DOL Filings vs BLS Survey
What Employers File with DOL
This figure comes from 3,579 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
This figure comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey of 16,600 establishments. This is an independent survey-based estimate of what all workers in this occupation earn.
Salary Distribution
Top Paying Employers for Soil and Plant Scientists
Ranked by median salary from DOL filingsSalary by Metro Area
| Metro Area | Median | vs National | Filings | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHESTERFIELD, MI | $100,061 | +99.7% | 12 | 1 |
| Chesterfield, MO | $91,678 | +83% | 72 | 3 |
| Johnston, IA | $91,146 | +81.9% | 27 | 3 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $89,376 | +78.4% | 16 | 2 |
| Research Triangle Park, NC | $80,600 | +60.9% | 23 | 9 |
| Newark, DE | $78,000 | +55.7% | 10 | 4 |
| Oxnard, CA | $73,450 | +46.6% | 10 | 6 |
| Woodland, CA | $72,000 | +43.7% | 19 | 7 |
| FRESNO, CA | $70,720 | +41.1% | 11 | 6 |
| St. Louis, MO | $70,000 | +39.7% | 57 | 7 |
| Boise, ID | $67,750 | +35.2% | 12 | 1 |
| Hilo, HI | $63,276 | +26.3% | 11 | 2 |
| Honolulu, HI | $62,130 | +24% | 10 | 2 |
| Immokalee, FL | $57,951 | +15.7% | 12 | 3 |
| Salinas, CA | $57,800 | +15.4% | 23 | 7 |
| Oak Ridge, TN | $55,590 | +10.9% | 32 | 2 |
| Wimauma, FL | $55,019 | +9.8% | 11 | 1 |
| Fort Collins, CO | $52,435 | +4.6% | 18 | 3 |
| Stanford, CA | $52,000 | +3.8% | 21 | 1 |
| Urbana, IL | $51,413 | +2.6% | 10 | 1 |
| Davis, CA | $50,741 | +1.3% | 128 | 5 |
| BERKELEY, CA | $49,824 | -0.6% | 14 | 2 |
| ITHACA, NY | $49,450 | -1.3% | 58 | 4 |
| Corvallis, OR | $48,721 | -2.8% | 14 | 1 |
| Riverside, CA | $48,216 | -3.8% | 85 | 4 |
| Gainesville, FL | $48,090 | -4% | 28 | 1 |
| St. Paul, MN | $47,878 | -4.5% | 24 | 2 |
| Center Moriches, NY | $47,625 | -5% | 10 | 1 |
| KANNAPOLIS, NC | $47,476 | -5.3% | 10 | 2 |
| Athens, GA | $47,476 | -5.3% | 24 | 3 |
Salary by State
| State | Median | vs National | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | $78,000 | +21.3% | 13 |
| Nevada | $75,000 | -2.5% | 9 |
| New Jersey | $75,000 | -11.8% | 9 |
| Missouri | $71,000 | +0.8% | 193 |
| Illinois | $67,920 | +11.4% | 38 |
| New Mexico | $67,500 | +2.7% | 8 |
| Indiana | $66,118 | -17.2% | 72 |
| District of Columbia | $64,700 | -35.8% | 1 |
| Hawaii | $62,202 | N/A | 36 |
| Mississippi | $60,578 | -24.1% | 23 |
| California | $56,880 | -29.7% | 492 |
| Iowa | $55,521 | -23.4% | 104 |
| Colorado | $54,660 | -20.1% | 28 |
| Tennessee | $54,000 | -14.9% | 51 |
| Connecticut | $52,000 | -40.9% | 9 |
| Florida | $51,250 | -34.3% | 121 |
| Arkansas | $50,128 | -40.7% | 49 |
| Nebraska | $50,004 | -25.5% | 81 |
| New York | $50,002 | -28.7% | 90 |
| Massachusetts | $49,717 | -22.9% | 21 |
| Utah | $49,500 | -31.8% | 11 |
| Idaho | $49,234 | -45.5% | 32 |
| Louisiana | $49,000 | -34.3% | 5 |
| Arizona | $49,000 | -7.3% | 38 |
| Oregon | $48,901 | -38.5% | 35 |
| Alaska | $48,600 | N/A | 9 |
| Michigan | $48,430 | -21.5% | 102 |
| Minnesota | $48,426 | -29.1% | 52 |
| Maryland | $48,216 | -35.6% | 19 |
| North Carolina | $47,902 | -29.8% | 145 |
| Pennsylvania | $47,484 | -26.6% | 31 |
| Georgia | $47,476 | -36.9% | 47 |
| Ohio | $46,578 | -41.2% | 42 |
| Texas | $46,305 | N/A | 116 |
| Virginia | $46,000 | -35.2% | 27 |
| Washington | $46,000 | -44.2% | 89 |
| Kansas | $45,760 | -26.8% | 38 |
| South Dakota | $45,500 | -26.6% | 8 |
| Wisconsin | $44,990 | -29.5% | 35 |
| Vermont | $42,930 | -31.1% | 6 |
| Wyoming | $42,000 | -45.8% | 13 |
| Montana | $41,150 | -44.6% | 19 |
| Alabama | $40,910 | -40.9% | 14 |
| Maine | $40,279 | -54.4% | 5 |
| North Dakota | $40,000 | -35.3% | 52 |
| South Carolina | $39,885 | -22.6% | 8 |
| Kentucky | $39,739 | -37.6% | 18 |
| Oklahoma | $39,520 | -35.6% | 61 |
| West Virginia | $38,000 | -11.1% | 1 |
Salary Trend - DOL Data
Education Requirements
From PERM filingsFor Soil and Plant Scientists positions, 38% of PERM filings required a Bachelor's degree, 33% required a Master's degree, and 1% required no formal degree.
Education by Top Employer
Most common minimum education from PERM filings| Employer | Most Common Education | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Monsanto Company | Doctorate | $87,000 |
| University of California, Davis | Not specified | $51,060 |
| North Carolina State University | Not specified | $47,476 |
| University of Florida | Doctorate | $48,544 |
| Washington State University | Not specified | $42,519 |
| Michigan State University | Doctorate | $45,205 |
| Iowa State University of Science and Technology | Not specified | $47,476 |
| North Dakota State University | Doctorate | $40,000 |
| The Curators of the University of Missouri | Not specified | $41,608 |
| Regents of the University of California at Riverside | Not specified | $54,163 |
Salary by Industry
Same occupation, different industries (NAICS)The highest-paying industry for Soil and Plant Scientists is Manufacturing at $82,565. The lowest-paying industry with significant hiring is Educational Services at $49,277.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on 3,579 DOL filings, the median salary for a Soil and Plant Scientists is $50,108, ranging from $42,750 to $69,600.
The 90th percentile salary is $131,440 according to BLS data.
Based on DOL filings, CHESTERFIELD, MI offers the highest median at $100,061.
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 Soil and Plant Scientists positions. We compare this data against BLS OEWS data which covers all workers in this occupation.
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