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Senior geologist salary
Average senior geologist salary
$109,166
Average Senior Geologist Salary
The average salary for a Senior Geologist is approximately $109,166 annually. This figure can vary notably based on geographic location, experience, and the specific industry. For instance, senior geologists in states like California and Texas frequently earn higher salaries due to demand and cost of living. Various sectors such as oil and gas, environmental consulting, and mining also play a significant role in salary differences.
State-by-State Breakdown
In states like Alaska and Texas, the demand for senior geologists is particularly high, driving salaries upwards. Below are some of the highest paying states:
- California: $120,000
- Texas: $115,000
- Alaska: $130,000
Additionally, many senior geologists see increased earnings with years of experience, advancing to managerial roles or specialized positions that command higher pay. To capitalize on these opportunities, job seekers should focus on gaining relevant certifications and practical experience in their desired sectors.
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Where can a Senior Geologist earn more?
Senior geologist salary estimates from across the web
Average senior geologist salary by state
The highest-paying states for senior geologists are Texas, California, and Louisiana. The lowest average senior geologist salary states are Iowa, Nebraska, and Arkansas.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior geologists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maine | $95,495 | $45.91 |
| 2 | Oklahoma | $106,721 | $51.31 |
| 3 | California | $117,702 | $56.59 |
| 4 | Texas | $126,194 | $60.67 |
| 5 | Idaho | $93,963 | $45.17 |
| 6 | West Virginia | $87,988 | $42.30 |
| 7 | Louisiana | $110,502 | $53.13 |
| 8 | Virginia | $102,156 | $49.11 |
| 9 | Washington | $93,599 | $45.00 |
| 10 | Alaska | $92,328 | $44.39 |
| 11 | Rhode Island | $89,403 | $42.98 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $89,576 | $43.07 |
| 13 | Hawaii | $106,112 | $51.02 |
| 14 | South Carolina | $90,895 | $43.70 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $88,085 | $42.35 |
| 16 | Ohio | $86,305 | $41.49 |
| 17 | Colorado | $94,661 | $45.51 |
| 18 | Nevada | $84,098 | $40.43 |
| 19 | Montana | $83,470 | $40.13 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $86,701 | $41.68 |
| 21 | Alabama | $89,320 | $42.94 |
| 22 | North Dakota | $78,129 | $37.56 |
| 23 | Kentucky | $81,685 | $39.27 |
| 24 | District of Columbia | $84,487 | $40.62 |
| 25 | Tennessee | $83,117 | $39.96 |
| 26 | Florida | $80,994 | $38.94 |
| 27 | Vermont | $81,575 | $39.22 |
| 28 | Wyoming | $77,828 | $37.42 |
| 29 | Massachusetts | $88,546 | $42.57 |
| 30 | Mississippi | $82,605 | $39.71 |
| 31 | New Mexico | $80,162 | $38.54 |
| 32 | Michigan | $82,932 | $39.87 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $77,135 | $37.08 |
| 34 | Delaware | $86,175 | $41.43 |
| 35 | New Jersey | $85,233 | $40.98 |
| 36 | New York | $85,167 | $40.95 |
| 37 | Maryland | $84,554 | $40.65 |
| 38 | Arizona | $78,904 | $37.93 |
| 39 | Utah | $78,820 | $37.89 |
| 40 | Iowa | $64,343 | $30.93 |
| 41 | Oregon | $77,378 | $37.20 |
| 42 | Arkansas | $63,443 | $30.50 |
| 43 | Kansas | $69,676 | $33.50 |
| 44 | Minnesota | $73,263 | $35.22 |
| 45 | Illinois | $67,616 | $32.51 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $63,768 | $30.66 |
| 47 | Missouri | $65,725 | $31.60 |
| 48 | Indiana | $56,608 | $27.22 |
| 49 | Wisconsin | $57,040 | $27.42 |
| 50 | North Carolina | $62,131 | $29.87 |
| 51 | Georgia | $64,970 | $31.24 |
Highest paying cities for senior geologists
The highest-paying cities for senior geologists are Corpus Christi, TX, Long Beach, CA, and Reston, VA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corpus Christi, TX | $131,591 | $63.26 |
| 2 | Long Beach, CA | $119,661 | $57.53 |
| 3 | Reston, VA | $103,224 | $49.63 |
| 4 | Portland, ME | $97,213 | $46.74 |
| 5 | Olympia, WA | $95,291 | $45.81 |
| 6 | Lakewood, CO | $94,909 | $45.63 |
| 7 | Pocatello, ID | $93,601 | $45.00 |
| 8 | Anchorage, AK | $92,259 | $44.36 |
| 9 | Newark, NJ | $85,353 | $41.04 |
| 10 | Sarasota, FL | $81,823 | $39.34 |
| 11 | Carlsbad, NM | $81,594 | $39.23 |
| 12 | Tucson, AZ | $79,093 | $38.03 |
| 13 | Salt Lake City, UT | $78,208 | $37.60 |
| 14 | Portland, OR | $76,221 | $36.64 |
| 15 | Wichita, KS | $73,889 | $35.52 |
| 16 | Minneapolis, MN | $73,280 | $35.23 |
| 17 | Cary, NC | $62,652 | $30.12 |
Senior geologist salary details
A senior geologist's salary ranges from $63,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $186,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior geologist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $186,000 | $15,500 | $89 |
| 75th Percentile | $144,000 | $12,000 | $69 |
| Average | $109,166 | $9,097 | $52 |
| 25th Percentile | $82,000 | $6,833 | $39 |
| 10th Percentile | $63,000 | $5,250 | $30 |
Highest paying senior geologist jobs
The highest paying types of senior geologists are exploration geologist, consulting geologist, and geologist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental Technician | $39,690 | $3,308 | $19.08 | 43,079 |
| Environmental Service Technician | $30,862 | $2,572 | $14.84 | 83,697 |
| Environmental Scientist | $60,208 | $5,017 | $28.95 | 56,425 |
| Geology Internship | $109,240 | $9,103 | $52.52 | 48,632 |
| Geophysicist | $105,067 | $8,756 | $50.51 | 287 |
| Geoscientist | $110,629 | $9,219 | $53.19 | 302 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for senior geologists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Gregory Knapp Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Director, Sustainability Studies, The University of Texas at Austin
Top companies hiring senior geologists now:
Which companies pay senior geologists the most?
