Studies earthquakes and the seismic waves they send through the Earth to locate quakes, assess hazards and map the planet's interior. BLS does not publish separate figures for geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers; it counts them within geoscientist, except hydrologists and geographers (SOC 19-2042), whose median pay is $101,920 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 19-2042
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Seismologist in four numbers
- Median pay
- $101,920a year, or $49.00/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $59KTop 10% $200K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +5.1%Faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+5.1%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +5.1% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 1,80025,400 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202525.4K
- Projected 203526.7K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 25.4K Projected 2035 26.7K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Bachelor's48.2%
- Post-bacc certificate3.7%
- Master's37%
- Doctorate7.4%
- Post-doctoral training3.7%
Highest education held by geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers Segment Value Bachelor's 48.2% Post-bacc certificate 3.7% Master's 37% Doctorate 7.4% Post-doctoral training 3.7%
Also advertised as: Earthquake Scientist, Research Seismologist, Seismic Analyst, Earthquake Seismologist, Network Seismologist.
Pay
How much do Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers make?
Every seismologist in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$101,920
Middle half earn $75,110 to $139,380
- 10th
- $59,330
- 25th
- $75,110
- 75th
- $139,380
- 90th
- $200,230
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $59,330 |
| 25th | $75,110 |
| Median | $101,920 |
| 75th | $139,380 |
| 90th | $200,230 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $101,920
- Median hourly wage
- $49.00/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $116,150
- People employed
- 23,470
Versus all US occupations
At $101,920, Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers earn 100% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $50,940 a year.
Versus life, physical, and social science occupations
Inside the Life, Physical, and Social Science group, where the middle occupation pays $82,220, this is 24% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $200,230 or more while the bottom 10% earn $59,330, a gap of 3.4×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 74% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Texas pays the most at $145,220, and still leads at $149,623 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Texas | $145,220 | $149,623 | 4,900 |
| 2Rhode Island | $121,010 | $118,312 | N/A |
| 3Oklahoma | $119,990 | $136,596 | 770 |
| 4Colorado | $114,410 | $111,022 | 1,480 |
| 5Mississippi | $112,400 | $129,265 | 250 |
| 6Maryland | $110,510 | $105,289 | 390 |
| 7Massachusetts | $108,210 | $102,319 | 420 |
| 8Alaska | $107,410 | $104,935 | 430 |
| 9California | $106,500 | $96,189 | 3,350 |
| 10Hawaii | $106,270 | $96,652 | 110 |
Job outlook
Is Seismologist a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Faster than average. +5.1% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers | +5.1% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers to change 5.1% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 1,300 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 1,800 openings are projected each year, 7.1% of the 25,400 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Seismologist
Most seismologists hold a degree in geophysics, geology, physics or applied math, and research or senior network roles usually call for a master's or PhD. Strong programming skills, signal processing and statistics matter as much as geology, since much of the work involves large waveform datasets.
The Seismological Society of America runs meetings, student programs and a job board, and EarthScope Consortium offers undergraduate research internships that place students with seismology groups. Employers include the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program, university seismic networks such as those at Caltech and the University of Washington, national laboratories, and engineering consultancies that perform site-specific hazard studies.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers.
- Bachelor's Degree48.2%
- Master's Degree37%
- Doctoral Degree7.4%
- Post-Baccalaureate Certificate3.7%
- Post-Doctoral Training3.7%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 48.2% |
| Master's Degree | 37% |
| Doctoral Degree | 7.4% |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 3.7% |
| Post-Doctoral Training | 3.7% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Seismologist do?
Seismologists study earthquakes and the waves they generate. Some work on seismic networks, where they locate and characterize earthquakes as they happen and issue the information that feeds public alerts, including the ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system on the West Coast. Others build hazard models that engineers and building codes rely on, estimating how strongly the ground is likely to shake in a given place.
