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The differences between weather forecasters and operational meteorologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a weather forecaster has an average salary of $64,204, which is higher than the $54,170 average annual salary of an operational meteorologist.
The top three skills for a weather forecaster include DOD, weather warnings and computer system. The most important skills for an operational meteorologist are emergency operations, , and .
| Weather Forecaster | Operational Meteorologist | |
| Yearly salary | $64,204 | $54,170 |
| Hourly rate | $30.87 | $26.04 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 427 | 861 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Weather forecasters and operational meteorologists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Weather Forecaster | Operational Meteorologist | |
| Average salary | $64,204 | $54,170 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $114,000 | Between $27,000 And $107,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | - |
| Highest paying state | - | - |
| Best paying company | - | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a weather forecaster and an operational meteorologist in terms of educational background:
| Weather Forecaster | Operational Meteorologist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Most common major | Meteorology | Meteorology |
| Most common college | SUNY Stony Brook | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between weather forecasters' and operational meteorologists' demographics:
| Weather Forecaster | Operational Meteorologist | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.9% Female, 29.1% | Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 7.8% Hispanic or Latino, 6.6% Asian, 7.1% White, 74.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 2.5% Unknown, 7.4% Hispanic or Latino, 5.4% Asian, 5.4% White, 78.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |