Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Job outlook for soil scientists in the United States
Are soil scientist jobs in demand?
Soil scientist job and salary trends over time
Soil scientist jobs over time
Soil scientist job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,565 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 1,399 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 1,419 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 1,505 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 1,422 | 0.00% |
Average soil scientist salary over time
Soil scientist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $91,463 | $43.97 | +4.6% |
| 2024 | $87,424 | $42.03 | --1.2% |
| 2023 | $88,461 | $42.53 | +2.4% |
| 2022 | $86,359 | $41.52 | +0.2% |
| 2021 | $86,179 | $41.43 | +3.7% |
Soil scientist jobs by state
Most common states for soil scientists
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 119 | 16% |
| 2 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 843 | 14% |
| 3 | Delaware | 961,939 | 132 | 14% |
| 4 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 123 | 14% |
| 5 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 995 | 12% |
| 6 | Vermont | 623,657 | 77 | 12% |
| 7 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 147 | 11% |
| 8 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 146 | 11% |
| 9 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 115 | 11% |
| 10 | Alaska | 739,795 | 84 | 11% |
| 11 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 62 | 11% |
| 12 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 927 | 10% |
| 13 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 892 | 9% |
| 14 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 337 | 9% |
| 15 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 181 | 9% |
| 16 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 99 | 9% |
| 17 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 64 | 9% |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 973 | 8% |
| 19 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 561 | 8% |
| 20 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 129 | 8% |
Soil Scientist job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of soil scientist experts
Texas Tech University
Quinnipiac University
Creighton University
Brigham Young University – Idaho
What general advice would you give to a Soil Scientist?
Daniel Hirmas: Quantitative skills and computer scripting language skills. Quantitative skills include math and especially statistics. Take as many statistics classes as you can. Develop efficient skills in common scripting languages like Python or R. These are highly sought after skills and are becoming more and more important in soil and environmental science.
What Soil Scientist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Daniel Hirmas: Don't swim alone. Join a professional society (e.g., Soil Science Society of America), get to know colleagues, and actively participate in a few working groups and committees. Find a mentor. Aim to impress. Work to build your reputation as someone who has attention to detail, can be depended on to complete tasks, delivers accurate information, and is easy to work with. Don't give a lot of attention to work-life balance at the beginning of your career. First, build habits and procedures that will propel your reputation as a good worker and someone who cares about the mission of the organization. Work-life balance is important and should be given attention, but only after you've established a good reputation for delivering high quality results. Strive to be teachable. Always try to suspend disbelief and listen to colleagues and their arguments for their conclusions or recommendations. None of us know everything, so be willing to learn and grow from your colleagues. Be independent. At meetings, resist 'group think.' Instead, anything you say, let it come from your own convictions and thoughts about the topic at hand, whether or not it conforms to what others are saying. You will develop more respect as an independent thinker than someone who just parrots the consensus. Be a caring colleague. Try to find the best in the people that you work with and always be a listening ear without gaining a reputation as a gossip. Deal with any conflicts head on and directly. Treat people the way that you would want to be treated. Above all, cultivate an attitude of thankfulness that permeates all of your thinking and interactions with the people that you work with.
What will help Soil Scientists increase their earning potential?
Daniel Hirmas: Develop the skills that are marketable (see above) and build a reputation as a competent scientist and good colleague. Once those are established, don't be afraid to ask for more salary or look for opportunities where you can increase your salary potential.
Lisa Cuchara Ph.D.
Professor of Biomedical SciencesQuinnipiac University
Microbiological Sciences And Immunology
What Soil Scientist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Lisa Cuchara Ph.D.: The first and foremost would be Critical Thinking. We live in a world where facts can be easily acquired, sometimes even by asking Siri/Alexa/ChatGPT/Google/etc. But critical thinking is timeless and priceless. I can ask anyone on the street what xyz is and they can look it up, but can they provide advice or interpret.
Also being a good steward towards science and being willing and able to communicate not just with peers as we are trained, but also with the public, the politicians, the board members. John Holdren*, stated that Scientists should be tithing at least 10 percent of their time to public service ... including activism. In the ever growing science denialism that is happening in our country being able to communicate science with the public is important. As Peter Hotaz states, "Anti-science propaganda is "killing Americans in unprecedented numbers,""
*Holdren is an American scientist who served as the senior advisor to President Barack Obama on science and technology issues through his roles as assistant to the president for science and technology, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and a Research Professor in Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Soil Scientist job market given the pandemic?
April Buschelman: Teacher shortage was an issue before the pandemic, and I see this increasing tenfold in the next year. I get weekly notices or requests for graduates that could fill roles in different schools and districts, some are immediate, and others are for the next semester.
Besides only needing more teachers, I think there will be a great demand for teachers with instructional technology concentrations. The pandemic highlighted the need to think outside the traditional brick and mortar "box" of school systems. While newer teachers are being educated in ways to use technology in the classroom, it's rare students are being educated to make the technology the classroom.
One final trend to be aware of is educator burnout and the need for self-preservation. I could see (and hope we will see) schools and districts focusing on the educators' mental health. Inservice days could become more laid back and focus on mental well-being as much as the newest trends and requirements. If we want students to have the best experience and education with school, we need to focus on the educators' mental and physical well-being first.
Nels Hansen Ph.D.
Department ChairBrigham Young University – Idaho
Department of Applied Plant Science
What experience really stands out on Soil Scientist resumes?
Nels Hansen Ph.D.: I think that the following areas stand out to employers when they review a resume. Students who acquire real-world experience in one or more (and hopefully more) of the following will likely have their resumes rise to the top.
-Irrigation planning and system management.
-Safe chemical handling and application.
-Pest identification and management.
-Soil and plant testing combined with plant nutrient recommendations.
-Data gathering, power, and analysis.
-Verbal fluency in Spanish.