Atmospheric and Space Scientists
Investigate atmospheric phenomena and interpret meteorological data, gathered by surface and air stations, satellites, and radar to prepare reports and forecasts for public and other uses. Includes weather analysts and forecasters whose functions require the detailed knowledge of meteorology.
- O*NET-SOC code
19-2021.00 - Preparation Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$99,070
Employment, U.S.10,000
Median hourly wage$47.63
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $53,060 | $73,350 | $99,070 | $129,960 | $161,890 |
By state (47)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 340 | $81,080 | 2.49 |
| Alaska | $94,380 | ||
| Arizona | 80 | $115,020 | 0.36 |
| Arkansas | $71,940 | ||
| California | 510 | $124,920 | 0.43 |
| Colorado | 1,150 | $104,670 | 6.22 |
| Connecticut | 50 | $85,110 | 0.41 |
| District of Columbia | 70 | $103,860 | 1.64 |
| Florida | 270 | $115,960 | 0.43 |
| Georgia | 170 | $96,820 | 0.54 |
| Hawaii | 70 | $121,010 | 1.69 |
| Idaho | 50 | $119,430 | 0.96 |
| Illinois | 110 | $112,280 | 0.27 |
| Indiana | 80 | $103,680 | 0.37 |
| Iowa | 100 | $76,850 | 1.03 |
| Kansas | 80 | $109,300 | 0.89 |
| Kentucky | 100 | $103,240 | 0.77 |
| Louisiana | 70 | $97,470 | 0.60 |
| Maine | 50 | $103,710 | 1.15 |
| Maryland | 750 | $128,800 | 4.21 |
| Massachusetts | $108,050 | ||
| Michigan | 150 | $103,210 | 0.54 |
| Minnesota | 50 | $106,270 | 0.29 |
| Missouri | 160 | $114,230 | 0.83 |
| Montana | 70 | $108,890 | 2.12 |
| Nebraska | 160 | $60,540 | 2.44 |
| Nevada | 120 | $109,300 | 1.19 |
| New Hampshire | 130 | $42,820 | 3.00 |
| New Jersey | 60 | $120,180 | 0.20 |
| New Mexico | 60 | $110,070 | 1.03 |
| New York | 370 | $117,540 | 0.59 |
| North Carolina | 170 | $91,560 | 0.53 |
| North Dakota | 40 | $91,560 | 1.51 |
| Ohio | 160 | $78,580 | 0.46 |
| Oklahoma | 420 | $76,480 | 3.78 |
| Oregon | 100 | $112,260 | 0.82 |
| Pennsylvania | 160 | $75,890 | 0.41 |
| South Carolina | 150 | $82,240 | 0.99 |
| South Dakota | 130 | $78,900 | 4.46 |
| Tennessee | 230 | $96,190 | 1.11 |
| Texas | 720 | $84,990 | 0.80 |
| Utah | 170 | $96,520 | 1.50 |
| Virginia | 350 | $83,880 | 1.31 |
| Washington | 190 | $94,400 | 0.82 |
| West Virginia | 40 | $80,690 | 0.95 |
| Wisconsin | 280 | $85,870 | 1.49 |
| Wyoming | 40 | $99,940 | 2.22 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers | 4 | 0.969 |
| 2 | Hydrologists | 4 | 0.966 |
| 3 | Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists | 4 | 0.966 |
| 4 | Astronomers | 5 | 0.962 |
| 5 | Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary | 5 | 0.958 |
| 6 | Industrial Ecologists | 5 | 0.951 |
| 7 | Physics Teachers, Postsecondary | 5 | 0.948 |
| 8 | Physicists | 5 | 0.943 |
| 9 | Soil and Plant Scientists | 5 | 0.943 |
| 10 | Geographers | 4 | 0.941 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Atmospheric and Space Scientists, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers | Writing | 0.88 | 0.969 |
| Geographers | Writing | 0.88 | 0.941 |
| Geodetic Surveyors | Mathematics | 0.88 | 0.940 |
| Petroleum Engineers | Systems Evaluation | 0.88 | 0.934 |
| Bioinformatics Technicians | Programming | 1.25 | 0.922 |
| Materials Scientists | Operations Analysis | 1.13 | 0.920 |
| Logistics Analysts | Systems Evaluation | 0.88 | 0.918 |
| Electrical Engineers | Quality Control Analysis | 2.37 | 0.914 |
| Transportation Planners | Systems Evaluation | 1.12 | 0.913 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Atmospheric and Space Scientists, excluding software Atmospheric and Space Scientists already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| ESRI ArcGIS software | 14 of 20 | 6.9x |
| Geographic information system GIS systems | 11 of 20 | 8.5x |
| Autodesk AutoCAD | 13 of 20 | 3.5x |
| Geographic information system GIS software | 9 of 20 | 5.9x |
| OriginLab Origin | 4 of 20 | 46.2x |
| Golden Software Surfer | 4 of 20 | 26.4x |
| EarthSoft EQuIS Geology | 3 of 20 | 46.2x |
| Groundwater Vistas | 3 of 20 | 46.2x |
| HydroSOLVE AQTESOLV | 3 of 20 | 46.2x |
| RIVERMorph | 3 of 20 | 46.2x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 4.12 | 4.88 |
| Science | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.88 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.38 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.25 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 3.38 | 4.00 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.62 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.50 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.38 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.50 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.75 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.38 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.25 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.25 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.75 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 4.44 | 6.00 |
| Physics | 4.42 | 5.35 |
| Geography | 4.40 | 5.65 |
| Computers and Electronics | 4.15 | 5.65 |
| English Language | 3.80 | 4.45 |
| Communications and Media | 3.22 | 3.53 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.00 | 4.10 |
| Chemistry | 3.00 | 4.00 |
| Education and Training | 2.90 | 4.00 |
| Engineering and Technology | 2.79 | 3.85 |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.60 | 2.45 |
| Administration and Management | 2.58 | 3.80 |
| Telecommunications | 2.55 | 2.60 |
