Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
Median $82,220
Occupation · SOC 19-2043
Hydrologists: pay and where the jobs are
What hydrologists earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$96,600 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $103,600
- Median hourly wage
- $46.44
- Mean hourly wage
- $49.81
- Employment
- 5,850
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 19-2043.
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How much do hydrologists make?
The median annual wage for hydrologists was $96,600 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $64,020 and the highest-paid 10% more than $153,130. As an hourly rate, the median is $46.44. About 5,850 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Maryland ($143,010), Virginia ($132,080) and New Jersey ($126,680). Maryland also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for hydrologists looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $64,020 | $30.78 | $5,335 | $4,468 |
| 25th percentile | $77,210 | $37.12 | $6,434 | $5,262 |
| Median | $96,600 | $46.44 | $8,050 | $6,399 |
| 75th percentile | $122,830 | $59.06 | $10,236 | $7,935 |
| 90th percentile | $153,130 | $73.62 | $12,761 | $9,661 |
Hydrologists: pay by state
34 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$97,506 take-home in national prices
2
$94,682 take-home in national prices
3
$93,727 take-home in national prices
Where a median hydrologist paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 90 | $143,010 | $84,590 | $189,260 | $102,341 | $97,506 |
| Virginia | 40 | $132,080 | $61,990 | $156,750 | $94,762 | $93,727 |
| New Jersey | Not published | $126,680 | $76,810 | $176,480 | $91,250 | $83,865 |
| California | 540 | $122,110 | $76,110 | $181,360 | $86,030 | $77,700 |
| Georgia | 30 | $121,830 | $85,990 | $155,920 | $89,206 | $92,640 |
| Massachusetts | 50 | $119,350 | $71,510 | $155,150 | $86,496 | $81,788 |
| Missouri | 50 | $116,100 | $73,920 | $136,990 | $85,987 | $94,682 |
| Alaska | 60 | $108,660 | $73,690 | $132,770 | $85,001 | $83,042 |
| Nevada | 170 | $107,930 | $77,570 | $164,980 | $84,759 | $84,777 |
| Washington | 350 | $105,600 | $80,450 | $194,900 | $81,655 | $76,304 |
| Louisiana | Not published | $104,520 | $74,480 | $184,290 | $79,610 | $90,254 |
| Michigan | 40 | $101,060 | $81,330 | $136,990 | $75,881 | $78,865 |
| Colorado | 360 | $100,840 | $82,430 | $201,630 | $75,599 | $73,360 |
| Ohio | 390 | $98,200 | $60,800 | $131,100 | $75,650 | $81,542 |
| New Mexico | 100 | $97,470 | $63,660 | $131,370 | $73,955 | $80,201 |
| Oklahoma | 40 | $97,470 | $61,110 | $126,440 | $73,559 | $83,740 |
| Minnesota | 300 | $94,580 | $68,620 | $125,300 | $70,043 | $71,022 |
| Wyoming | 40 | $94,520 | $61,110 | $139,920 | $75,325 | $81,264 |
| Utah | 80 | $94,190 | $61,580 | $136,990 | $70,901 | $71,716 |
| Oregon | 300 | $93,690 | $68,040 | $124,900 | $67,583 | $65,386 |
| Pennsylvania | 160 | $91,730 | $45,300 | $141,070 | $70,482 | $72,236 |
| New York | 160 | $88,100 | $67,760 | $136,590 | $66,236 | $61,375 |
| Arizona | 400 | $86,700 | $64,700 | $160,710 | $68,050 | $67,592 |
| Vermont | 50 | $86,140 | $78,860 | $107,300 | $66,248 | $67,629 |
| Montana | 190 | $84,500 | $63,060 | $115,210 | $64,862 | $68,532 |
| Illinois | 100 | $83,720 | $59,070 | $133,430 | $63,728 | $63,754 |
| North Carolina | 150 | $81,770 | $64,320 | $111,050 | $63,601 | $67,427 |
| Iowa | 50 | $81,150 | $66,180 | $136,340 | $63,487 | $72,340 |
| Texas | 220 | $81,080 | $54,650 | $126,440 | $65,870 | $67,867 |
| Indiana | 50 | $80,700 | $60,790 | $116,270 | $63,251 | $67,772 |
| Idaho | 160 | $78,850 | $58,260 | $135,380 | $61,230 | $64,119 |
| Wisconsin | 150 | $78,770 | $65,290 | $115,920 | $61,077 | $64,910 |
| Florida | 280 | $76,850 | $58,620 | $119,670 | $62,894 | $60,818 |
| South Carolina | 100 | $65,770 | $57,830 | $115,210 | $52,981 | $56,514 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 19-2043. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.