Hydrologists Salary: $122,789 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 5,720 hydrologists nationally earn a mean of $122,789. Employment in the series shown fell about 16% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 0.4% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Hydrologists: what the data shows
Common questions about hydrologists careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a hydrologists?
Hydrologists is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 19-2043.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 5,720 workers.
What does a hydrologists do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Analyzing Data or Information, Getting Information, Working with Computers, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Documenting/Recording Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a hydrologists make?
BLS national median annual wage: $92,060 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $122,789 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $74,522 |
| 25th percentile | $99,010 |
| Median (50th) | $122,193 |
| 75th percentile | $140,549 |
| 90th percentile | $171,888 |
What education do you need?
For Hydrologists, 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 Critical Thinking, Science, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Mathematics, Complex Problem Solving, and knowledge areas including Mathematics, Physics, Engineering and Technology, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is hydrologists in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.4% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -2.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -4.4%.
Current U.S. headcount: 5,720.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do hydrologistss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 5,720 | 17.2% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 3,840 | 11.5% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 3,690 | 11.1% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 3,690 | 11.1% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 1,880 | 5.7% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1,670 | 5.0% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Hydrologists in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Hydrologists workforce.
Employment Over Time
5,720 Workforce in 2023
The Hydrologists workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Hydrologists.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$122,789 Average Wage
In 2023, Hydrologists earned an average of $122,789.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Hydrologists.
Salary distribution for Hydrologists.
Employment Growth Projections
-0.4% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
2,366 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -2.2%
2,313 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -4.4%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Hydrologists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Hydrologists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Hydrologists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Hydrologists.
Wage Trends by Industry
2.7% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Hydrologists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Hydrologists.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 670 employees, $119,540 avg wage
- AZ: 320 employees, $82,740 avg wage
- MN: 300 employees, $91,190 avg wage
- OR: 280 employees, $93,810 avg wage
- CO: 270 employees, $121,920 avg wage
- WA: 270 employees, $102,530 avg wage
- OH: 260 employees, $92,340 avg wage
- FL: 250 employees, $76,740 avg wage
- TX: 250 employees, $91,110 avg wage
- PA: 230 employees, $94,150 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Hydrologists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 220 employees, $92,250 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 180 employees, $85,260 avg wage
- Columbus, OH: 140 employees, N/A avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 130 employees, $93,950 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA: 120 employees, $113,410 avg wage
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO: 120 employees, $124,630 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 110 employees, $94,460 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 110 employees, $117,720 avg wage
- Columbia, SC: 100 employees, $67,900 avg wage
- Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 100 employees, $77,880 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Hydrologists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Hydrologists in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Hydrologists in 2023 was 5,720 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Hydrologists.
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 Hydrologists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Hydrologists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Hydrologists in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Business.
Common majors for Hydrologists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Hydrologists workers.
Education level distribution for Hydrologists.
Skills
Hydrologists need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Science, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Mathematics.
Required skills for Hydrologists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Hydrologists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Hydrologists include Mathematics, Physics, Engineering and Technology, English Language, Geography.
Knowledge areas required for Hydrologists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Hydrologists include Written Expression, Oral Comprehension, Written Comprehension, Oral Expression, Deductive Reasoning.
Required abilities for Hydrologists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Hydrologists.
Daily Activities
Hydrologists spend their time on activities such as Analyzing Data or Information, Getting Information, Working with Computers, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Documenting/Recording Information.
Most important work activities for Hydrologists.
About
Hydrologists
The average yearly wage for Hydrologists was $122,789 in 2023.
SOC Code
19-2043 - Hydrologists
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Hydrologists reports an average salary of $122,789, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 5,720 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -0.4%, 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.