Soil and Plant Scientists Salary: $71,410 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 16,600 soil and plant scientists work nationally, and $71,410 is the BLS national median annual wage. Projections imply about 4.5% annual growth; much hiring sits in professional, scientific, and technical services.
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 percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| 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 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 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Soil and Plant Scientists grew from 3,220 in 2009 to 6,520 in 2025 (102.5%).
Historical employment for Soil and Plant Scientists from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$71,410 Median pay (BLS national)
Soil and Plant Scientists earn $71,410 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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.
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: 1,710 employees, $91,660 avg wage
- TX: 910 employees, N/A avg wage
- NE: 770 employees, $71,200 avg wage
- IA: 770 employees, $83,730 avg wage
- WI: 650 employees, $67,990 avg wage
- MN: 640 employees, $71,670 avg wage
- NC: 620 employees, $74,040 avg wage
- WA: 610 employees, $89,480 avg wage
- CO: 530 employees, $86,620 avg wage
- IN: 520 employees, $88,640 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Soil and Plant Scientists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 320 employees, $78,860 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 320 employees, $69,620 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 300 employees, $89,710 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 280 employees, $100,570 avg wage
- Lansing-East Lansing, MI: 260 employees, $63,810 avg wage
- Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA: 240 employees, $92,330 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 220 employees, $97,450 avg wage
- Madison, WI: 210 employees, $73,180 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 210 employees, $80,890 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 210 employees, $66,710 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 U.S. workforce for Soil and Plant Scientists is about 16,600 people in our OEWS extract.
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
Soil and Plant Scientists earn $71,410 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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.