Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

19-1013 Soil and Plant Scientists

Conduct research in breeding, physiology, production, yield, and management of crops and agricultural plants or trees, shrubs, and nursery stock, their growth in soils, and control of pests; or study the chemical, physical, biological, and mineralogical composition of soils as they relate to plant or crop growth. May classify and map soils and investigate effects of alternative practices on soil and crop productivity.


National estimates for Soil and Plant Scientists
Industry profile for Soil and Plant Scientists
Geographic profile for Soil and Plant Scientists

National estimates for Soil and Plant Scientists:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Soil and Plant Scientists:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
15,610 4.8 % $ 36.68 $ 76,290 2.0 %

Percentile wage estimates for Soil and Plant Scientists:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 19.22 $ 24.15 $ 32.09 $ 45.08 $ 61.03
Annual Wage (2) $ 39,980 $ 50,230 $ 66,750 $ 93,770 $ 126,950


Industry profile for Soil and Plant Scientists:

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

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Soil and Plant Scientists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Scientific Research and Development Services 2,970 0.37 $ 46.38 $ 96,480
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 2,490 0.16 $ 33.68 $ 70,050
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 2,240 0.08 $ 28.81 $ 59,920
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4241, 4247, and 4249 only) 1,280 0.24 $ 37.48 $ 77,950
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 1,170 0.06 $ 43.07 $ 89,590

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Soil and Plant Scientists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions 770 0.58 $ 26.79 $ 55,720
Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers 350 0.52 $ 31.67 $ 65,870
Scientific Research and Development Services 2,970 0.37 $ 46.38 $ 96,480
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4241, 4247, and 4249 only) 1,280 0.24 $ 37.48 $ 77,950
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 2,490 0.16 $ 33.68 $ 70,050

Top paying industries for Soil and Plant Scientists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4244 and 4248 only) 50 (7) $ 54.47 $ 113,290
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 60 0.02 $ 48.37 $ 100,600
Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) 60 0.02 $ 46.74 $ 97,220
Services to Buildings and Dwellings 180 0.01 $ 46.45 $ 96,620
Scientific Research and Development Services 2,970 0.37 $ 46.38 $ 96,480


Geographic profile for Soil and Plant Scientists:

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



Map of employment of soil and plant scientists by state, May 2021


States with the highest employment level in Soil and Plant Scientists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Carolina 1,960 0.44 3.99 $ 49.40 $ 102,740
California 1,340 0.08 0.73 $ 42.61 $ 88,630
Iowa 980 0.66 5.96 $ 35.63 $ 74,110
Illinois 960 0.17 1.53 $ 28.91 $ 60,130
Washington 930 0.29 2.62 $ 32.63 $ 67,860


Map of location quotient of soil and plant scientists by state, May 2021


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Soil and Plant Scientists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
South Dakota 310 0.75 6.74 $ 31.66 $ 65,860
Nebraska 680 0.70 6.36 $ 31.61 $ 65,750
North Dakota 260 0.66 6.00 $ 31.08 $ 64,650
Iowa 980 0.66 5.96 $ 35.63 $ 74,110
Idaho 340 0.46 4.11 $ 39.41 $ 81,970


Map of annual mean wages of soil and plant scientists by state, May 2021


Top paying states for Soil and Plant Scientists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nevada 30 0.03 0.24 $ 51.79 $ 107,720
North Carolina 1,960 0.44 3.99 $ 49.40 $ 102,740
Mississippi 40 0.04 0.35 $ 46.10 $ 95,890
Maryland (8) (8) (8) $ 45.02 $ 93,640
California 1,340 0.08 0.73 $ 42.61 $ 88,630



Map of employment of soil and plant scientists by area, May 2021


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Soil and Plant Scientists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Raleigh, NC 710 1.12 10.07 $ 52.56 $ 109,320
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 690 0.16 1.48 $ 27.82 $ 57,860
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 560 1.80 16.28 $ 53.58 $ 111,450
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 470 0.25 2.21 $ 32.82 $ 68,260
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 430 0.15 1.32 $ 38.26 $ 79,580
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA 310 0.87 7.88 $ 42.31 $ 88,000
Wilmington, NC 300 2.34 21.11 $ 51.09 $ 106,260
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 270 0.15 1.34 $ 32.45 $ 67,500
Madison, WI 240 0.64 5.81 $ 31.92 $ 66,390
Ames, IA 180 4.02 36.28 $ 29.60 $ 61,570


Map of location quotient of soil and plant scientists by area, May 2021


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Soil and Plant Scientists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Ames, IA 180 4.02 36.28 $ 29.60 $ 61,570
Wilmington, NC 300 2.34 21.11 $ 51.09 $ 106,260
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 560 1.80 16.28 $ 53.58 $ 111,450
Corvallis, OR 60 1.66 15.00 $ 43.28 $ 90,020
Manhattan, KS 50 1.27 11.49 $ 26.58 $ 55,290
Grand Island, NE 50 1.21 10.88 $ 39.78 $ 82,750
Raleigh, NC 710 1.12 10.07 $ 52.56 $ 109,320
Fargo, ND-MN 150 1.08 9.73 $ 29.63 $ 61,630
Fort Collins, CO 160 1.02 9.25 $ 31.46 $ 65,430
Champaign-Urbana, IL 90 0.95 8.55 $ 32.09 $ 66,740


Map of annual mean wages of soil and plant scientists by area, May 2021


Top paying metropolitan areas for Soil and Plant Scientists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 560 1.80 16.28 $ 53.58 $ 111,450
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 100 0.03 0.24 $ 52.64 $ 109,490
Raleigh, NC 710 1.12 10.07 $ 52.56 $ 109,320
Wilmington, NC 300 2.34 21.11 $ 51.09 $ 106,260
Salinas, CA 40 0.22 2.01 $ 50.68 $ 105,420
Fresno, CA 50 0.12 1.09 $ 48.98 $ 101,880
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA (8) (8) (8) $ 47.12 $ 98,010
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (8) (8) (8) $ 45.79 $ 95,250
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 160 0.11 1.01 $ 45.56 $ 94,770
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA (8) (8) (8) $ 43.70 $ 90,890

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Soil and Plant Scientists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 200 1.60 14.46 $ 29.81 $ 62,000
South Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 200 1.35 12.19 $ 32.09 $ 66,740
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 190 0.50 4.48 $ 34.53 $ 71,820
Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area 160 1.74 15.66 $ 31.16 $ 64,800
Northwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area 140 1.09 9.80 $ 34.43 $ 71,620

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Soil and Plant Scientists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area 160 1.74 15.66 $ 31.16 $ 64,800
East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 200 1.60 14.46 $ 29.81 $ 62,000
South Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 200 1.35 12.19 $ 32.09 $ 66,740
East North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 70 1.20 10.83 $ 31.78 $ 66,110
Northwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area 140 1.09 9.80 $ 34.43 $ 71,620

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Soil and Plant Scientists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
South Georgia nonmetropolitan area 40 0.19 1.74 $ 48.18 $ 100,210
Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 40 0.25 2.28 $ 46.05 $ 95,790
Eastern Oregon nonmetropolitan area 40 0.53 4.79 $ 41.46 $ 86,230
Central Oregon nonmetropolitan area 50 0.76 6.83 $ 40.51 $ 84,260
East-Central Montana nonmetropolitan area 60 1.00 8.99 $ 35.13 $ 73,060


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.

(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 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