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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

19-2021 Atmospheric and Space Scientists

Investigate atmospheric phenomena and interpret meteorological data, gathered by surface and air stations, satellites, and radar to prepare reports and forecasts for public and other uses. Includes weather analysts and forecasters whose functions require the detailed knowledge of meteorology.


National estimates for Atmospheric and Space Scientists
Industry profile for Atmospheric and Space Scientists
Geographic profile for Atmospheric and Space Scientists

National estimates for Atmospheric and Space Scientists:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Atmospheric and Space Scientists:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
9,900 3.5 % $ 45.01 $ 93,610 1.1 %

Percentile wage estimates for Atmospheric and Space Scientists:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 24.28 $ 31.83 $ 40.28 $ 55.48 $ 68.04
Annual Wage (2) $ 50,490 $ 66,210 $ 83,780 $ 115,400 $ 141,520


Industry profile for Atmospheric and Space Scientists:

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

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Atmospheric and Space Scientists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 2,810 0.13 $ 52.45 $ 109,100
Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 2,330 0.28 $ 34.24 $ 71,220
Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations 1,090 0.90 $ 43.76 $ 91,020
Scientific Research and Development Services 1,050 0.12 $ 54.39 $ 113,120
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 940 0.03 $ 44.24 $ 92,020

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Atmospheric and Space Scientists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations 1,090 0.90 $ 43.76 $ 91,020
Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 2,330 0.28 $ 34.24 $ 71,220
Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers 500 0.22 $ 42.37 $ 88,120
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 2,810 0.13 $ 52.45 $ 109,100
Scientific Research and Development Services 1,050 0.12 $ 54.39 $ 113,120

Top paying industries for Atmospheric and Space Scientists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Scientific Research and Development Services 1,050 0.12 $ 54.39 $ 113,120
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 70 (7) $ 53.90 $ 112,100
Telecommunications 40 0.01 $ 53.50 $ 111,280
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 2,810 0.13 $ 52.45 $ 109,100
Management of Companies and Enterprises 120 (7) $ 49.58 $ 103,120


Geographic profile for Atmospheric and Space Scientists:

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



Map of employment of atmospheric and space scientists by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Atmospheric and Space Scientists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Colorado 1,050 0.38 5.66 $ 51.55 $ 107,220
Florida 820 0.09 1.33 $ 40.36 $ 83,950
Maryland 760 0.29 4.32 $ 52.48 $ 109,150
Texas 750 0.06 0.86 $ 38.14 $ 79,330
Pennsylvania 670 0.12 1.72 $ 41.59 $ 86,510


Map of location quotient of atmospheric and space scientists by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Atmospheric and Space Scientists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 270 0.87 12.97 $ 40.88 $ 85,040
Colorado 1,050 0.38 5.66 $ 51.55 $ 107,220
Maryland 760 0.29 4.32 $ 52.48 $ 109,150
Kansas 280 0.21 3.07 $ 28.88 $ 60,060
South Dakota 90 0.20 3.06 $ 40.02 $ 83,230


Map of annual mean wages of atmospheric and space scientists by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Atmospheric and Space Scientists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Massachusetts 50 0.01 0.21 $ 82.14 $ 170,840
District of Columbia 60 0.09 1.35 $ 69.69 $ 144,960
New Jersey 50 0.01 0.18 $ 58.23 $ 121,110
Virginia 140 0.04 0.53 $ 56.52 $ 117,560
Oklahoma 150 0.09 1.39 $ 55.37 $ 115,170



Map of employment of atmospheric and space scientists by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Atmospheric and Space Scientists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Boulder, CO 680 3.56 53.14 $ 52.24 $ 108,660
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 550 0.18 2.70 $ 58.49 $ 121,650
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 340 0.17 2.47 $ 43.00 $ 89,430
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 330 0.26 3.83 $ 48.29 $ 100,450
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 280 0.10 1.49 $ 39.63 $ 82,440
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 210 0.03 0.52 $ 43.02 $ 89,480
Fort Collins, CO 200 1.21 18.04 $ 49.35 $ 102,640
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 200 0.08 1.13 $ 45.11 $ 93,820
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 180 0.02 0.30 $ 58.17 $ 120,980
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 180 0.06 0.86 $ 36.71 $ 76,350


Map of location quotient of atmospheric and space scientists by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Atmospheric and Space Scientists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Boulder, CO 680 3.56 53.14 $ 52.24 $ 108,660
Fort Collins, CO 200 1.21 18.04 $ 49.35 $ 102,640
Fairbanks, AK 30 0.92 13.76 $ 43.73 $ 90,960
Anchorage, AK 150 0.88 13.16 $ 41.66 $ 86,650
Huntsville, AL 170 0.72 10.83 $ 40.46 $ 84,160
Charleston, WV 50 0.50 7.45 $ 36.85 $ 76,640
Wichita, KS 100 0.35 5.23 $ 27.26 $ 56,710
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL 70 0.33 4.87 $ 45.08 $ 93,760
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR 100 0.30 4.53 $ 37.04 $ 77,030
Sioux Falls, SD 50 0.29 4.35 $ 36.06 $ 75,010


Map of annual mean wages of atmospheric and space scientists by area, May 2022


Top paying metropolitan areas for Atmospheric and Space Scientists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA (8) (8) (8) $ 59.54 $ 123,840
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 550 0.18 2.70 $ 58.49 $ 121,650
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 80 0.07 1.02 $ 58.31 $ 121,290
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 180 0.02 0.30 $ 58.17 $ 120,980
Oklahoma City, OK 110 0.17 2.54 $ 57.97 $ 120,590
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN 40 0.04 0.54 $ 56.97 $ 118,500
Boise City, ID (8) (8) (8) $ 53.47 $ 111,220
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 90 0.06 0.87 $ 53.09 $ 110,430
Urban Honolulu, HI 60 0.13 1.96 $ 52.79 $ 109,810
Boulder, CO 680 3.56 53.14 $ 52.24 $ 108,660

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Atmospheric and Space Scientists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 80 0.82 12.19 $ 39.22 $ 81,570
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 50 0.14 2.03 $ 35.96 $ 74,800

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Atmospheric and Space Scientists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 80 0.82 12.19 $ 39.22 $ 81,570
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 50 0.14 2.03 $ 35.96 $ 74,800

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Atmospheric and Space Scientists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 80 0.82 12.19 $ 39.22 $ 81,570
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 50 0.14 2.03 $ 35.96 $ 74,800


About May 2022 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 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2023