Animal Scientists
Median $68,940
Occupation · SOC 19-1013
Soil and Plant Scientists: pay and where the jobs are
What soil and plant scientists earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$78,850 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $87,720
- Median hourly wage
- $37.91
- Mean hourly wage
- $42.17
- Employment
- 15,730
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 19-1013.
Check your pay
See where your pay falls among soil and plant scientists nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Enter your pay to see where it falls.
Use these numbers
How much do soil and plant scientists make?
The median annual wage for soil and plant scientists was $78,850 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $48,680 and the highest-paid 10% more than $138,120. As an hourly rate, the median is $37.91. About 15,730 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in District of Columbia ($107,140), Florida ($103,240) and Alaska ($100,320). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Iowa.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for soil and plant scientists 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 | $48,680 | $23.41 | $4,057 | $3,441 |
| 25th percentile | $61,660 | $29.65 | $5,138 | $4,310 |
| Median | $78,850 | $37.91 | $6,571 | $5,358 |
| 75th percentile | $103,740 | $49.88 | $8,645 | $6,818 |
| 90th percentile | $138,120 | $66.40 | $11,510 | $8,806 |
Soil and Plant Scientists: pay by state
47 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
$83,836 take-home in national prices
2
$78,770 take-home in national prices
3
$77,310 take-home in national prices
Where a median soil and plant scientist paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 60 | $107,140 | $79,230 | $156,750 | $78,065 | $71,032 |
| Florida | 270 | $103,240 | $48,940 | $125,250 | $81,459 | $78,770 |
| Alaska | 30 | $100,320 | $73,690 | $167,160 | $79,134 | $77,310 |
| Iowa | 960 | $96,310 | $56,270 | $170,820 | $73,576 | $83,836 |
| Idaho | 540 | $95,150 | $58,440 | $167,960 | $71,833 | $75,223 |
| New Jersey | 130 | $91,970 | $51,420 | $128,920 | $69,286 | $63,679 |
| California | 1,440 | $91,930 | $49,350 | $154,830 | $68,003 | $61,419 |
| Oregon | 620 | $85,150 | $63,960 | $117,000 | $62,374 | $60,346 |
| Maryland | 200 | $85,020 | $53,630 | $173,440 | $64,969 | $61,900 |
| Hawaii | 60 | $84,390 | $57,000 | $117,350 | $63,198 | $57,479 |
| Arizona | 270 | $83,840 | $40,250 | $124,900 | $66,109 | $65,665 |
| Indiana | 440 | $80,030 | $57,000 | $154,990 | $62,800 | $67,289 |
| Washington | 520 | $79,970 | $63,210 | $131,220 | $63,980 | $59,787 |
| Minnesota | 750 | $79,610 | $50,490 | $136,160 | $60,595 | $61,443 |
| Illinois | 820 | $79,490 | $48,160 | $141,510 | $60,961 | $60,987 |
| South Carolina | 90 | $78,850 | $37,900 | $108,890 | $61,388 | $65,482 |
| Maine | 30 | $78,250 | $49,480 | $128,760 | $59,884 | $61,704 |
| New York | 260 | $77,800 | $58,610 | $134,230 | $59,591 | $55,217 |
| Nebraska | 640 | $77,500 | $40,030 | $121,060 | $60,705 | $67,372 |
| North Carolina | 570 | $76,330 | $47,430 | $136,830 | $59,991 | $63,600 |
| Missouri | 220 | $76,080 | $46,710 | $135,760 | $59,714 | $65,752 |
| Colorado | 460 | $75,430 | $52,420 | $288,300 | $58,953 | $57,207 |
| Montana | 230 | $73,920 | $58,290 | $105,580 | $58,017 | $61,300 |
| Virginia | 140 | $73,920 | $51,040 | $113,860 | $57,396 | $56,770 |
| South Dakota | 480 | $73,590 | $51,980 | $120,970 | $60,601 | $68,409 |
| Mississippi | 100 | $72,690 | $45,880 | $153,570 | $57,792 | $66,463 |
| Nevada | 90 | $71,450 | $50,000 | $114,990 | $59,095 | $59,107 |
| Pennsylvania | 200 | $70,550 | $46,750 | $124,560 | $56,247 | $57,646 |
| Massachusetts | Not published | $69,880 | $63,110 | $89,830 | $54,395 | $51,434 |
| New Mexico | 90 | $69,480 | $52,240 | $102,860 | $55,609 | $60,306 |
| Connecticut | 200 | $67,630 | $56,970 | $130,820 | $53,100 | $51,250 |
| Kentucky | 140 | $67,340 | $57,090 | $107,010 | $53,964 | $59,855 |
| Wisconsin | 680 | $66,200 | $44,620 | $89,190 | $52,951 | $56,274 |
| Kansas | 380 | $65,670 | $35,220 | $129,130 | $52,081 | $57,824 |
| Michigan | 570 | $65,390 | $50,640 | $130,100 | $52,193 | $54,245 |
| North Dakota | 410 | $65,320 | $53,590 | $117,010 | $54,650 | $61,433 |
| Delaware | 60 | $65,310 | $59,500 | $107,620 | $51,426 | $51,525 |
| Georgia | 210 | $65,170 | $46,630 | $123,040 | $52,041 | $54,044 |
| Oklahoma | 100 | $63,910 | $35,550 | $106,380 | $51,201 | $58,287 |
| Alabama | 110 | $63,010 | $27,270 | $146,810 | $50,167 | $56,480 |
| Tennessee | 370 | $61,950 | $45,510 | $103,620 | $51,957 | $56,555 |
| Louisiana | 170 | $60,200 | $35,360 | $106,150 | $49,131 | $55,700 |
| Utah | 90 | $59,900 | $39,480 | $100,420 | $48,068 | $48,620 |
| Vermont | Not published | $58,220 | $58,190 | $78,690 | $47,443 | $48,432 |
| Ohio | 320 | $56,820 | $39,150 | $103,400 | $46,716 | $50,354 |
| Wyoming | 50 | $55,680 | $49,150 | $103,380 | $46,919 | $50,619 |
| Puerto Rico | 140 | $38,980 | $38,020 | $53,300 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 19-1013. *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.