---
title: "Atmospheric and Space Scientist"
description: "Investigate atmospheric phenomena and interpret meteorological data, gathered by surface and air stations, satellites, and radar to prepare reports and…"
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/atmospheric-and-space-scientist"
last-updated: "2026-10-09T10:57:55.138Z"
---

# Atmospheric and Space Scientist

**Category:** Life, Physical, and Social Science · **SOC code:** 19-2021 · **O\*NET-SOC code:** 19-2021.00

Investigate atmospheric phenomena and interpret meteorological data, gathered by surface and air stations, satellites, and radar to prepare reports and forecasts for public and other uses. Includes weather analysts and forecasters whose functions require the detailed knowledge of meteorology.

Also advertised as: Broadcast Meteorologist; Forecaster; General Forecaster; Hydrometeorological Technician (Hydrometeorological Tech); Meteorologist; Ocean Monitoring and Data Assimilation Scientist; Research Meteorologist; Service Hydrologist.

## At a glance

- **Median annual wage:** $99,070 (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
- **Median hourly wage:** $47.63/hr
- **Wage range (10th–90th percentile):** $53,060 to $161,890, with the middle half between $73,350 and $129,960
- **Total US employment:** 10,000
- **Typical entry education:** Bachelor's
- **Preparation required:** Medium preparation — O\*NET rates this "Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed"
- **Projected growth:** +2.6% over 2025–2035 (BLS EP, 2025–2035)
- **Annual job openings:** 800 openings a year
- **AI-resilience score:** 20/100 — a NueCareer heuristic over O\*NET work activities and context, not a BLS or O\*NET figure

## Pay

National wage distribution, BLS OEWS, May 2025, across 10,000 US jobs.

| Percentile | Annual wage |
| --- | --- |
| 10th | $53,060 |
| 25th | $73,350 |
| 50th (median) | $99,070 |
| 75th | $129,960 |
| 90th | $161,890 |
| Mean (average) | $106,110 |

### Pay by state

The 15 highest-paying states, by median annual wage. The cost-of-living-adjusted column divides the state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, so the columns answer different questions: the first is what the job pays there, the second is what that pay buys there.

| State | Median annual wage | Cost-of-living adjusted | Employment |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| MD | $128,800 | $122,715 | 750 |
| CA | $124,920 | $112,825 | 510 |
| HI | $121,010 | $110,058 | 70 |
| NJ | $120,180 | $110,454 | 60 |
| ID | $119,430 | $125,065 | 50 |
| NY | $117,540 | $108,913 | 370 |
| FL | $115,960 | $112,132 | 270 |
| AZ | $115,020 | $114,247 | 80 |
| MO | $114,230 | $125,780 | 160 |
| IL | $112,280 | $112,327 | 110 |
| OR | $112,260 | $108,610 | 100 |
| NM | $110,070 | $119,366 | 60 |
| KS | $109,300 | $121,353 | 80 |
| NV | $109,300 | $109,323 | 120 |
| MT | $108,890 | $115,051 | 70 |

33 more states with published wage data are omitted here. The full table for all 48 states is at https://nuecareer.com/careers/atmospheric-and-space-scientist/salary-by-state, or as JSON at https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/atmospheric-and-space-scientist.

## Outlook

BLS projects employment to move from 10,700 in the 2025–2035 base year to 10,900 by the end of the cycle — a gain of 300 jobs, or +2.6%. About as fast as average: 2.6% against 3.5% projected for all occupations over the same cycle. About 800 openings a year are expected on average, counting openings from growth as well as from workers leaving the occupation permanently. Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035.

## How to get in

- **Typical entry education:** Bachelor's degree (BLS Employment Projections).
- **Preparation level:** Medium preparation — O\*NET's preparation band for this occupation is "Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed".
- **Related work experience typically required:** None.
- **Typical on-the-job training:** None.