Senior geologist salaries at Statoil and Berry Petroleum Company are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior geologist salary at companies like California Resources and ConocoPhillips are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Statoil | $158,136 | $76.03 |
| 2 | Berry Petroleum Company | $157,523 | $75.73 |
| 3 | California Resources | $155,146 | $74.59 |
| 4 | ConocoPhillips | $153,869 | $73.98 |
| 5 | Exxon Mobil | $144,867 | $69.65 |
| 6 | Chevron | $143,907 | $69.19 |
| 7 | Surge Energy America | $142,714 | $68.61 |
| 8 | Tallgrass Energy | $142,241 | $68.39 |
| 9 | Marathon Oil | $141,731 | $68.14 |
| 10 | Occidental Petroleum | $140,711 | $67.65 |
| 11 | EOG Resources | $138,921 | $66.79 |
| 12 | Ryder Scott Co | $137,594 | $66.15 |
| 13 | Hess | $131,071 | $63.01 |
| 14 | Halliburton | $127,237 | $61.17 |
| 15 | Jacobs Enterprises | $113,016 | $54.33 |
| 16 | Amec Foster Wheeler | $113,012 | $54.33 |
| 17 | Broken Hill Proprietary | $113,012 | $54.33 |
| 18 | Core Laboratories | $111,694 | $53.70 |
| 19 | Premier Oilfield Group | $110,824 | $53.28 |
| 20 | Woods Services | $109,041 | $52.42 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior Geologist salary by industry
The average senior geologist salary varies across industries:
- The average senior geologist salary in the energy industry is $138,771, the highest of any industry.
- The average senior geologist salary in the finance industry is $102,617.
- Senior geologists in the professional industry earn an average salary of $87,501, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for senior geologists
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Energy | $138,771 | $66.72 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $102,617 | $49.34 |
| 3 | Construction | $88,803 | $42.69 |
| 4 | Professional | $87,501 | $42.07 |
High paying senior geologist jobs
Senior geologist salary trends
The average senior geologist salary has risen by $10,627 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior geologist earned $98,539 annually, but today, they earn $109,166 a year. That works out to a 4% change in pay for senior geologists over the last decade.
Compare senior geologist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior geologist salary over time
Compare senior geologist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior geologist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $109,000 | $52.48 | +1.6% |
| 2024 | $107,000 | $51.62 | +1.0% |
| 2023 | $106,000 | $51.11 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | $105,000 | $50.39 | +0.1% |
| 2021 | $105,000 | $50.35 | +0.1% |
Recently added senior geologist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vantage Point Solutions | Senior Archeologist | Ione, OR | 06/28/2025 | $58,436 |
| Vantage Point Solutions | Senior Archeologist | Pine, AZ | 06/28/2025 | $58,436 |
| Engeo | Senior Geologist | San Diego, CA | 06/20/2025 | $90,000 |
| Montrose | Senior Geologist | Nashville, TN | 06/20/2025 | $90,000 |
| Terraphase Engineering | Senior Geologist | Irvine, CA | 06/17/2025 | $95,000 |
| Fervo Energy | Senior Geologist | Lakewood, CO | 06/04/2025 | $151,000 |
| Aecom | Senior Geologist | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 06/03/2025 | $100,000 |
| TRC Companies, Inc. | Senior Archeologist | Albuquerque, NM | 06/03/2025 | $100,176 |
| Fervo Energy Company | Senior Geologist | Golden, CO | 06/03/2025 | $151,000 |
| Nv5 Global, Inc. | Senior Geologist/Engineer | Seattle, WA | 05/28/2025 | $110,000 |
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