States Department of Labor
