2011 Median and Starting Salaries for Geoscience-related Occupations

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Across the U.S., the majority of geoscience-related occupations have competitive median salaries and starting salaries when compared to the median salaries of all occupations within the same state.* In 2011, median salaries for the majority of geoscience-related occupations were 30 percent higher than the median salary for all occupations within each state. Starting salaries for geoscience-related occupations is available for 35 states, yet the currency of the data ranges from 2009 to 2012, with 20 states reporting data for 2011. Within these 20 states, the 2011 starting salaries for most geoscience-related occupations were over 10% higher than the median salary for all occupations within each state. Geoscience-related technician occupations generally have lower starting salaries and lower median salaries than the median salary for all occupations in most states.

*Cost of living adjustments, which are available for comparing two metropolitan areas, are not available for state-wide to state-wide comparisons. Thus, we compare salaries for geoscience-related occupations to salaries for all occupations within the same state to create a baseline for assessing the competitiveness of salaries for geoscience-related occupations.

To view this data interactively, explore starting salaries and salary percentiles by state, visit:  http://tabsoft.co/1rjFY5F

Starting and median salaries for geoscience-related occupations in 2011. Data derived from BLS's Occupational Employment Statistics, starting salaries derived from state-level labor market information websites.