Atmospheric and Space Scientists Salary: $124,925 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 8,780 atmospheric and space scientists nationally earn a mean of $124,925. Employment in the series shown fell about 18% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.3% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Atmospheric and Space Scientists: what the data shows
Common questions about atmospheric and space scientists careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a atmospheric and space scientists?
Atmospheric and Space Scientists is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 19-2021.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 8,780 workers.
What does a atmospheric and space scientists do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Working with Computers, Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Processing Information, Analyzing Data or Information, Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a atmospheric and space scientists make?
BLS national median annual wage: $97,450 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $124,925 — 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 | $76,658 |
| 25th percentile | $102,574 |
| Median (50th) | $120,971 |
| 75th percentile | $145,212 |
| 90th percentile | $183,125 |
What education do you need?
For Atmospheric and Space 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 Reading Comprehension, Writing, Speaking, Science, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and knowledge areas including Physics, English Language, Geography, Mathematics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is atmospheric and space scientists in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.3% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -6.4%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -12.5%.
Current U.S. headcount: 8,780.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do atmospheric and space scientistss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 8,780 | 17.3% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 4,580 | 9.0% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 4,200 | 8.3% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 2,970 | 5.8% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 2,970 | 5.8% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2,730 | 5.4% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Atmospheric and Space Scientists in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Atmospheric and Space Scientists workforce.
Employment Over Time
8,780 Workforce in 2023
The Atmospheric and Space Scientists workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Atmospheric and Space Scientists.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$124,925 Average Wage
In 2023, Atmospheric and Space Scientists earned an average of $124,925.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Atmospheric and Space Scientists.
Salary distribution for Atmospheric and Space Scientists.
Employment Growth Projections
-1.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
1,815 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -6.4%
1,698 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -12.5%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Atmospheric and Space Scientists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Atmospheric and Space Scientists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Atmospheric and Space Scientists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Atmospheric and Space Scientists.
Wage Trends by Industry
5.8% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: 1.1% growth (Current: $158,696)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Atmospheric and Space Scientists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Atmospheric and Space Scientists.
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:
- CO: 950 employees, $111,120 avg wage
- MD: 710 employees, $118,890 avg wage
- CA: 580 employees, $121,620 avg wage
- NY: 500 employees, $131,440 avg wage
- TX: 440 employees, $92,860 avg wage
- FL: 440 employees, $99,160 avg wage
- IL: 320 employees, N/A avg wage
- WA: 280 employees, $104,290 avg wage
- OK: 280 employees, $91,200 avg wage
- AL: 230 employees, $87,450 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Atmospheric and Space Scientists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 590 employees, $131,840 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 350 employees, $151,780 avg wage
- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD: 240 employees, $105,270 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 240 employees, $113,040 avg wage
- Fort Collins-Loveland, CO: 220 employees, $106,430 avg wage
- Oklahoma City, OK: 200 employees, $96,030 avg wage
- Salt Lake City-Murray, UT: 170 employees, $75,330 avg wage
- Huntsville, AL: 160 employees, $85,970 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 150 employees, $105,660 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 140 employees, $103,010 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Atmospheric and Space Scientists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Atmospheric and Space Scientists in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Atmospheric and Space Scientists in 2023 was 8,780 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Atmospheric and Space 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 Atmospheric and Space Scientists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Atmospheric and Space Scientists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Atmospheric and Space Scientists in 2023 were Engineering, Biology, Chemistry.
Common majors for Atmospheric and Space Scientists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Atmospheric and Space Scientists workers.
Education level distribution for Atmospheric and Space Scientists.
Skills
Atmospheric and Space Scientists need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Writing, Speaking, Science, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Atmospheric and Space Scientists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Atmospheric and Space Scientists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Atmospheric and Space Scientists include Physics, English Language, Geography, Mathematics, Computers and Electronics.
Knowledge areas required for Atmospheric and Space Scientists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Atmospheric and Space Scientists include Written Comprehension, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Written Expression, Speech Clarity.
Required abilities for Atmospheric and Space Scientists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Atmospheric and Space Scientists.
Daily Activities
Atmospheric and Space Scientists spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Processing Information, Analyzing Data or Information.
Most important work activities for Atmospheric and Space Scientists.
About
Atmospheric and Space Scientists
The average yearly wage for Atmospheric and Space Scientists was $124,925 in 2023.
SOC Code
19-2021 - Atmospheric and Space Scientists
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Atmospheric and Space Scientists reports an average salary of $124,925, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 8,780 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -1.3%, 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.