National salary
What Is the Average Atmospheric and Space Scientist Salary?
The BLS reports a $99,070 national median for atmospheric and space scientists in May 2025. The mean is $106,110, but the median is the more useful midpoint because it is less sensitive to a smaller number of very high wages.
BLS estimates 10,000 jobs in this occupation. The 10th-to-90th-percentile spread is $53,060 to $161,890, a difference of $108,830. Employer, setting, specialty, location, and responsibility all sit inside that national range.
Percentiles describe where wages fall across the occupation. They do not assign a wage to a specific experience level.
What moves the number
What Affects an Atmospheric and Space Scientist Salary?
Operational Versus Research Work
Forecasting, research, technical services, federal work, and broadcasting use different job structures.
Graduate Education
Research roles commonly require graduate study and bring different responsibilities from bachelor’s-entry operational work.
Shift and Communication Responsibility
Around-the-clock monitoring and public warning work can change schedules and the weight of decisions.
Employer and State
Federal, university, research, broadcasting, and private-service employers are distributed unevenly across states.
State comparison
Atmospheric and Space Scientist Salary by State
The table lists the 10 states with the highest median salary beside each employment estimate, and the picker adds any other state. The job count matters: a high figure based on a small occupational market describes a different opportunity than a similar figure supported by thousands of jobs.
The largest state employment estimates for atmospheric and space scientists are Colorado (1,150 jobs), Maryland (750 jobs), and Texas (720 jobs). Read those market sizes against the national estimate of 10,000 jobs before treating a state wage as a relocation signal.
| Rank | State | Median | 10th–90th percentile | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland | $128,800 | $83,230–$168,460 | 750 |
| 2 | California | $124,920 | $82,900–$175,900 | 510 |
| 3 | Hawaii | $121,010 | $82,930–$160,330 | 70 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $120,180 | $64,210–$190,780 | 60 |
| 5 | Idaho | $119,430 | $61,110–$153,570 | 50 |
| 6 | New York | $117,540 | $58,670–$300,530 | 370 |
| 7 | Florida | $115,960 | $52,980–$172,410 | 270 |
| 8 | Arizona | $115,020 | $63,920–$156,500 | 80 |
| 9 | Missouri | $114,230 | $60,740–$147,640 | 160 |
| 10 | Illinois | $112,280 | $51,710–$211,910 | 110 |
| 11 | Oregon | $112,260 | $65,830–$149,060 | 100 |
| 12 | New Mexico | $110,070 | $61,760–$161,890 | 60 |
| 13 | Kansas | $109,300 | $49,940–$139,210 | 80 |
| 14 | Nevada | $109,300 | $64,990–$191,150 | 120 |
| 15 | Montana | $108,890 | $61,110–$136,990 | 70 |
| 16 | Minnesota | $106,270 | $61,620–$149,340 | 50 |
| 17 | Colorado | $104,670 | $76,110–$165,500 | 1,150 |
| 18 | District of Columbia | $103,860 | $95,870–$207,380 | 70 |
| 19 | Maine | $103,710 | $51,170–$153,910 | 50 |
| 20 | Indiana | $103,680 | $67,430–$155,000 | 80 |
| 21 | Kentucky | $103,240 | $54,540–$166,960 | 100 |
| 22 | Michigan | $103,210 | $49,580–$151,110 | 150 |
| 23 | Wyoming | $99,940 | $63,500–$132,180 | 40 |
| 24 | Louisiana | $97,470 | $49,940–$136,990 | 70 |
| 25 | Georgia | $96,820 | $47,260–$150,300 | 170 |
| 26 | Utah | $96,520 | $53,060–$126,440 | 170 |
| 27 | Tennessee | $96,190 | $77,580–$137,880 | 230 |
| 28 | Washington | $94,400 | $76,440–$160,750 | 190 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $91,560 | $49,940–$136,990 | 170 |
| 30 | North Dakota | $91,560 | $48,570–$136,990 | 40 |
| 31 | Wisconsin | $85,870 | $61,110–$135,670 | 280 |
| 32 | Connecticut | $85,110 | $69,370–$234,100 | 50 |
| 33 | Texas | $84,990 | $46,370–$131,750 | 720 |
| 34 | Virginia | $83,880 | $68,770–$179,050 | 350 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $82,240 | $60,200–$136,990 | 150 |
| 36 | Alabama | $81,080 | $47,330–$151,300 | 340 |
| 37 | West Virginia | $80,690 | $41,650–$136,990 | 40 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $78,900 | $63,350–$129,960 | 130 |
| 39 | Ohio | $78,580 | $62,990–$142,690 | 160 |
| 40 | Iowa | $76,850 | $50,300–$139,170 | 100 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $76,480 | $44,660–$136,990 | 420 |
| 42 | Pennsylvania | $75,890 | $49,750–$156,750 | 160 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $60,540 | $57,140–$136,970 | 160 |
| 44 | New Hampshire | $42,820 | $40,350–$65,100 | 130 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment counts are estimates and may be rounded.
Degree context
How Education Connects to Atmospheric and Space Scientist Pay
Meteorology or atmospheric science is the usual bachelor’s route; a space science degree needs the required atmospheric physics, mathematics, modeling, and programming.
The word space in the federal occupation title does not make every astronomy or space studies degree a direct route. The BLS career profile centers on weather, climate, atmospheric measurements, forecasting, and meteorology education.
The wage percentiles do not separate workers by degree or experience. Use the education requirement to decide whether the route is open to you, then use the state and national wage distributions to understand the market rather than treating one percentile as a personal forecast.
Career guide See how to become an atmospheric and space scientist Adjacent route · Bachelor's degree; graduate degree for researchWhere to study
Schools That Lead Here
Common questions
Atmospheric and Space Scientist Salary FAQ
What Is the Median Atmospheric and Space Scientist Salary?
What Is the National Atmospheric and Space Scientist Salary Range?
How Many Atmospheric and Space Scientists Does BLS Count?
Does the 10Th-Percentile Atmospheric and Space Scientist Salary Mean Entry Level?
What Education Do Atmospheric and Space Scientists Need?
Primary sources
Sources for Atmospheric and Space Scientist Salary Data
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 for the national distribution, state wages, and employment estimates.
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Atmospheric and Space Scientists for education, duties, and work-setting context.
Wage records and occupation facts updated October 9, 2026.