Hydrologists · SOC 19-2043

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Hydrologistss

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

Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for hydrologists. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked (2 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 33 metro areas

Hydrologists: metro areas with the highest published median annual wages, May 2025
#	Metro area	Median annual	Employment	Per 1,000 jobs
1	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$152,730	50	0.0
2	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$147,080	50	0.0
3	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$142,640	30	0.0
4	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	$138,020	50	0.0
5	Trenton-Princeton, NJ	$128,320	40	0.2
6	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	$126,820	40	0.0
7	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$123,420	70	0.0
8	Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV	$118,390	50	0.0
9	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	$113,550	80	0.1
10	Reno, NV	$111,140	70	0.2
11	Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	$108,680	140	0.1
12	Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$106,860	110	0.1
13	Albuquerque, NM	$101,520	50	0.1
14	Akron, OH	$99,470	Not published	Not published
15	Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	$99,320	50	0.0
16	Columbus, OH	$98,200	170	0.2
17	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	$94,580	210	0.1
18	Salt Lake City-Murray, UT	$94,420	60	0.1
19	Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA	$93,340	80	0.6
20	Bend, OR	$91,170	30	0.3
21	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	$90,000	260	0.1
22	Boise City, ID	$88,150	80	0.2
23	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$88,100	130	0.0
24	Helena, MT	$86,260	50	1.1
25	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	$85,540	70	0.0

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