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Geophysicist salary
Average geophysicist salary
$105,067
How much does a geophysicist make?
The average geophysicist salary in the United States is $105,067. Geophysicist salaries typically range between $78,000 and $141,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for geophysicists is $50.51 per hour.
Geophysicist salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Geophysicists earn the highest average salary in Texas.
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Where can a Geophysicist earn more?
Geophysicist salary estimates from across the web
Average geophysicist salary by state
Highest paying states for geophysicists
Rank  | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | $119,741 | $57.57 |
| 2 | Alaska | $111,569 | $53.64 |
| 3 | Louisiana | $109,376 | $52.58 |
| 4 | Idaho | $105,361 | $50.65 |
| 5 | West Virginia | $97,043 | $46.66 |
| 6 | California | $110,864 | $53.30 |
| 7 | Oklahoma | $109,168 | $52.48 |
| 8 | Virginia | $106,375 | $51.14 |
| 9 | Kentucky | $95,431 | $45.88 |
| 10 | Washington | $108,293 | $52.06 |
| 11 | Tennessee | $92,212 | $44.33 |
| 12 | Maine | $100,813 | $48.47 |
| 13 | Ohio | $97,034 | $46.65 |
| 14 | Montana | $100,213 | $48.18 |
| 15 | Michigan | $94,142 | $45.26 |
| 16 | South Dakota | $96,265 | $46.28 |
| 17 | North Dakota | $98,031 | $47.13 |
| 18 | South Carolina | $96,676 | $46.48 |
| 19 | Utah | $94,165 | $45.27 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $88,570 | $42.58 |
| 21 | Colorado | $95,511 | $45.92 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $91,665 | $44.07 |
| 23 | Hawaii | $93,105 | $44.76 |
| 24 | Alabama | $91,497 | $43.99 |
| 25 | Wyoming | $90,398 | $43.46 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $90,705 | $43.61 |
| 27 | Nevada | $84,357 | $40.56 |
| 28 | New Hampshire | $87,894 | $42.26 |
| 29 | Maryland | $86,875 | $41.77 |
| 30 | Massachusetts | $88,299 | $42.45 |
| 31 | District of Columbia | $86,894 | $41.78 |
| 32 | Connecticut | $88,139 | $42.37 |
| 33 | Vermont | $87,178 | $41.91 |
| 34 | Delaware | $87,347 | $41.99 |
| 35 | Oregon | $84,413 | $40.58 |
| 36 | Nebraska | $77,540 | $37.28 |
| 37 | Arizona | $81,435 | $39.15 |
| 38 | New Jersey | $85,414 | $41.06 |
| 39 | Mississippi | $82,582 | $39.70 |
| 40 | New Mexico | $78,360 | $37.67 |
| 41 | New York | $85,448 | $41.08 |
| 42 | Iowa | $79,724 | $38.33 |
| 43 | Kansas | $80,175 | $38.55 |
| 44 | Florida | $79,828 | $38.38 |
| 45 | Illinois | $80,866 | $38.88 |
| 46 | Missouri | $77,880 | $37.44 |
| 47 | Wisconsin | $67,991 | $32.69 |
| 48 | North Carolina | $67,485 | $32.44 |
| 49 | Indiana | $67,002 | $32.21 |
| 50 | Georgia | $68,434 | $32.90 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $65,541 | $31.51 |
Highest paying cities for geophysicists
The highest-paying cities for geophysicists are Midland, TX, Richmond, CA, and Anchorage, AK.
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Midland, TX | $120,533 | $57.95 |
| 2 | Richmond, CA | $114,440 | $55.02 |
| 3 | Anchorage, AK | $111,660 | $53.68 |
| 4 | Lafayette, LA | $109,703 | $52.74 |
| 5 | Vancouver, WA | $108,265 | $52.05 |
| 6 | Tulsa, OK | $107,450 | $51.66 |
| 7 | Centreville, VA | $106,644 | $51.27 |
| 8 | Grand Forks, ND | $98,124 | $47.17 |
| 9 | Columbus, OH | $96,858 | $46.57 |
| 10 | Lakewood, CO | $95,528 | $45.93 |
| 11 | Draper, UT | $94,110 | $45.25 |
| 12 | Washington, DC | $86,980 | $41.82 |
| 13 | Reno, NV | $86,694 | $41.68 |
| 14 | Tucson, AZ | $81,338 | $39.10 |
| 15 | Des Plaines, IL | $81,162 | $39.02 |
| 16 | Melbourne, FL | $80,335 | $38.62 |
Geophysicist salary details
A geophysicist's salary ranges from $78,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $141,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a geophysicist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $141,000 | $11,750 | $68 |
| 75th Percentile | $122,000 | $10,167 | $59 |
| Average | $105,067 | $8,756 | $51 |
| 25th Percentile | $89,000 | $7,417 | $43 |
| 10th Percentile | $78,000 | $6,500 | $38 |
Highest paying geophysicist jobs
The highest paying types of geophysicists are research geologist, exploration geologist, and consulting geologist.
