Soil and Plant Scientists Salary: $94,151 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 16,600 soil and plant scientists nationally earn a mean of $94,151. Projections imply about 4.5% annual growth; CA accounts for about 1,480 jobs in our geographic extract.
Key Statistics
Soil and Plant Scientists: what the data shows
Common questions about soil and plant scientists careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a soil and plant scientists?
Soil and Plant Scientists is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 19-1013.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 16,600 workers.
What does a soil and plant scientists do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Working with Computers, Analyzing Data or Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Processing Information, Getting Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a soil and plant scientists make?
BLS national median annual wage: $71,410 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $94,151 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $49,253 |
| 25th percentile | $69,098 |
| Median (50th) | $83,160 |
| 75th percentile | $110,339 |
| 90th percentile | $145,130 |
What education do you need?
For Soil and Plant Scientists, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Learning, Speaking, Science, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, and knowledge areas including Biology, English Language, Computers and Electronics, Chemistry. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is soil and plant scientists in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 4.5% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 24.7%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 55.4%.
Current U.S. headcount: 16,600.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do soil and plant scientistss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 16,600 | 17.4% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 11,340 | 11.9% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 6,160 | 6.5% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 6,160 | 6.5% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 5,270 | 5.5% |
| Educational Services | 5,070 | 5.3% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Soil and Plant Scientists in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Systems Analysts | 497,800 | $103,790 |
| Information Security Analysts | 179,430 | $124,910 |
| Computer Programmers | 109,870 | $98,670 |
| Computer Network Architects | 177,010 | $130,390 |
| Web Developers | 200,000 | — |
| Software Developers | 1,654,440 | $133,080 |
| Software Quality Assurance Analysts | 199,800 | $102,610 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Soil and Plant Scientists workforce.
Employment Over Time
16,600 Workforce in 2023
The Soil and Plant Scientists workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Soil and Plant Scientists.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$94,151 Average Wage
In 2023, Soil and Plant Scientists earned an average of $94,151.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Soil and Plant Scientists.
Salary distribution for Soil and Plant Scientists.
Employment Growth Projections
4.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
8,128 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 24.7%
10,133 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 55.4%
This occupation is projected to grow at 4.5% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Soil and Plant Scientists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Soil and Plant Scientists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Soil and Plant Scientists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Soil and Plant Scientists.
Wage Trends by Industry
9.7% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Soil and Plant Scientists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Soil and Plant Scientists.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 1,480 employees, $96,438 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Soil and Plant Scientists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 190 employees, $90,244 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 170 employees, $97,726 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 160 employees, $89,940 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 120 employees, $95,242 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 110 employees, $106,362 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 100 employees, $92,056 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 100 employees, $106,658 avg wage
- Napa MSA: 80 employees, $99,123 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 80 employees, $91,152 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 70 employees, $116,461 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Soil and Plant Scientists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Soil and Plant Scientists in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Soil and Plant Scientists in 2023 was 16,600 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Soil and Plant Scientists.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Soil and Plant Scientists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Soil and Plant Scientists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Soil and Plant Scientists in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Biology.
Common majors for Soil and Plant Scientists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Soil and Plant Scientists workers.
Education level distribution for Soil and Plant Scientists.
Skills
Soil and Plant Scientists need many skills, but most especially Active Learning, Speaking, Science, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension.
Required skills for Soil and Plant Scientists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Soil and Plant Scientists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Soil and Plant Scientists include Biology, English Language, Computers and Electronics, Chemistry, Mathematics.
Knowledge areas required for Soil and Plant Scientists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Soil and Plant Scientists include Written Expression, Inductive Reasoning, Category Flexibility, Written Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning.
Required abilities for Soil and Plant Scientists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Soil and Plant Scientists.
Daily Activities
Soil and Plant Scientists spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Analyzing Data or Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Processing Information.
Most important work activities for Soil and Plant Scientists.
About
Soil and Plant Scientists
The average yearly wage for Soil and Plant Scientists was $94,151 in 2023.
SOC Code
19-1013 - Soil and Plant Scientists
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Soil and Plant Scientists reports an average salary of $94,151.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 16,600 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 4.5%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.