Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between senior geologists and staff geologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a senior geologist and a staff geologist. Additionally, a senior geologist has an average salary of $109,166, which is higher than the $108,966 average annual salary of a staff geologist.
The top three skills for a senior geologist include project management, data collection and GIS. The most important skills for a staff geologist are data collection, OSHA, and HAZWOPER.
| Senior Geologist | Staff Geologist | |
| Yearly salary | $109,166 | $108,966 |
| Hourly rate | $52.48 | $52.39 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 811 | 68,971 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 2 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 84% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A Senior Geologist manages all geological activities and research, and provides guidance to junior team members. They assist geological supervisors to prepare an annual and long-term plan for geological work.
A Staff Geologist performs field explorations, analyzes environmental conditionals, and generates reports for the assigned project. They can work for government environmental agencies, mining companies, engineering firms, or city planning offices.
Senior geologists and staff geologists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Geologist | Staff Geologist | |
| Average salary | $109,166 | $108,966 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $186,000 | Between $62,000 And $189,000 |
| Highest paying City | Corpus Christi, TX | Corpus Christi, TX |
| Highest paying state | Texas | Texas |
| Best paying company | Statoil | ConocoPhillips |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Energy |
There are a few differences between a senior geologist and a staff geologist in terms of educational background:
| Senior Geologist | Staff Geologist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 84% |
| Most common major | Geology | Geology |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between senior geologists' and staff geologists' demographics:
| Senior Geologist | Staff Geologist | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.7% Female, 15.3% | Male, 75.5% Female, 24.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 0.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.3% Asian, 5.4% White, 82.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 1.1% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 6.9% Asian, 3.6% White, 83.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |