Astronomers Salary - How Much Does a Astronomers Make?

DOL Median Salary

$70,000

From 807 DOL filings

BLS Median Salary

$132,170

BLS OEWS 2024 survey

Total Employers

109

Companies with DOL filings

Total Employment

1,560

Estimated US workers (BLS)

DOL Filings vs BLS Survey

What Employers File with DOL

$70,000

DOL-Filed Salary Range

$45,000$60,000$70,000$82,500$954,000

This figure comes from 807 employer filings with the US Department of Labor under legal obligation. Employers file this salary when sponsoring workers for PERM green cards or H-1B visas.

What BLS Says the Market Pays

$132,170

BLS Survey Salary Range

$70,730$94,990$132,170$177,690$191,880

This figure comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey of 1,560 establishments. This is an independent survey-based estimate of what all workers in this occupation earn.

DOL-filed salaries are 47% lower than BLS survey data, which may reflect that sponsored positions concentrate in high-cost locations or experience-intensive roles.

Salary Distribution

Top Paying Employers for Astronomers

Ranked by median salary from DOL filings

Rank	Employer	Median Salary	Filings	vs Market
1	Simons Foundation	$135,000	5	+2.1%
2	California Institute of Technology/Jet Propulsion Laboratory	$117,984	11	-10.7%
3	CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY/JET PROPULSION	$104,390	8	-21%
4	SETI Institute	$95,400	10	-27.8%
5	AURA/Space Telescope Science Institute	$93,306	48	-29.4%
6	ASSOC. OF UNIVERSITIES FOR RESEARCH IN ASTRONOMY /	$87,215	10	-34%
7	Association of Universities For Research In Astronomy	$84,935	40	-35.7%
8	Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory	$82,721	21	-37.4%
9	California Association for Research in Astronomy	$82,000	8	-38%
10	Bay Area Environmental Research Institute	$81,355	29	-38.5%
11	University of Maryland Baltimore County	$79,000	8	-40.2%
12	UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA	$78,189	8	-40.8%
13	The University of Chicago	$76,632	12	-42%
14	Southwest Research Institute	$75,000	26	-43.3%
15	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	$74,200	7	-43.9%
16	University of California, Santa Cruz	$72,450	6	-45.2%
17	THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD, JR. UNIVERSITY	$71,000	14	-46.3%
18	University of Michigan	$70,250	17	-46.9%
19	California Institute of Technology	$70,000	39	-47%
20	University of Maryland College Park	$70,000	48	-47%
21	Harvard University	$69,500	12	-47.4%
22	University of California, Berkeley	$69,250	40	-47.6%
23	University of California, Los Angeles	$68,900	14	-47.9%
24	University of Colorado	$67,717	34	-48.8%
25	University of Washington	$65,974	8	-50.1%
26	The Trustees of Princeton University	$65,950	7	-50.1%
27	Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii	$65,499	31	-50.4%
28	Cornell University	$64,593	11	-51.1%
29	The Johns Hopkins University	$63,761	6	-51.8%
30	National Radio Astronomy Observatory	$63,240	23	-52.2%
31	Planetary Science Institute	$62,552	6	-52.7%
32	Arizona State University	$62,500	14	-52.7%
33	Johns Hopkins University	$62,229	7	-52.9%
34	University of Illinois	$61,250	9	-53.7%
35	The University of Arizona	$60,000	26	-54.6%
36	University of Virginia	$60,000	5	-54.6%
37	ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITIES FOR RESEARCH IN ASTRON	$59,339	6	-55.1%
38	Yale University	$55,750	9	-57.8%
39	The Pennsylvania State University	$55,692	17	-57.9%
40	The University of Texas at Austin	$55,078	9	-58.3%
41	University of California at Santa Barbara	$53,250	5	-59.7%

