Geoscience Workforce Research

Occupational Employment and Wages

Want to know how much you can make as a geoscientist? The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) regularly compiles and publishes data and estimates.

Find out the current salary and employment estimates for

Atmospheric and Space Scientists

Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers

Hydrologists

Physicists

Soil and Plant Scientists

You can read how the BLS project demand for people with Earth and space science training will grow here.

You can find out much more about the Occupational Employment Statistics program here.

Senior science?

Most professional geoscientists will retire within fifteen years or sooner. AGI’s Geoscience Currents March issue examines the demographic changes in academia and in federal government. Learn more about the shifts in professorships and the static number of early-career geoscientists under 40 years old.

Earth and Space Science Workforce Research

The American Geological Institute’s Workforce Program has issued information about women’s participation in geoscience occupations. Though more women are getting geoscience degrees, women’s presence in the geoscience workforce isn’t catching up. As this bulletin states, “the percentage of women in environmental science and geoscience occupations has not exceeded 30 percent since 2003.” Read the bulletin for more data and comparison graphs (pdf).

Following on from its report on women’s participation in Earth and space sciences, AGI’s workforce program has issued a bulletin (pdf) on underrepresented minorities in the Earth and space science occupations.

Surveys of Recent Ph.D. Graduates

AGU regularly collaborates with American Geological Institute (AGI) to produce studies documenting employment patterns and demographic characteristics of recent PhDs.

Surveys of Recent Masters Graduates

AGU and AGI expanded the survey of the class of 2006 to include data about masters recipients.

Good news!

From 2008 to 2009 salaries in the geosciences increased by 3.1% which is 1 percent more than for occupations in other sciences. Read more in AGI’s latest workforce bulletin.