Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
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 Hydrologists
Industry profile for Hydrologists
Geographic profile for Hydrologists
National estimates for Hydrologists:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Hydrologists:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 6,390 |
5.5 % |
$ 45.57 |
$ 94,780 |
2.3 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Hydrologists:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 24.58 |
$ 31.09 |
$ 40.40 |
$ 51.17 |
$ 64.99 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 51,120 |
$ 64,670 |
$ 84,030 |
$ 106,440 |
$ 135,170 |
Industry profile for Hydrologists:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Hydrologists are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Hydrologists, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Hydrologists:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
1,620 |
0.08 |
$ 43.89 |
$ 91,290 |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
1,440 |
0.07 |
$ 36.46 |
$ 75,840 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services |
1,260 |
0.08 |
$ 54.06 |
$ 112,440 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services |
910 |
0.06 |
$ 50.52 |
$ 105,080 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
720 |
0.01 |
$ 43.45 |
$ 90,370 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Hydrologists:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services |
1,260 |
0.08 |
$ 54.06 |
$ 112,440 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
1,620 |
0.08 |
$ 43.89 |
$ 91,290 |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
1,440 |
0.07 |
$ 36.46 |
$ 75,840 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services |
910 |
0.06 |
$ 50.52 |
$ 105,080 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises |
150 |
0.01 |
$ 72.40 |
$ 150,590 |
Top paying industries for Hydrologists:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises |
150 |
0.01 |
$ 72.40 |
$ 150,590 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services |
1,260 |
0.08 |
$ 54.06 |
$ 112,440 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services |
910 |
0.06 |
$ 50.52 |
$ 105,080 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
1,620 |
0.08 |
$ 43.89 |
$ 91,290 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
720 |
0.01 |
$ 43.45 |
$ 90,370 |
Geographic profile for Hydrologists:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Hydrologists are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Hydrologists, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Hydrologists:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
810 |
0.05 |
1.08 |
$ 55.16 |
$ 114,730 |
| Colorado |
460 |
0.18 |
3.89 |
$ 46.54 |
$ 96,800 |
| Arizona |
410 |
0.14 |
3.11 |
$ 49.29 |
$ 102,520 |
| Florida |
330 |
0.04 |
0.84 |
$ 32.80 |
$ 68,220 |
| Ohio |
290 |
0.06 |
1.23 |
$ 41.71 |
$ 86,750 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Hydrologists:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Montana |
150 |
0.32 |
7.06 |
$ 37.51 |
$ 78,020 |
| Idaho |
170 |
0.23 |
5.05 |
$ 34.62 |
$ 72,000 |
| Alaska |
70 |
0.22 |
4.89 |
$ 43.21 |
$ 89,870 |
| Colorado |
460 |
0.18 |
3.89 |
$ 46.54 |
$ 96,800 |
| Nevada |
180 |
0.14 |
3.13 |
$ 51.78 |
$ 107,700 |
Top paying states for Hydrologists:
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Hydrologists:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
250 |
0.17 |
3.71 |
$ 51.90 |
$ 107,950 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
200 |
0.11 |
2.45 |
$ 39.87 |
$ 82,920 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
200 |
0.10 |
2.10 |
$ 54.83 |
$ 114,050 |
| Columbus, OH |
150 |
0.15 |
3.21 |
$ 42.10 |
$ 87,570 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
140 |
0.15 |
3.20 |
$ 51.83 |
$ 107,810 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
140 |
0.02 |
0.52 |
$ 57.64 |
$ 119,890 |
| Tucson, AZ |
120 |
0.34 |
7.52 |
$ 39.02 |
$ 81,160 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
120 |
0.04 |
0.93 |
$ 65.83 |
$ 136,920 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
100 |
0.04 |
0.92 |
$ 35.33 |
$ 73,480 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA |
100 |
0.09 |
1.92 |
$ 46.62 |
$ 96,960 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Hydrologists:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Olympia-Tumwater, WA |
60 |
0.51 |
11.21 |
$ 42.69 |
$ 88,800 |
| Bismarck, ND |
30 |
0.48 |
10.56 |
$ 38.32 |
$ 79,710 |
| Salem, OR |
60 |
0.37 |
8.07 |
$ 41.16 |
$ 85,600 |
| Tucson, AZ |
120 |
0.34 |
7.52 |
$ 39.02 |
$ 81,160 |
| Boise City, ID |
100 |
0.28 |
6.18 |
$ 36.46 |
$ 75,840 |
| Reno, NV |
60 |
0.25 |
5.48 |
$ 56.16 |
$ 116,820 |
| Columbia, SC |
80 |
0.23 |
5.03 |
$ 28.13 |
$ 58,510 |
| Madison, WI |
80 |
0.22 |
4.75 |
$ 35.58 |
$ 74,010 |
| Trenton, NJ |
50 |
0.21 |
4.57 |
$ 47.98 |
$ 99,800 |
| Lincoln, NE |
30 |
0.20 |
4.51 |
$ 33.08 |
$ 68,810 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Hydrologists:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA |
80 |
0.05 |
1.17 |
$ 71.23 |
$ 148,150 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
120 |
0.04 |
0.93 |
$ 65.83 |
$ 136,920 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
80 |
0.04 |
0.83 |
$ 60.32 |
$ 125,470 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
140 |
0.02 |
0.52 |
$ 57.64 |
$ 119,890 |
| Reno, NV |
60 |
0.25 |
5.48 |
$ 56.16 |
$ 116,820 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 55.49 |
$ 115,430 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
100 |
0.05 |
1.11 |
$ 54.96 |
$ 114,320 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
200 |
0.10 |
2.10 |
$ 54.83 |
$ 114,050 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
80 |
0.05 |
1.20 |
$ 52.80 |
$ 109,820 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV |
80 |
0.09 |
1.94 |
$ 52.66 |
$ 109,530 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Hydrologists:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Hydrologists:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Hydrologists:
About May 2021 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 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