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geology Internship | $109,240 | $9,103 | $52.52 | 48,632 |
| Engineer And Geologist | $101,882 | $8,490 | $48.98 | 3,083 |
| Exploration Geologist | $112,376 | $9,365 | $54.03 | 667 |
| Development Geologist | $110,970 | $9,247 | $53.35 | 45,844 |
| Consulting Geologist | $112,160 | $9,347 | $53.92 | 5,484 |
| Petroleum Geologist | $111,574 | $9,298 | $53.64 | 1,291 |
Top companies hiring geophysicists now:
Which companies pay geophysicists the most?
Geophysicist salaries at Shell and California Resources are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average geophysicist salary at companies like Cobalt International Energy and Statoil are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shell Trading | $142,776 | $68.64 |
| 2 | California Resources | $140,799 | $67.69 |
| 3 | Cobalt International Energy | $139,869 | $67.24 |
| 4 | Statoil | $134,462 | $64.65 |
| 5 | Occidental Petroleum | $132,711 | $63.80 |
| 6 | ConocoPhillips | $131,568 | $63.25 |
| 7 | Exxon Mobil | $129,825 | $62.42 |
| 8 | Chevron | $129,323 | $62.17 |
| 9 | Apache | $127,633 | $61.36 |
| 10 | EOG Resources | $126,724 | $60.92 |
| 11 | Hess | $126,665 | $60.90 |
| 12 | Marathon Oil | $126,453 | $60.79 |
| 13 | BP America Inc | $126,324 | $60.73 |
| 14 | Pioneer Natural Resources | $124,896 | $60.05 |
| 15 | W&T Offshore | $123,453 | $59.35 |
| 16 | ION Geo | $123,136 | $59.20 |
| 17 | Geokinetics | $122,848 | $59.06 |
| 18 | Global Geophysical Services | $120,115 | $57.75 |
| 19 | Lumina Geophysical | $119,898 | $57.64 |
| 20 | Repsol Energy North America Corporation | $117,393 | $56.44 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Geophysicist salary trends
The average geophysicist salary has risen by $10,228 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average geophysicist earned $94,839 annually, but today, they earn $105,067 a year. That works out to a 4% change in pay for geophysicists over the last decade.
Compare geophysicist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average geophysicist salary over time
Compare geophysicist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
- National Average
- Columbus, OH
Geophysicist salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $105,000 | $50.51 | +1.6% |
| 2024 | $103,000 | $49.68 | +1.0% |
| 2023 | $102,000 | $49.19 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | $101,000 | $48.50 | +0.1% |
| 2021 | $101,000 | $48.46 | +0.1% |
Recently added geophysicist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | Research Geophysicist, AST, Solid Earth Geophysical Studies (Direct) | Greenbelt, MD | 12/16/2024 | $139,395 |
| Collier Consulting, Inc. | Senior Geophysicist | Lakewood, CO | 12/16/2024 | $75,000 |
| Department of The Interior | Geophysicist | Lakewood, CO | 12/15/2024 | $80,665 |
| Collier Geophysics, LLC | Senior Geophysicist | Lakewood, CO | 12/10/2024 | $75,000 |
| Ncas-M II | Geophysicist/Oceanographer | Ione, OR | 12/09/2024 | $107,809 |
| Department of Commerce | Geophysicist/Oceanographer | Urban Honolulu, HI | 12/05/2024 | $107,809 |
| Tetra Tech, Inc. | Mmrp Mid-Level Geophysicist | Arlington, VA | 11/28/2024 | $65,000 |
| HDR | Junior Geophysicist | Englewood, CO | 10/19/2024 | $59,213 |
| Department of The Interior | Research Geophysicist | Golden, CO | 10/19/2024 | $96,684 |
| Atlas Corps | Geophysicist 3 | San Diego, CA | 10/17/2024 | $120,000 |
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