Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020
19-2011 Astronomers
Observe, research, and interpret astronomical phenomena to increase basic knowledge or apply such information to practical problems.
National estimates for Astronomers
Industry profile for Astronomers
Geographic profile for Astronomers
National estimates for Astronomers:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Astronomers:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 1,910 |
7.2 % |
$ 60.70 |
$ 126,250 |
3.4 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Astronomers:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 30.00 |
$ 38.43 |
$ 57.56 |
$ 80.15 |
$ 91.20 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 62,410 |
$ 79,930 |
$ 119,730 |
$ 166,710 |
$ 189,690 |
Industry profile for Astronomers:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Astronomers are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Astronomers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Astronomers:
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Astronomers:
Top paying industries for Astronomers:
Geographic profile for Astronomers:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Astronomers are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Astronomers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Astronomers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
340 |
0.02 |
1.51 |
$ 87.19 |
$ 181,360 |
| Texas |
230 |
0.02 |
1.37 |
$ 53.45 |
$ 111,180 |
| Arizona |
150 |
0.05 |
3.74 |
$ 55.73 |
$ 115,920 |
| Hawaii |
60 |
0.11 |
8.21 |
$ 69.49 |
$ 144,540 |
| New Mexico |
40 |
0.05 |
3.74 |
$ 38.61 |
$ 80,320 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Astronomers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Hawaii |
60 |
0.11 |
8.21 |
$ 69.49 |
$ 144,540 |
| New Mexico |
40 |
0.05 |
3.74 |
$ 38.61 |
$ 80,320 |
| Arizona |
150 |
0.05 |
3.74 |
$ 55.73 |
$ 115,920 |
| California |
340 |
0.02 |
1.51 |
$ 87.19 |
$ 181,360 |
| Texas |
230 |
0.02 |
1.37 |
$ 53.45 |
$ 111,180 |
Top paying states for Astronomers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
340 |
0.02 |
1.51 |
$ 87.19 |
$ 181,360 |
| Hawaii |
60 |
0.11 |
8.21 |
$ 69.49 |
$ 144,540 |
| Arizona |
150 |
0.05 |
3.74 |
$ 55.73 |
$ 115,920 |
| Colorado |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 55.49 |
$ 115,420 |
| Texas |
230 |
0.02 |
1.37 |
$ 53.45 |
$ 111,180 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Astronomers:
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Astronomers:
Top paying metropolitan areas for Astronomers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
130 |
0.02 |
1.58 |
$ 97.08 |
$ 201,920 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
160 |
0.15 |
10.62 |
$ 84.11 |
$ 174,950 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 63.98 |
$ 133,080 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
420 |
0.14 |
10.17 |
$ 63.88 |
$ 132,870 |
| Boulder, CO |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 55.39 |
$ 115,220 |
| Tucson, AZ |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 54.76 |
$ 113,890 |
About May 2020 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021
United States Department of Labor
