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Job outlook for forecasters in the United States
Are forecaster jobs in demand?
Forecaster job and salary trends over time
Forecaster jobs over time
Forecaster job growth rate over time
Year  | # Of Jobs | % Of Population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 878 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 1,052 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 957 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 959 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 921 | 0.00% |
Average forecaster salary over time
Forecaster salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $56,441 | $27.14 | +4.6% |
| 2024 | $53,974 | $25.95 | +1.3% |
| 2023 | $53,255 | $25.60 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $52,101 | $25.05 | --0.4% |
| 2021 | $52,322 | $25.15 | +2.9% |
Forecaster jobs by state
Most common states for forecasters
| Rank | State | Population | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 39,536,653 | 13 | 0% |
| 2 | Texas | 28,304,596 | 10 | 0% |
| 3 | New York | 19,849,399 | 9 | 0% |
| 4 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 7 | 0% |
| 5 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 6 | 0% |
| 6 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 4 | 0% |
| 7 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 4 | 0% |
| 8 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 3 | 0% |
| 9 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 3 | 0% |
| 10 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 1 | 0% |
| 11 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 1 | 0% |
| 12 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 1 | 0% |
| 13 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 1 | 0% |
| 14 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 1 | 0% |
| 15 | Alaska | 739,795 | 0 | 0% |
| 16 | Mississippi | 2,984,100 | 0 | 0% |
| 17 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 0 | 0% |
| 18 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 0 | 0% |
| 19 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 0 | 0% |
| 20 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 0 | 0% |
Most common cities for forecasters
| Rank | City | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Broomfield | 1 | 2% | $51,193 |
| 2 | Dallas | 1 | 0% | $58,161 |
| 3 | Phoenix | 1 | 0% | $43,694 |
Forecaster job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of forecaster experts
Louisiana State University and A&M College
Florida Institute of Technology
What will help Forecasters increase their earning potential?
Dr. Chris Karmosky: A meteorologist will take on a variety of tasks depending on the exact position. Meteorologists are not just the people you see on TV—they work in private sector forecasting, for local, state and federal government, the military, aviation industry, as well as in academia. Typically meteorologists are tasked with some kind of forecasting, using their knowledge of what’s happening in the atmosphere, computer models and increasingly AI algorithms to predict what weather conditions will be. Because weather is ever-changing, these forecasts are updated as new information comes in during the day as well as overnight. Job duties for someone just entering the field may require things like forecast verification (seeing how well past forecasts pan out), using software to produce forecasts of temperature and precipitation over some region of interest, installing and maintaining weather observing equipment, or collecting and analyzing data from ground stations and weather balloons.
What general advice would you give to a Forecaster?
Paul Miller: Students can improve their income potential by being able to brand themselves as more than forecasters. While meteorologists are classically associated with weather prediction, the computer-centric nature of the disciple (i.e., weighing information provided by supercomputer-generated model simulations), students with additional experience accessing and processing the vast amount of digital data within the model files will have a professional and earnings edge. These students may also prove marketable to companies and fields outside of meteorology simply because weather and climate datasets in some ways epitomize the idea of 'big data.'
What will help Forecasters increase their earning potential?
Mr. Michael Splitt: Meteorology has many different career pathways and the advice would need to be somewhat different for someone going into broadcast meteorology, operational meteorology, or research (as examples). That said, being flexible, no matter which track you are in, will be beneficial. Be reliable! Be willing to take on new tasks and responsibilities.