Geoscience Employment Shows Slight Decline in February 2025
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The latest employment data from the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Population Survey reports that the monthly average number of working geoscientists in the United States stood at 309,530 as of February 2025, down 1% from January 2025.
The Current Population Survey, a key source of labor market data, offers insight into long-term employment shifts within the geoscience sector. Notable job gains occurred in environmental engineering and environmental science and geoscience technician fields, while employment declined primarily in geotechnical engineering, conservation science, and petroleum, mining and geologic engineering occupations. These trends reflect the ongoing shift from employment in the primary industries to the professional services sector.
Key Employment Trends in Geoscience Fields
Between January and February 2025, the largest declines occurred in geotechnical engineering (-9%), conservation science (-17%), and petroleum, mining, and geological engineering (-13%). Other notable declines in employment included geoscience engineering managers (-16%) and environmental science and geoscience occupations (-1%). In contrast, the largest increases in employment occurred in environmental engineering (+12%) and environmental and geoscience technician (+24%) occupations.
Additionally, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Establishment Data (Table B-1) revealed sector-specific trends, which drive changes in overall geoscience employment:
- Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services: This sector employs just over one-third of geoscientists covering a range of occupations across the industry’s subsectors. Computing-related jobs saw losses which were offset by employment gains in engineering and scientific services.
- Government Agencies: State and local governments employ about a fifth of geoscientists, while federal agencies account for just under one-tenth of geoscience employment. Between January and February 2025, state and local governments increased employment by 15,500 jobs while federal agencies posted job declines of 6,700.
- Mining and Oil & Gas: The continued shift towards employment in “support activities” rather than the primary resource companies led to an increase in jobs (+4,900) outside of the engineering roles.
Looking Ahead
The data trends show a continued restructuring of geoscience employment across industries driven by changing economic conditions, federal workforce restructuring, industry priorities, and technological advancements. Growth in state and local governments and consulting services appears to be offsetting declines in federal agency employment. Policymakers, educators, and employers should monitor these changes to ensure workforce readiness and strategic planning for future labor needs.
Access the Data
Monthly geoscience employment data is released by AGI each month, and can be accessed from AGI’s Profession Data dashboard https://profession.americangeosciences.org/research/data. Please direct questions about AGI’s workforce data to workforce@americangeosciences.org.
About AGI
The American Geosciences Institute (AGI), a federation of scientific and professional organizations representing over a quarter-million geoscientists, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to serving the geoscience community and addressing the geoscience needs of society. AGI headquarters are in Alexandria, Virginia.
Contact: Geoff Camphire, AGI Communications gac@americangeosciences.org