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Hydrologist salary
Average hydrologist salary
$92,871
Average Hydrologist Salary
The average salary for a hydrologist in the United States is approximately $92,871 per year, translating to about $45 per hour. Salaries can differ based on various factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and specific job roles within the field.
Salary by State
Hydrologists in states like California, Texas, and Florida may find some of the highest salaries. For instance, California offers competitive compensation due to the high demand for water resource management and environmental protection.
Job Opportunities
Hydrologists typically work in government agencies, environmental consulting firms, or research institutions. Opportunities are abundant for those with advanced degrees or specialized skills in water resource management, making it a promising career choice for aspiring professionals.
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Where can a Hydrologist earn more?
Hydrologist salary estimates from across the web
Average hydrologist salary by state
The highest-paying states for hydrologists are Maryland, Texas, and Oklahoma. The lowest average hydrologist salary states are New Hampshire, Missouri, and Wisconsin.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for hydrologists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia | $91,922 | $44.19 |
| 2 | Oklahoma | $100,171 | $48.16 |
| 3 | Kentucky | $86,309 | $41.49 |
| 4 | Nevada | $88,245 | $42.43 |
| 5 | Texas | $105,002 | $50.48 |
| 6 | California | $96,609 | $46.45 |
| 7 | Maryland | $107,742 | $51.80 |
| 8 | New Mexico | $82,659 | $39.74 |
| 9 | Idaho | $81,397 | $39.13 |
| 10 | North Dakota | $78,120 | $37.56 |
| 11 | North Carolina | $82,333 | $39.58 |
| 12 | Illinois | $83,891 | $40.33 |
| 13 | Colorado | $89,849 | $43.20 |
| 14 | Washington | $83,667 | $40.22 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $80,181 | $38.55 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $80,542 | $38.72 |
| 17 | Virginia | $83,325 | $40.06 |
| 18 | Wyoming | $75,393 | $36.25 |
| 19 | Alaska | $78,962 | $37.96 |
| 20 | Indiana | $76,480 | $36.77 |
| 21 | District of Columbia | $80,344 | $38.63 |
| 22 | Utah | $82,048 | $39.45 |
| 23 | Mississippi | $77,026 | $37.03 |
| 24 | Arkansas | $74,235 | $35.69 |
| 25 | Alabama | $78,980 | $37.97 |
| 26 | Oregon | $83,263 | $40.03 |
| 27 | South Carolina | $77,673 | $37.34 |
| 28 | Florida | $73,896 | $35.53 |
| 29 | New Jersey | $83,032 | $39.92 |
| 30 | Ohio | $74,563 | $35.85 |
| 31 | Montana | $72,087 | $34.66 |
| 32 | Delaware | $81,260 | $39.07 |
| 33 | Maine | $70,565 | $33.93 |
| 34 | Connecticut | $72,271 | $34.75 |
| 35 | Georgia | $75,477 | $36.29 |
| 36 | Iowa | $68,182 | $32.78 |
| 37 | Minnesota | $71,705 | $34.47 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $71,526 | $34.39 |
| 39 | Arizona | $71,149 | $34.21 |
| 40 | Kansas | $71,178 | $34.22 |
| 41 | South Dakota | $67,320 | $32.37 |
| 42 | Michigan | $71,318 | $34.29 |
| 43 | Louisiana | $69,494 | $33.41 |
| 44 | Wisconsin | $65,237 | $31.36 |
| 45 | Vermont | $59,664 | $28.68 |
| 46 | New York | $72,638 | $34.92 |
| 47 | New Hampshire | $65,652 | $31.56 |
| 48 | Missouri | $65,244 | $31.37 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $50,403 | $24.23 |
| 50 | Massachusetts | $69,078 | $33.21 |
| 51 | Nebraska | $63,406 | $30.48 |
Highest paying cities for hydrologists
The highest-paying cities for hydrologists are Silver Spring, MD, Irving, TX, and Oklahoma City, OK.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Silver Spring, MD | $107,772 | $51.81 |
| 2 | Irving, TX | $106,774 | $51.33 |
| 3 | Oklahoma City, OK | $102,120 | $49.10 |
| 4 | San Francisco, CA | $100,149 | $48.15 |
| 5 | Lakewood, CO | $89,769 | $43.16 |
| 6 | Las Vegas, NV | $88,277 | $42.44 |
| 7 | Tacoma, WA | $84,225 | $40.49 |
| 8 | Alexandria, VA | $83,240 | $40.02 |
| 9 | Albuquerque, NM | $82,779 | $39.80 |
| 10 | Urbana, IL | $82,331 | $39.58 |
| 11 | Portland, OR | $82,250 | $39.54 |
| 12 | Salt Lake City, UT | $81,328 | $39.10 |
| 13 | Tallahassee, FL | $79,613 | $38.28 |
| 14 | Columbus, OH | $74,429 | $35.78 |
