Money · 1 of 5
What astronomers make
Median
$128,820
Bottom tenth
$78,010
Top tenth
$195,190
The national median is $128,820 a year. The bottom tenth earn $78,010 or less and the top tenth $195,190 or more, in 2025 figures. Those figures count people already employed as astronomers, which mostly means university faculty, national observatory staff and federal researchers. They do not count doctorate holders who moved into another field.