The field also includes research seismologists who use waves from distant quakes to image the crust and mantle, and specialists who monitor induced seismicity near oil, gas, geothermal and carbon storage operations. Seismic monitoring also supports nuclear test verification, which employs seismologists at national laboratories and defense agencies.
Day-to-day tasks
- Locate earthquakes and calculate their magnitude from seismic network data
- Review automated detections and alerts for accuracy
- Develop probabilistic seismic hazard models for regions or specific sites
- Deploy and service seismometers in the field
- Write software to process and analyze large waveform datasets
- Monitor seismicity near energy and fluid injection operations
- Publish research on fault behavior and Earth structure
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Most work happens at a computer, writing code and analyzing data in offices or network operations centers. Field trips involve installing temporary seismometers in remote terrain after major quakes or for research arrays. Network analysts may work rotating shifts and be on call to respond to significant earthquakes at any hour.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Reading Comprehension4.3
- Science4.3
- Writing4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Active Listening3.9
- Mathematics3.5
- Active Learning3.4
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.3 |
| Science | 4.3 |
| Writing | 4.0 |
| Speaking | 4.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 |
| Active Listening | 3.9 |
| Mathematics | 3.5 |
| Active Learning | 3.4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Complex Problem Solving3.9
- Judgment and Decision Making3.9
- Systems Analysis3.3
- Systems Evaluation3.3
- Operations Analysis3.1
- Social Perceptiveness3.0
- Coordination3.0
- Instructing3.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.9 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.9 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.3 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.3 |
| Operations Analysis | 3.1 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 |
| Coordination | 3.0 |
| Instructing | 3.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Analytical or scientific software · in demand
- Computer aided design CAD software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- File versioning software · in demand
- Geographic information system · in demand
- Graphics or photo imaging software · in demand
- Object or component oriented development software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Project management software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Seismologist?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code IRC) built on O*NET's Geoscientist, Except Hydrologists and Geographers profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Seismologist |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 6 |
| Investigative | 7 |
| Artistic | 3 |
| Social | 2 |
| Enterprising | 2 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data, combined with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors.
- Investigative7.0
- Realistic5.8
- Conventional4.7
- Artistic2.7
- Social2.2
- Enterprising1.6
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Seismologist
O*NET related occupations
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
Geoscientist, Except Hydrologists and Geographers
$101,920median a year
Most earn $59K to $200K
+5.1%Bachelor's - Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
More life, physical, and social science careers
Median annual pay, with geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers highlighted
- Industrial-Organizational Psychologist$193,950
- Physicist$172,250
- Medical Scientist, Except Epidemiologists$103,410
- Seismologist$101,920
- Chemist$91,240
- Environmental Scientist and Specialist, Including Health$82,220
- Conservation Scientist$73,010
- Chemical Technician$60,390
- Biological Technician$57,510
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Industrial-Organizational Psychologist | $193,950 |
| Physicist | $172,250 |
| Medical Scientist, Except Epidemiologists | $103,410 |
| Seismologist | $101,920 |
| Chemist | $91,240 |
| Environmental Scientist and Specialist, Including Health | $82,220 |
| Conservation Scientist | $73,010 |
| Chemical Technician | $60,390 |
| Biological Technician | $57,510 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Seismologist appears on
Questions
Seismologist: frequently asked questions
How much do Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers. It counts them within geoscientist, except hydrologists and geographers, whose median pay is $101,920 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $75,110 and $139,380, and the top 10% earn $200,230 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Seismologist?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 48.2% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Seismologist a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 5.1% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 1,800 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Seismologist do?
Seismologists study earthquakes and the waves they generate. A typical task: locate earthquakes and calculate their magnitude from seismic network data. Employers most often ask for Analytical or scientific software, Computer aided design CAD software, Data base user interface and query software.
Which states pay Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers the most?
The highest state medians for Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers are Texas ($145,220), Rhode Island ($121,010), Oklahoma ($119,990) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Seismologist?
O*NET scores Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers highest on the Investigative, Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are INTJ, ISTP, ISTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.