Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers · SOC 19-2042

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographerss

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

Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers. 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 105 metro areas

Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers: metro areas with the highest published median annual wages, May 2025
#	Metro area	Median annual	Employment	Per 1,000 jobs
1	Midland, TX	$219,140	370	3.0
2	Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	$174,490	2,380	0.7
3	Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL	$154,390	40	0.2
4	Lubbock, TX	$140,660	40	0.3
5	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$136,120	170	0.2
6	Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	$136,120	50	0.5
7	Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$132,790	60	0.3
8	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	$132,780	610	0.2
9	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$132,620	320	0.1
10	Odessa, TX	$129,730	60	0.7
11	New Orleans-Metairie, LA	$125,570	130	0.3
12	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$122,310	430	0.2
13	Gulfport-Biloxi, MS	$122,100	170	1.1
14	Grand Junction, CO	$121,820	30	0.5
15	Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	$120,480	1,020	0.6
16	Providence-Warwick, RI-MA	$120,240	Not published	Not published
17	Oklahoma City, OK	$119,990	490	0.7
18	Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$119,950	490	0.5
19	Fresno, CA	$117,420	60	0.1
20	San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	$117,420	50	0.4
21	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	$114,030	220	0.0
22	Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	$111,830	90	0.3
23	Redding, CA	$111,830	30	0.5
24	Anchorage, AK	$111,290	170	0.9
25	Boulder, CO	$107,860	80	0.4

Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers 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.