### Education people in this job actually hold

O\*NET surveys incumbents, so this distribution describes who is in the job today and can differ from the BLS entry requirement above.

| Education level | Share of workers |
| --- | --- |
| Bachelor's Degree | 60.0% |
| Master's Degree | 20.0% |
| Doctoral Degree | 15.0% |
| Post-Doctoral Training | 5.0% |

## What the work involves

- Interpret data, reports, maps, photographs, or charts to predict long- or short-range weather conditions, using computer models and knowledge of climate theory, physics, and mathematics.
- Formulate predictions by interpreting environmental data, such as meteorological, atmospheric, oceanic, paleoclimate, climate, or related information.
- Gather data from sources such as surface or upper air stations, satellites, weather bureaus, or radar for use in meteorological reports or forecasts.
- Speak to the public to discuss weather topics or answer questions.
- Conduct meteorological research into the processes or determinants of atmospheric phenomena, weather, or climate.
- Analyze historical climate information, such as precipitation or temperature records, to help predict future weather or climate trends.
- Prepare forecasts or briefings to meet the needs of industry, business, government, or other groups.
- Develop and deliver training on weather topics.

## Skills and knowledge

### Essential skills

- Reading Comprehension — importance 4.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Listening — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Speaking — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Science — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Critical Thinking — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Learning — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Writing — importance 3.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Mathematics — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Transferable skills

These are the skills that carry into other occupations, and they drive the related-occupation and career-change rankings on this site.

- Complex Problem Solving — importance 3.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Judgment and Decision Making — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Social Perceptiveness — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Systems Analysis — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Coordination — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Instructing — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Time Management — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Persuasion — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Knowledge areas

- Mathematics — importance 4.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Physics — importance 4.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Geography — importance 4.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Computers and Electronics — importance 4.2 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- English Language — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Communications and Media — importance 3.2 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Abilities

- Oral Expression — importance 4.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Oral Comprehension — importance 4.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Written Comprehension — importance 4.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Inductive Reasoning — importance 4.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Deductive Reasoning — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Written Expression — importance 3.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

## Who it suits

O\*NET rates every occupation on the six Holland (RIASEC) interest areas, on a 1–7 scale. This occupation's strongest areas are Investigative (I), Realistic (R), Conventional (C).

| Interest area | Score (1–7) |
| --- | --- |
| I — Investigative | 6.26 |
| R — Realistic | 4.77 |
| C — Conventional | 4.45 |
| A — Artistic | 2.72 |
| E — Enterprising | 2.68 |
| S — Social | 2.49 |

### Personality fit

These scores are **derived by NueCareer**, not published by any government agency: they are cosine similarities between a personality type's trait profile and this occupation's O\*NET interest and work-style ratings, expressed 0–100. Treat them as a starting point for exploration, not as evidence that a type belongs in a job.

| Type | Fit score (0–100) |
| --- | --- |
| INTJ | 86.5 |
| ISTJ | 84.3 |
| ISTP | 82.6 |
| INTP | 71.8 |
| ESTJ | 58.7 |

Best-fitting types: INTJ, ISTJ, ISTP.

## Related occupations

O\*NET's primary related occupations, in its own ranked order.

- [Hydrologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/hydrologist) — median $96,600
- [Geoscientist, Except Hydrologists and Geographers](https://nuecareer.com/careers/geoscientist) — median $101,920
- [Remote Sensing Scientist and Technologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/remote-sensing-scientist-and-technologist) — median $122,570
- [Data Scientist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/data-scientist) — median $120,230
- [Geographic Information Systems Technologist and Technician](https://nuecareer.com/careers/geographic-information-systems-technologist-and-technician) — median $116,580
- [Geological Technician, Except Hydrologic Technicians](https://nuecareer.com/careers/geological-technician) — median $53,350
- [Climate Change Policy Analyst](https://nuecareer.com/careers/climate-change-policy-analyst) — median $82,220
- [Geodetic Surveyor](https://nuecareer.com/careers/geodetic-surveyor) — median $75,440
- [Geographer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/geographer) — median $102,040
- [Astronomer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/astronomer) — median $128,820

## Sources

- **O\*NET** — O\*NET 31.0 Database, August 2026. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS OEWS** — BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS EP** — BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, 2025–2035. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **BLS OOH** — BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/
- **BEA RPP** — BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024. https://www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area

---

This bank 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 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology

JSON representation of this page: https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/atmospheric-and-space-scientist