Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

Hydrologists Salary in the United States

DOL-verified data from 533 government filings, with BLS survey comparison.

DOL Median Salary
$65,004
BLS median: $92,060
DOL Median Salary
$65,004
From 533 DOL filings
BLS Median Salary
$92,060
BLS OEWS 2024 survey
Total Employers
182
Companies with DOL filings
Total Employment
5,720
Estimated US workers (BLS)

DOL Filings vs BLS Survey

What Employers File with DOL

$65,004
DOL-Filed Salary Range
$40,000$55,349$65,004$80,000$141,900

This figure comes from 533 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

$92,060
BLS Survey Salary Range
$60,010$73,330$92,060$114,940$139,420

This figure comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey of 5,720 establishments. This is an independent survey-based estimate of what all workers in this occupation earn.

DOL-filed salaries are 29.4% 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 Hydrologists

Ranked by median salary from DOL filings
RankEmployerMedian SalaryFilingsvs Market
1SOVEREIGN INTERNATIONAL, INC.$122,4005+33%
2UT-BATTELLE, LLC (OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY)$91,3267-0.8%
3AIR Worldwide$91,2509-0.9%
4SRK Consulting U.S., Inc.$88,04710-4.4%
5GEOSCIENCE SUPPORT SERVICES, INC.$87,65111-4.8%
6Wood Rodgers, Inc.$83,2008-9.6%
7BATTELLE$81,7507-11.2%
8University of Maryland College Park$80,00012-13.1%
9University of Alaska$79,87211-13.2%
10ITASCA DENVER, INC.$77,8427-15.4%
11University of California, Santa Cruz$77,15010-16.2%
12University Corporation for Atmospheric Research$74,75017-18.8%
13ST. JOHNS RIVER WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT$73,8815-19.8%
14University of Washington$72,8287-20.9%
15Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska$72,27512-21.5%
16University of California, San Diego$70,10011-23.9%
17California Institute of Technology$68,9526-25.1%
18LEN Technologies$67,0805-27.1%
19THE UNIVERISTY OF SOUTHERN MISSISIPPI$66,7676-27.5%
20INTERA Incorporated$66,0028-28.3%
21The Water Institute of the Gulf$65,00414-29.4%
22Arizona State University$63,5005-31%
23University of Nevada Reno$57,6169-37.4%
24The Trustees of Princeton University$57,00012-38.1%
25Desert Research INstitute$56,0006-39.2%
26Massachusetts Institute of Technology$55,34910-39.9%
27Kent State University$55,3495-39.9%
28University of Michigan$55,34510-39.9%
29The University of Texas at Austin$55,0007-40.3%
30University of Oklahoma$54,9458-40.3%
31University of Southern Mississippi$54,0008-41.3%
32Texas A&M AgriLife Research$53,95511-41.4%
33Rutgers The State University of New Jersey$53,1905-42.2%
34University of Florida$51,1198-44.5%
35Oregon State University$49,9986-45.7%

View all companies hiring Hydrologists

Salary by Metro Area

Metro AreaMedianvs NationalFilingsEmployers
La Jolla, CA$70,100+7.8%111
Baton Rouge, LA$65,0040%143
New York, NY$61,000-6.2%115
Cambridge, MA$56,179-13.6%103

Salary by State

StateMedianvs NationalFilings
Alabama$95,846+10.5%5
District of Columbia$95,000N/A1
Georgia$85,000N/A1
Colorado$78,624-32.2%17
California$78,000-34.4%59
Illinois$77,500-2.9%2
Maryland$73,766-45.1%16
Washington$70,000-30%11
Arizona$67,000-12.3%7
Florida$67,000-6%22
Massachusetts$66,469-43.1%20
Minnesota$65,520-27.6%1
Alaska$65,270N/A6
Louisiana$65,004-32.4%14
Arkansas$65,000N/A1
Nebraska$65,000N/A21
Tennessee$64,008N/A7
Virginia$63,500-49.6%9
Kansas$61,978N/A2
North Carolina$60,986N/A3
New York$60,795-27.9%12
Vermont$60,000-27.2%1
Mississippi$60,000N/A9
Iowa$58,545-31%4
Nevada$57,308-41.2%12
Idaho$56,097-25.2%3
Indiana$55,890-32.6%1
Texas$55,536-27.3%27
Ohio$55,349-40.8%3
Michigan$55,345-50.5%16
Pennsylvania$54,978-41.7%4
Oklahoma$54,945-47.3%10
New Jersey$54,542-52.9%10
Utah$53,247-40.4%2
Oregon$51,996-43.9%5
Wyoming$50,000-45.6%1
Missouri$47,300-57%1
Wisconsin$47,237-38.2%1
West Virginia$46,197N/A1
South Carolina$45,823-25.2%2
Connecticut$44,262N/A1

Salary Trend - DOL Data

Education Requirements

From PERM filings

For Hydrologists positions, 6% of PERM filings required a Bachelor's degree, 81% required a Master's degree, and 0% required no formal degree.

Education by Top Employer

Most common minimum education from PERM filings
EmployerMost Common EducationMedian Salary
University Corporation for Atmospheric ResearchNot specified$74,750
The Water Institute of the GulfDoctorate$65,004
The Trustees of Princeton UniversityNot specified$57,000
University of Maryland College ParkNot specified$80,000
Board of Regents of the University of NebraskaNot specified$72,275
University of AlaskaNot specified$79,872
University of California, San DiegoNot specified$70,100
Texas A&M AgriLife ResearchNot specified$53,955
GEOSCIENCE SUPPORT SERVICES, INC.Master's$87,651
University of California, Santa CruzNot specified$77,150

Salary by Industry

Same occupation, different industries (NAICS)

The highest-paying industry for Hydrologists is Professional and Technical Services at $74,202. The lowest-paying industry with significant hiring is Educational Services at $64,542.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a Hydrologists make?

Based on 533 DOL filings, the median salary for a Hydrologists is $65,004, ranging from $55,349 to $80,000.

What is the highest salary for a Hydrologists?

The 90th percentile salary is $139,420 according to BLS data.

Which city pays the most for Hydrologists?

Based on DOL filings, La Jolla, CA offers the highest median at $70,100.

Does this data include all Hydrologists 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 Hydrologists positions. We compare this data against BLS OEWS data which covers all workers in this occupation.

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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.