Pay by state · 47 states
Soil and Plant Scientist Salary by State (2026)
Soil and Plant Scientists earn the most in District of Columbia at $107,140 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $38,980 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $78,850. All 47 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $107,140District of Columbia
- National median
- $78,850BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $38,980Puerto Rico
- States reporting
- 47of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Soil and Plant Scientist salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of soil and plant scientists OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $107,140 | $82,400 | $121,680 | 60 | $97,488 |
| 2 | FLFlorida | $103,240 | $77,270 | $115,210 | 270 | $99,832 |
| 3 | AKAlaska | $100,320 | $78,290 | $121,160 | 30 | $98,008 |
| 4 | IAIowa | $96,310 | $73,170 | $136,360 | 960 | $109,740 |
| 5 | IDIdaho | $95,150 | $67,120 | $110,230 | 540 | $99,640 |
| 6 | NJNew Jersey | $91,970 | $73,570 | $102,440 | 130 | $84,527 |
| 7 | CACalifornia | $91,930 | $73,270 | $120,310 | 1,440 | $83,029 |
| 8 | OROregon | $85,150 | $73,090 | $102,040 | 620 | $82,381 |
| 9 | MDMaryland | $85,020 | $63,480 | $111,530 | 200 | $81,003 |
| 10 | HIHawaii | $84,390 | $71,380 | $107,440 | 60 | $76,752 |
| 11 | AZArizona | $83,840 | $46,190 | $108,740 | 270 | $83,276 |
| 12 | INIndiana | $80,030 | $66,790 | $112,660 | 440 | $85,750 |
| 13 | WAWashington | $79,970 | $65,650 | $103,360 | 520 | $74,729 |
| 14 | MNMinnesota | $79,610 | $65,120 | $110,640 | 750 | $80,723 |
| 15 | ILIllinois | $79,490 | $62,690 | $107,280 | 820 | $79,523 |
| 16 | SCSouth Carolina | $78,850 | $49,330 | $97,460 | 90 | $84,108 |
| 17 | MEMaine | $78,250 | $61,770 | $101,140 | 30 | $80,629 |
| 18 | NYNew York | $77,800 | $63,560 | $104,910 | 260 | $72,090 |
| 19 | NENebraska | $77,500 | $51,630 | $93,680 | 640 | $86,013 |
| 20 | NCNorth Carolina | $76,330 | $59,200 | $102,890 | 570 | $80,921 |
| 21 | MOMissouri | $76,080 | $51,150 | $100,620 | 220 | $83,773 |
| 22 | COColorado | $75,430 | $61,930 | $105,410 | 460 | $73,196 |
| 23 | MTMontana | $73,920 | $63,130 | $84,750 | 230 | $78,102 |
| 24 | VAVirginia | $73,920 | $62,690 | $89,870 | 140 | $73,113 |
| 25 | SDSouth Dakota | $73,590 | $60,180 | $93,640 | 480 | $83,072 |
| 26 | MSMississippi | $72,690 | $47,860 | $96,100 | 100 | $83,597 |
| 27 | NVNevada | $71,450 | $59,320 | $87,240 | 90 | $71,465 |
| 28 | PAPennsylvania | $70,550 | $53,880 | $100,090 | 200 | $72,306 |
| 29 | MAMassachusetts | $69,880 | $67,000 | $89,830 | N/A | $66,076 |
| 30 | NMNew Mexico | $69,480 | $62,280 | $89,270 | 90 | $75,348 |
| 31 | CTConnecticut | $67,630 | $60,440 | $112,050 | 200 | $65,274 |
| 32 | KYKentucky | $67,340 | $61,170 | $86,890 | 140 | $74,690 |
| 33 | WIWisconsin | $66,200 | $60,620 | $78,020 | 680 | $70,354 |
| 34 | KSKansas | $65,670 | $54,160 | $95,340 | 380 | $72,912 |
| 35 | MIMichigan | $65,390 | $57,360 | $82,870 | 570 | $67,961 |
| 36 | NDNorth Dakota | $65,320 | $60,640 | $97,890 | 410 | $73,427 |
| 37 | DEDelaware | $65,310 | $65,310 | $77,990 | 60 | $65,436 |
| 38 | GAGeorgia | $65,170 | $54,420 | $90,040 | 210 | $67,679 |
| 39 | OKOklahoma | $63,910 | $40,680 | $87,210 | 100 | $72,755 |
| 40 | ALAlabama | $63,010 | $50,660 | $88,510 | 110 | $70,939 |
| 41 | TNTennessee | $61,950 | $47,880 | $83,270 | 370 | $67,432 |
| 42 | LALouisiana | $60,200 | $55,320 | $78,870 | 170 | $68,249 |
| 43 | UTUtah | $59,900 | $49,350 | $84,090 | 90 | $60,588 |
| 44 | VTVermont | $58,220 | $58,210 | $76,200 | N/A | $59,434 |
| 45 | OHOhio | $56,820 | $47,820 | $81,120 | 320 | $61,246 |
| 46 | WYWyoming | $55,680 | $49,990 | $81,120 | 50 | $60,071 |
| 47 | PRPuerto Rico | $38,980 | $38,020 | $46,140 | 140 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Soil and Plant Scientists, that changes the ranking: District of Columbia leads on raw pay at $107,140, while Iowa leads once prices are taken into account at $109,740.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Soil and Plant Scientist pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Soil and Plant Scientists the most?
District of Columbia reports the highest median wage for Soil and Plant Scientists at $107,140 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Florida ($103,240) and Alaska ($100,320).
Which state pays Soil and Plant Scientists the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Soil and Plant Scientists at $38,980 a year, $68,160 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Soil and Plant Scientists earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Iowa first at $109,740 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $96,310. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.