Highest paying science and environment careers in the US
Ranked by the typical pay shown on each career's own page, so the order here cannot disagree with the pages it links to. Typical means the middle: half earn more, half earn less. Starting pay is lower, and each career page shows the full range and what it takes to get there.
28 careers in the United States
Ranked by typical pay
281PhysicistWork out how the universe behaves, then prove it. Almost everyone in this job holds a doctorate.Typical pay$172kTo qualify9 to 11 yrsDemandModerate2AstronomerStudy stars, planets and galaxies for a living. Very well paid, very few jobs, and a long road through a doctorate.Typical pay$129kTo qualify9 to 14 yrsDemandLimited3BiochemistWork out what molecules do inside living cells, then use that to make medicines and tests.Typical pay$127kTo qualify4 to 11 yrsDemandGood4MathematicianWork on the math itself. A tiny job title, a long training, and a skill that every other field wants.Typical pay$127kTo qualify6 to 10 yrsDemandLimited5StatisticianDesign the study, run the numbers, and say honestly how sure you are. One of the best paid math jobs that is not finance.Typical pay$106kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery high6GeologistRead the rock. Find the water, the metal or the fault line, and tell people what is under their feet.Typical pay$102kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandModerate7OceanographerStudy the ocean: its currents, its chemistry, its floor and the life in it. Long schooling, real ships, and a lot of the work happens on a laptop.Typical pay$102kTo qualify4 to 9 yrsDemandModerate8MeteorologistRead the atmosphere with math, radar and models, then tell people what is coming and how sure you are.Typical pay$99kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandLimited9BiologistStudy living things, in a lab or out in the field, and turn what you find into reports people act on.Typical pay$99kTo qualify4 to 10 yrsDemandLimited10HydrologistMeasure where water goes, how much there is, and what happens when there is too much or too little.Typical pay$97kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandLimited11ChemistFind out what something is made of, or make something that did not exist yesterday. A bachelor's degree starts you; a doctorate decides your ceiling.Typical pay$91kTo qualify4 to 10 yrsDemandGood12FarmerGrow crops or raise livestock and run the business around them. Land is the hard part, not the work.Typical pay$90kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandModerate13Greenhouse GrowerRun a crop under glass. You control the light, the heat, the water and the bugs, and the plants tell you every day whether you got it right.Typical pay$90kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandGood14Food ScientistWork out why food spoils, how to stop it, and what has to change before a new product reaches a shelf.Typical pay$89kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery high15MicrobiologistGrow, identify and outsmart the organisms too small to see, in medicine, food, water and drug manufacturing.Typical pay$88kTo qualify4 to 9 yrsDemandModerate16EcologistStudy how living things and the places they live fit together, then tell people what happens when that breaks.Typical pay$82kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandModerate17Environmental ScientistFind out what is in the air, water and soil, then write the report that makes somebody deal with it.Typical pay$82kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandModerate18AgronomistThe science of soil and crops. You tell farmers what to plant, what to feed it and why the yield dropped.Typical pay$79kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandGood19Marine BiologistStudy life in the ocean, mostly fish and plankton rather than dolphins, and spend years on seasonal contracts before anything permanent.Typical pay$77kTo qualify4 to 10 yrsDemandLimited20Wildlife BiologistCount, track and manage wild animal populations so decisions about land and hunting are based on evidence instead of guesses.Typical pay$77kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandLimited21ForesterManage whole forests: what gets cut, what gets planted, what gets protected. A four-year degree and a truck.Typical pay$76kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandLimited22Park RangerProtect public land and the people on it. Part teacher, part law enforcement, part search and rescue.Typical pay$74kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimited23Forensic ScientistAnalyze evidence in a crime laboratory and then defend your findings under cross examination.Typical pay$72kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery high24Environmental TechnicianTake the samples, run the gear, clean up the spill. Two years of school and you are on site.Typical pay$60kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandLimited25Laboratory TechnicianRun the experiments, keep the instruments honest and record every result. The person who actually does the science at the bench.Typical pay$58kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandModerate26Forestry TechnicianThe person who actually does the work in the woods: cruising timber, planting, thinning, and often fighting fire.Typical pay$55kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimited27Aquaculture TechnicianRaise fish and shellfish for food. Outdoors, on the water, in a small industry the country keeps saying it wants to grow.Typical pay$50kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandModerate28Commercial FisherCatch fish and shellfish for a living. No tuition, no degree, and no guarantee of what you make.Typical pay$37kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandLimited