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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

19-2043 Hydrologists

Research the distribution, circulation, and physical properties of underground and surface waters; and study the form and intensity of precipitation and its rate of infiltration into the soil, movement through the earth, and return to the ocean and atmosphere.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
6,440 3.6 % $41.50 $86,330 1.0 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $24.62 $30.60 $39.07 $50.14 $61.25
Annual Wage (2) $51,220 $63,650 $81,270 $104,280 $127,400


Industry profile for this occupation:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 1,650 0.08 $42.32 $88,020
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 1,480 0.10 $46.34 $96,380
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 1,380 0.06 $33.88 $70,460
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 900 0.06 $44.93 $93,460
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 660 0.01 $39.33 $81,800

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 1,480 0.10 $46.34 $96,380
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 1,650 0.08 $42.32 $88,020
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 1,380 0.06 $33.88 $70,460
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 900 0.06 $44.93 $93,460
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 660 0.01 $39.33 $81,800

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Management of Companies and Enterprises 40 (7) $53.74 $111,780
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 1,480 0.10 $46.34 $96,380
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 900 0.06 $44.93 $93,460
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 1,650 0.08 $42.32 $88,020
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 660 0.01 $39.33 $81,800


Geographic profile for this occupation:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 930 0.05 1.23 $47.72 $99,250
Colorado 460 0.17 3.88 $45.99 $95,660
Florida 400 0.05 1.05 $39.75 $82,680
Washington 310 0.09 2.14 $43.71 $90,920
Minnesota 300 0.10 2.38 $37.88 $78,780




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Montana 190 0.40 9.07 $35.91 $74,680
New Mexico 160 0.19 4.36 $41.95 $87,250
Idaho 130 0.18 4.14 $32.13 $66,830
Wyoming 50 0.17 3.87 $32.79 $68,210
Colorado 460 0.17 3.88 $45.99 $95,660




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Jersey 160 0.04 0.87 $55.26 $114,950
Georgia 70 0.02 0.34 $51.30 $106,710
Maryland 100 0.04 0.86 $48.86 $101,630
California 930 0.05 1.23 $47.72 $99,250
Colorado 460 0.17 3.88 $45.99 $95,660





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 210 0.11 2.46 $38.22 $79,490
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 210 0.14 3.11 $47.67 $99,160
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 180 0.12 2.75 $49.36 $102,670
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 180 0.07 1.55 $39.69 $82,560
Columbus, OH 170 0.16 3.76 $37.90 $78,830
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 170 0.02 0.41 $45.06 $93,730
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 160 0.16 3.68 $42.06 $87,480
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 150 0.08 1.73 $45.61 $94,870
Albuquerque, NM 130 0.32 7.39 $44.46 $92,480
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 120 0.06 1.29 $35.59 $74,020




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Olympia-Tumwater, WA 60 0.51 11.57 $39.95 $83,090
Albuquerque, NM 130 0.32 7.39 $44.46 $92,480
Kennewick-Richland, WA 40 0.30 6.87 $50.41 $104,860
Boulder, CO 50 0.27 6.08 $61.33 $127,570
Columbia, SC 100 0.25 5.80 $24.07 $50,060
Boise City, ID 70 0.22 4.92 $34.15 $71,030
Lincoln, NE 40 0.21 4.90 $31.18 $64,860
Reno, NV 50 0.19 4.27 $48.95 $101,820
Fort Collins, CO 30 0.19 4.36 (8) (8)
Madison, WI 70 0.18 4.04 $34.17 $71,070




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Boulder, CO 50 0.27 6.08 $61.33 $127,570
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 40 0.03 0.75 $56.91 $118,370
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA (8) (8) (8) $52.33 $108,850
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 70 0.02 0.55 $51.72 $107,580
Kennewick-Richland, WA 40 0.30 6.87 $50.41 $104,860
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 30 0.10 2.22 $50.38 $104,790
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 50 0.01 0.28 $49.40 $102,750
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 40 0.03 0.64 $49.37 $102,680
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 180 0.12 2.75 $49.36 $102,670
Reno, NV 50 0.19 4.27 $48.95 $101,820

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southwest Montana nonmetropolitan area 130 0.90 20.61 $34.93 $72,660
Central New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 50 0.52 11.90 $43.69 $90,870
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 40 0.43 9.75 $33.56 $69,800
Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 40 0.22 5.10 $38.05 $79,150
Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 30 0.30 6.93 $39.77 $82,710

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southwest Montana nonmetropolitan area 130 0.90 20.61 $34.93 $72,660
Central New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 50 0.52 11.90 $43.69 $90,870
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 40 0.43 9.75 $33.56 $69,800
Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 30 0.30 6.93 $39.77 $82,710
Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 40 0.22 5.10 $38.05 $79,150

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Central New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 50 0.52 11.90 $43.69 $90,870
Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 30 0.30 6.93 $39.77 $82,710
Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 40 0.22 5.10 $38.05 $79,150
Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $36.40 $75,710
Southwest Montana nonmetropolitan area 130 0.90 20.61 $34.93 $72,660


About May 2019 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.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(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 OES estimates and related information:

May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: July 6, 2020