Atmospheric and Space Scientists · SOC 19-2021

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Atmospheric and Space Scientistss

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas

Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for atmospheric and space scientists. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked (1 such areas are excluded here). Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Top 25 of 54 metro areas

Atmospheric and Space Scientists: metro areas with the highest published median annual wages, May 2025
#	Metro area	Median annual	Employment	Per 1,000 jobs
1	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$151,000	30	0.0
2	Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY	$134,060	70	0.2
3	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	$133,490	50	0.0
4	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	$128,800	270	0.2
5	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$128,790	260	0.0
6	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	$127,070	40	0.0
7	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	$125,590	30	0.0
8	Boise City, ID	$122,930	30	0.1
9	Urban Honolulu, HI	$122,880	70	0.1
10	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	$122,700	110	0.0
11	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	$122,280	30	0.0
12	Boulder, CO	$121,870	620	3.2
13	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$120,370	50	0.0
14	Kansas City, MO-KS	$117,810	100	0.1
15	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$117,600	700	0.2
16	Reno, NV	$115,650	70	0.2
17	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	$113,550	60	0.1
18	Richmond, VA	$112,510	40	0.1
19	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$111,790	220	0.0
20	St. Louis, MO-IL	$111,650	30	0.0
21	Fort Collins-Loveland, CO	$110,960	250	1.5
22	Raleigh-Cary, NC	$108,810	40	0.1
23	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	$108,040	Not published	Not published
24	Madison, WI	$107,970	120	0.3
25	Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN	$107,690	40	0.0

Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Atmospheric and Space Scientists overview.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.