| Administrative | 2.45 | 3.25 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Design | 2.05 | 2.25 |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.90 | 2.00 |
| Law and Government | 1.89 | 2.05 |
| Biology | 1.85 | 2.35 |
| Psychology | 1.85 | 1.80 |
| Production and Processing | 1.85 | 1.50 |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.75 | 1.95 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 1.70 | 1.35 |
| Transportation | 1.60 | 1.05 |
| Mechanical | 1.47 | 1.15 |
| History and Archeology | 1.45 | 1.45 |
| Foreign Language | 1.40 | 0.95 |
| Building and Construction | 1.15 | not rated |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.15 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.10 | not rated |
| Food Production | 1.05 | not rated |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.00 | not rated |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.00 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Expression | 4.25 | 5.00 |
| Oral Comprehension | 4.12 | 5.00 |
| Written Comprehension | 4.12 | 5.00 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.12 | 4.25 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.00 | 4.25 |
| Written Expression | 3.88 | 4.75 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Information Ordering | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Near Vision | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.75 | 3.50 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.50 | 4.00 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.38 | 3.88 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.38 | 3.88 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.25 | 3.50 |
| Number Facility | 3.00 | 3.38 |
| Originality | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Far Vision | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Perceptual Speed | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Memorization | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Selective Attention | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Time Sharing | 2.62 | 2.88 |
| Visualization | 2.62 | 2.50 |
| Auditory Attention | 1.88 | 1.75 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Trunk Strength | 1.75 | 1.12 |
| Depth Perception | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Dynamic Strength | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Finger Dexterity | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Manual Dexterity | 1.25 | not rated |
| Control Precision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
| Explosive Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
| Extent Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.00 | not rated |
| Gross Body Coordination | 1.00 | not rated |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 1.00 | not rated |
| Multilimb Coordination | 1.00 | not rated |
| Night Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Rate Control | 1.00 | not rated |
| Reaction Time | 1.00 | not rated |
| Response Orientation | 1.00 | not rated |
| Sound Localization | 1.00 | not rated |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.00 | not rated |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.00 | not rated |
| Stamina | 1.00 | not rated |
| Static Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Microsoft Office software in demand
- Adobe Photoshop hot
- C++ hot
- Facebook hot
- IBM SPSS Statistics hot
- Linux hot
- Microsoft Access hot
- Microsoft Excel hot
- Microsoft Outlook hot
- Microsoft PowerPoint hot
- Microsoft Windows hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- Perl hot
- Python hot
- R hot
- SAS hot
- Structured query language SQL hot
- The MathWorks MATLAB hot
- UNIX hot
- AccuWeather Galileo
- Advanced Visual Systems AVS/Express
- Air quality modeling software
- Aninoquisi MesoTRAC
- Apple Final Cut Pro
- Baron Services FasTrac
- Baron Volumetric Imaging and Processing of Integrated Radar VIPIR
- Cave5D
- Cisco IOS
- ESRI ArcInfo
- ESRI ArcView
All 62
- Environmental Research Services RAOB
- Ferret
- Flow Analysis Software Toolkit FAST
- Formula translation/translator FORTRAN
- Grid analysis and display system GrADS
- ITT Visual Information Solutions ENVI
- Image editing software
- Interactive radar analysis software IRAS
- Lakes Environmental Software WRPLOT View
- Maplesoft Maple
- Mesoscale modeling software
- Microsoft Paint
- PC Weather Products HURRTRAK
- QuarkXPress
- STATISTICA
- SVRPLOT
- SatView
- Social media sites
- Software development tools
- Systat Software SigmaPlot
- Systat Software SigmaStat
- Unidata GEMPAK
- Unidata Gempak Analysis and Rendering Program GARP
- Unidata Integrated Data Viewer IDV
- Unidata McIDAS-X
- Vis5d+
- VorTek Site Assessment of Tornado Threat SATT
- WINGRIDDS
- WSI Titan
- WSI TrueView Professional
- Wind flow modeling software
- Wolfram Research Mathematica
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boulder, CO | 620 | 50.38 | $121,870 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | 250 | 22.99 | $110,960 |
| Anchorage, AK | 260 | 22.57 | $101,640 |
| Huntsville, AL | 180 | 10.49 | $81,080 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | 270 | 6.29 | $76,480 |
| Madison, WI | 120 | 4.53 | $107,970 |
| Tulsa, OK | 120 | 4.00 | $77,010 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 700 | 3.45 | $117,600 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 130 | 3.37 | $78,950 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 270 | 3.07 | $128,800 |