Maximum Salary

• Although no maximum salary figure is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics regarding the salaries of geoscientists like oceanographers, the bureau does indicate that the highest-paid scientists in this field made salaries of $160,910 or more per year. This salary indicates the highest salaries made by those in the upper 10 percent of all geoscientists, including oceanographers.
  
  

Employer

• The employers of oceanographers also play roles in the maximum salary they can make. Even though the highest-paid scientists in this field made $160,910 or more, that salary can be limited by the market for each industry in which the oceanographer works. For example, average salaries in the oil and gas extraction industry tend to be higher than in other industries. The average salary in this field was $132,210, indicating that maximum salaries may have exceeded the high end of the pay scale noted by the BLS.
  
  

Location

• Geographic location can also affect the maximum salary earned by geoscientists and oceanographers. It can be difficult to ascertain how geographic location affects the highest salaries earned because the BLS includes the salaries of geoscientists and oceanographers and it includes information for both inland and coastal states. However, four of the top five locations to work in terms of highest average salary were in coastal areas. Only Oklahoma, the state with the highest average salary, was an inland state. Texas, Alaska, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia all paid the highest average salaries for geoscientists. Average salaries in these states ranged from $101,110 to $125,070, indicating that oceanographers in these states could generally expect to make salaries in this range.
  
  

Job Outlook

• The overall demand for oceanographers and other geoscientists is expected to be above average from 2008 to 2018, according to the BLS. In 2008, 33,600 scientists worked in this field. The bureau projects that by 2018, that number will grow to a total of 39,400, an increase of 18 percent, or 5,900 new jobs. Increased emphasis on new energy resources and environmental protection are expected be driving forces behind job growth for oceanographers and other geoscientists.