Atmospheric & space scientists

Detailed Occupation

Add Comparison

2020 Workforce

11.8k

Average Age

39.5

Estimated Job Growth

7.07%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$83,219

Average Male Salary

$88,582

Average Female Salary

$64,044

About

Atmospheric & space scientists are most often employed by the Administration of environmental quality & housing programs industry. The average yearly wage for Atmospheric & space scientists was $83,219 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Atmospheric & space scientists by wage are Advertising sales agents, Electrical powerline installers & repairers, and Compliance officers.

Atmospheric & space scientists are part of the Life, physical, & social science occupations, along with Agricultural & food scientists, Biological scientists, Conservation scientists & foresters, Medical scientists, & life scientists, all other, Astronomers & physicists, and 17 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Atmospheric & space scientists are Norfolk City (Northeast) PUMA, VA, Harrison CountyGulfport & Biloxi Cities PUMA, MS, and Boulder City PUMA, CO. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Atmospheric & space scientists are Norfolk City (Northeast) PUMA, VA, Harrison CountyGulfport & Biloxi Cities PUMA, MS, and Boulder City PUMA, CO.

Photo by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Computer, engineering, & science occupations Life, physical, & social science occupations

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Atmospheric & space scientists and on wages and locations for those in the field. Administration of environmental quality & housing programs is the industry that employs the most Atmospheric & space scientists, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Atmospheric & space scientists, by average wage, is Aerospace products & parts manufacturing. Atmospheric & space scientists are paid most in Norman, Oklahoma City (South) & Moore Cities PUMA, OK but are relatively concentrated in Norfolk City (Northeast) PUMA, VA.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$83,219

AVERAGE SALARY

± $15,024

In 2020, Atmospheric & space scientists earned an average of $83,219, $27,265 more than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Electrical powerline installers & repairers make somewhat more than Atmospheric & space scientists while Advertising sales agents make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Atmospheric & space scientists as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.349

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Atmospheric & space scientists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.349, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Atmospheric & space scientists (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Atmospheric & space scientists.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Atmospheric & space scientists

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Atmospheric & space scientists.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Atmospheric & space scientists, by number of employees, are Administration of environmental quality & housing programs, Broadcasting (except internet), U. S. Air Force, Other professional, scientific & technical services , Scientific research & development services, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, National security & international affairs, U. S. Navy, Administration of economic programs & space research, Management, scientific & technical consulting services, and Architectural, engineering & related services.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Atmospheric & space scientists, by average wage, are Aerospace products & parts manufacturing, Aircraft & parts manufacturing, and Administration of economic programs & space research.

Industries by Share

11.8k

2020 Workforce

± 2,669

0.63%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 31.8%

The number of people employed as Atmospheric & space scientists has been growing at a rate of 0.63%, from 11,745 people in 2019 to 11,819 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Atmospheric & space scientists employed by various industries. Administration of environmental quality & housing programs employs the largest share of Atmospheric & space scientists at 23.6%, followed by Broadcasting (except internet) with 16.7% and U. S. Air Force with 11.1%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Atmospheric & space scientists in the US. The average age of male Atmospheric & space scientists in the workforce is 41 and of female Atmospheric & space scientists is 34, and the most common race/ethnicity for Atmospheric & space scientists is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

9.24k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 2,359

2.58k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 1,248

78.1% of Atmospheric & space scientists are Male, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Atmospheric & space scientists.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Atmospheric & space scientists

White (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)

82.3% of Atmospheric & space scientists are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 5.3% of Atmospheric & space scientists, White (Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Atmospheric & space scientists.

Age by Sex

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 3.35

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 4.42

The median age of Atmospheric & space scientists is 39.5, and Male employees are generally 7.01 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Atmospheric & space scientists from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Atmospheric & space scientists is Physical Sciences but a relatively high number of Atmospheric & space scientists hold a major in Physical Sciences.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Atmospheric & space scientists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Atmospheric & space scientists need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Science, and Active Listening. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Atmospheric & space scientists need more than the average amount of Science, Operations Analysis, and Programming.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Projections

Projections on job growth for Atmospheric and Space Scientists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Atmospheric and Space Scientists are expected to see a growth of 7.07% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

For growth projections, the closest comparible industry reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is Atmospheric and Space Scientists.

7.07%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Atmospheric and Space Scientists. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.