The graph shows the 2015 median annual salaries for geoscience-related occupations in the United States as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The colors represent different occupation categories. The columns in the lighter colors show the annual median salary for the broad occupational grouping. The darker colors are specific geoscience occupations within that broad occupational groups. The average median salary for geoscience-related occupations in 2015 was $83,737.
Since 2013 (Currents #91), all but three (petroleum engineers, geoscientists, and geographers) of the geoscience occupations saw increases in their median annual salaries, and the few decreases ranged from $490-$2,330. The salary decreases seen for petroleum engineers and geoscientists are likely driven by the economic slow down in the oil and gas industry.