View all companies hiring Astronomers

Salary by Metro Area

Metro Area	Median	vs National	Filings	Employers
Baltimore, MA	$98,911	+41.3%	13	3
New York, NY	$84,125	+20.2%	11	5
PASADENA, CA	$81,000	+15.7%	50	6
Moffett Field, CA	$80,709	+15.3%	15	3
Baltimore, MD	$79,055	+12.9%	40	5
GREENBELT, MD	$74,517	+6.5%	15	3
Tucson, AZ	$71,808	+2.6%	16	5
Hilo, HI	$71,422	+2%	36	4
Ann Arbor, MI	$70,250	+0.4%	12	1
Boulder, CO	$70,023	0%	42	5
Cambridge, MA	$70,000	0%	24	3
BERKELEY, CA	$69,250	-1.1%	32	3
Charlottesville, VA	$63,138	-9.8%	14	2
Urbana, IL	$62,200	-11.1%	10	3
College Park, MD	$59,638	-14.8%	10	1
University Park, PA	$51,768	-26%	11	1

Salary by State

State	Median	vs National	Filings
Massachusetts	$80,000	-57.8%	45
California	$75,500	-46.9%	150
Hawaii	$74,110	-28.1%	53
West Virginia	$73,368	N/A	1
Wisconsin	$72,467	N/A	6
Maryland	$71,000	-55.1%	66
Florida	$70,574	N/A	7
Colorado	$70,028	N/A	43
Illinois	$68,250	N/A	18
Michigan	$67,910	N/A	16
North Carolina	$67,621	N/A	1
Kentucky	$66,000	N/A	1
Washington	$65,974	-36.6%	8
Nebraska	$65,000	N/A	8
New Jersey	$64,900	N/A	7
Missouri	$64,640	N/A	1
Arkansas	$64,000	N/A	16
New Mexico	$63,240	N/A	11
Virginia	$63,138	N/A	16
New York	$62,100	N/A	25
Texas	$60,689	N/A	16
Arizona	$60,000	-52.2%	36
Pennsylvania	$56,250	N/A	16
Ohio	$56,112	N/A	3
New Hampshire	$55,425	N/A	2
Georgia	$55,000	N/A	3
Alabama	$53,215	N/A	2
Utah	$52,000	N/A	1
Connecticut	$51,500	N/A	7
Montana	$51,459	N/A	3
Iowa	$50,112	N/A	3
Tennessee	$50,000	N/A	3

Salary Trend - DOL Data

Education Requirements

From PERM filings

For Astronomers positions, 0% of PERM filings required a Bachelor's degree, 17% required a Master's degree, and 0% required no formal degree.

Education by Top Employer

Most common minimum education from PERM filings

Employer	Most Common Education	Median Salary
University of Maryland College Park	Not specified	$70,000
AURA/Space Telescope Science Institute	Not specified	$93,306
Association of Universities For Research In Astronomy	Not specified	$84,935
University of California, Berkeley	Not specified	$69,250
California Institute of Technology	Not specified	$70,000
University of Colorado	Not specified	$67,717
Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii	Not specified	$65,499
Bay Area Environmental Research Institute	Not specified	$81,355
Southwest Research Institute	Doctorate	$75,000
The University of Arizona	Not specified	$60,000

Salary by Industry

Same occupation, different industries (NAICS)

The highest-paying industry for Astronomers is Professional and Technical Services at $87,489. The lowest-paying industry with significant hiring is Educational Services at $69,724.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a Astronomers make?

Based on 807 DOL filings, the median salary for a Astronomers is $70,000, ranging from $60,000 to $82,500.

What is the highest salary for a Astronomers?

The 90th percentile salary is $191,880 according to BLS data.

Which city pays the most for Astronomers?

Based on DOL filings, Baltimore, MA offers the highest median at $98,911.

Does this data include all Astronomers salaries or only visa-sponsored workers?

DOL filing data covers positions where the employer filed for PERM green card sponsorship or an H-1B visa. These filings represent a subset of all Astronomers positions. We compare this data against BLS OEWS data which covers all workers in this occupation.

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Advertising disclosure

Source: US Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) public disclosure files (PERM Form ETA-9089 and LCA Form ETA-9035), and US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Salary figures represent employer filings and government survey estimates, not individual worker pay.

Astronomers Salary in the United States