| 15 | Rochester, MN | $72,171 | $34.70 |
| 16 | East Hartford, CT | $71,703 | $34.47 |
| 17 | Phoenix, AZ | $71,246 | $34.25 |
| 18 | Alexandria, LA | $70,216 | $33.76 |
| 19 | Lawrence, KS | $69,830 | $33.57 |
| 20 | Boston, MA | $68,824 | $33.09 |
Hydrologist salary details
A hydrologist's salary ranges from $63,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $135,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a hydrologist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $135,000 | $11,250 | $65 |
| 75th Percentile | $113,000 | $9,417 | $54 |
| Average | $92,871 | $7,739 | $45 |
| 25th Percentile | $76,000 | $6,333 | $37 |
| 10th Percentile | $63,000 | $5,250 | $30 |
Highest paying hydrologist jobs
The highest paying types of hydrologists are geologist, research hydrologist, and assistant groundwater engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental Service Technician | $30,862 | $2,572 | $14.84 | 83,697 |
| Environmental Technician | $39,690 | $3,308 | $19.08 | 43,079 |
| Environmental Scientist | $60,208 | $5,017 | $28.95 | 56,425 |
| Geologist | $111,878 | $9,323 | $53.79 | 869 |
| Hydrogeologist | $74,733 | $6,228 | $35.93 | 2,154 |
Top companies hiring hydrologists now:
Which companies pay hydrologists the most?
Hydrologist salaries at Shell and Chevron are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average hydrologist salary at companies like Exxon Mobil and BP America Inc are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shell Trading | $143,231 | $68.86 |
| 2 | Chevron | $139,804 | $67.21 |
| 3 | Exxon Mobil | $138,313 | $66.50 |
| 4 | BP America Inc | $135,525 | $65.16 |
| 5 | Marathon Oil | $131,367 | $63.16 |
| 6 | ConocoPhillips | $129,832 | $62.42 |
| 7 | ION Geo | $127,011 | $61.06 |
| 8 | Hess | $125,043 | $60.12 |
| 9 | Statoil | $118,792 | $57.11 |
| 10 | Geokinetics | $114,889 | $55.24 |
| 11 | Baker Hughes | $114,815 | $55.20 |
| 12 | Halliburton | $114,126 | $54.87 |
| 13 | Lumina Geophysical | $112,811 | $54.24 |
| 14 | Topcon Positioning Systems | $110,700 | $53.22 |
| 15 | Battelle | $107,015 | $51.45 |
| 16 | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory | $102,346 | $49.20 |
| 17 | TGS-NOPEC GEOPHYSICAL CO LP | $102,257 | $49.16 |
| 18 | MicroSeismic | $100,929 | $48.52 |
| 19 | Sea | $93,988 | $45.19 |
| 20 | Serco | $92,829 | $44.63 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Hydrologist salary trends
The average hydrologist salary has risen by $9,239 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average hydrologist earned $83,632 annually, but today, they earn $92,871 a year. That works out to a 4% change in pay for hydrologists over the last decade.
Compare hydrologist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average hydrologist salary over time
Compare hydrologist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Hydrologist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $92,900 | $44.65 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $89,800 | $43.18 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $87,700 | $42.17 | -0.8% |
| 2022 | $88,400 | $42.50 | -0.6% |
| 2021 | $88,900 | $42.76 | +1.2% |
Recently added hydrologist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State of Minnesota | Hydrologist-Hydrologist 3 | Saint Paul, MN | 06/27/2025 | $71,367 |
| Farnsworth Group | Hydrologist | Pontiac, MI | 06/27/2025 | $80,000 |
| Farnsworth Group | Hydrologist | Peoria, AZ | 06/27/2025 | $80,000 |
| Las Vegas Valley Water District | Hydrologist I | Las Vegas, NV | 06/26/2025 | $106,973 |
| Farnsworth Group Inc. | Hydrologist | Champaign, IL | 06/25/2025 | $80,000 |
| St. Johns River Water Management District | Regulatory Hydrologist I or II | Palm Bay, FL | 06/16/2025 | $52,520 |
| St. John's River Water Management District-Sa | Regulatory Hydrologist I or II | Palm Bay, FL | 06/13/2025 | $52,520 |
| State of Minnesota | Database Hydrologist-Hydrologist 3 | Saint Paul, MN | 05/22/2025 | $71,367 |
| Icforporated | Hydrogeologists/Hydrologists | Boone, CO | 05/09/2025 | $89,203 |
| ICF | Hydrogeologists/Hydrologists | Denver, CO | 05/07/2025 | $89,203 |
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