Hydrologists
US occupation · SOC 19-2043
Job titles people report: Groundwater Consultant, Hydrogeologist, Research Hydrologic Engineer, Research Hydrologist, Source Water Protection Specialist
Pay and outlook
- Median annual wage, May 2025
- $96,600
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Middle half earn
- $77,210 – $122,830
- 25th to 75th percentile
- People employed, May 2025
- 5,850
- Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)
- Projected change, 2025–35
- +1.5%
- Growing slower than all jobs (0% to under 3.5%)
- Openings a year (projected)
- 400
- New jobs plus replacing people who leave
- Typical education to enter
- Bachelor's degree
- BLS
- All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
- Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
- Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.
What the work involves
Research the distribution, circulation, and physical properties of underground and surface waters; and study the form and intensity of precipitation and its rate of infiltration into the soil, movement through the earth, and return to the ocean and atmosphere.
Main tasks
- Design and conduct scientific hydrogeological investigations to ensure that accurate and appropriate information is available for use in water resource management decisions.
- Study and document quantities, distribution, disposition, and development of underground and surface waters.
- Prepare reports or presentations describing research results, using illustrations, maps, appendices, and other information.
- Apply research findings to help minimize the environmental impacts of pollution, waterborne diseases, erosion, and sedimentation.
- Measure and graph phenomena such as lake levels, stream flows, and changes in water volumes.
- Conduct research and communicate information to promote the conservation and preservation of water resources.
- Develop computer models for hydrologic predictions.
- Coordinate and supervise the work of professional and technical staff, including research assistants, technologists, and technicians.
Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.
Getting in
- Typical education to enter (BLS)
- Bachelor's degree
- O*NET Job Zone 4
- Considerable preparation
- Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Interests it suits
The strongest of the six O*NET interest types for this occupation, highest first. The short glosses are ours.
- Investigative: research, analysis and solving problems with ideas
- Realistic: hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
- Conventional: organising information, records and procedures
Fields of study that lead here
From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 5 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.
Physics & Chemistry
- Geology/Earth Science, General
- Hydrology and Water Resources Science
- Oceanography, Chemical and Physical
Find colleges that fit you with our matcher: choose Physics & Chemistry at the Major step.
Where many students take physics & chemistry
- University of California-BerkeleyBerkeley, CA · 3% of degrees · 33,068 undergraduates
- Pennsylvania State University-Main CampusUniversity Park, PA · 2% of degrees · 42,284 undergraduates
- University of FloridaGainesville, FL · 3% of degrees · 35,629 undergraduates
- The University of Texas at AustinAustin, TX · 2% of degrees · 42,855 undergraduates
- University of Washington-Seattle CampusSeattle, WA · 3% of degrees · 31,942 undergraduates
- Texas A&M University-College StationCollege Station, TX · 2% of degrees · 59,615 undergraduates
Ordered by the field's share of degrees awarded times undergraduate enrolment (College Scorecard), among colleges with at least 1,000 undergraduates. Online universities are included. It's a rough measure of how big the programme is. It says nothing about quality. The share counts every programme in the field, not only the ones linked to this career.
Other fields
Our college matcher doesn't offer this field as a major, so we can't suggest colleges for it here.
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
- Earth Systems Science
- Environmental Geosciences
Related careers
Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.
- Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers
$101,920 median · +5.1% projected
- Hydrologic Technicians
$64,790 median · -1.3% projected
- Conservation Scientists
$73,010 median · +5.3% projected
- Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
$82,220 median · +6.1% projected
- Soil and Plant Scientists
$78,850 median · +6.7% projected
- Environmental Engineers
$107,110 median · +6.3% projected
Sources
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CollegeMatcher has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET 31.0 Database · CC BY 4.0
Changes: we show the core tasks in the O*NET database with the highest importance ratings (up to eight, in that order), the top three O*NET interest types by score, and shortened Job Zone names. Titles, descriptions and task text are unchanged.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Projections, typical entry education and training: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35. Fields of study: NCES and BLS CIP 2020–SOC 2018 Crosswalk. All public domain. OEWS · Employment Projections · CIP–SOC crosswalk