Hydrologists
Research the distribution, circulation, and physical properties of underground and surface waters; and study the form and intensity of precipitation and its rate of infiltration into the soil, movement through the earth, and return to the ocean and atmosphere.
- O*NET-SOC code
19-2043.00 - Preparation Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$96,600
Employment, U.S.5,850
Median hourly wage$46.44
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $64,020 | $77,210 | $96,600 | $122,830 | $153,130 |
By state (35)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 60 | $108,660 | 4.55 |
| Arizona | 400 | $86,700 | 3.28 |
| California | 540 | $122,110 | 0.79 |
| Colorado | 360 | $100,840 | 3.37 |
| Florida | 280 | $76,850 | 0.74 |
| Georgia | 30 | $121,830 | 0.18 |
| Idaho | 160 | $78,850 | 4.88 |
| Illinois | 100 | $83,720 | 0.45 |
| Indiana | 50 | $80,700 | 0.42 |
| Iowa | 50 | $81,150 | 0.91 |
| Louisiana | $104,520 | ||
| Maryland | 90 | $143,010 | 0.83 |
| Massachusetts | 50 | $119,350 | 0.38 |
| Michigan | 40 | $101,060 | 0.21 |
| Minnesota | 300 | $94,580 | 2.70 |
| Missouri | 50 | $116,100 | 0.43 |
| Montana | 190 | $84,500 | 9.79 |
| Nevada | 170 | $107,930 | 2.94 |
| New Jersey | $126,680 | ||
| New Mexico | 100 | $97,470 | 2.96 |
| New York | 160 | $88,100 | 0.44 |
| North Carolina | 150 | $81,770 | 0.80 |
| Ohio | 390 | $98,200 | 1.89 |
| Oklahoma | 40 | $97,470 | 0.55 |
| Oregon | 300 | $93,690 | 4.06 |
| Pennsylvania | 160 | $91,730 | 0.70 |
| South Carolina | 100 | $65,770 | 1.17 |
| Tennessee | 150 | Not available | 1.18 |
| Texas | 220 | $81,080 | 0.42 |
| Utah | 80 | $94,190 | 1.27 |
| Vermont | 50 | $86,140 | 4.10 |
| Virginia | 40 | $132,080 | 0.25 |
| Washington | 350 | $105,600 | 2.62 |
| Wisconsin | 150 | $78,770 | 1.37 |
| Wyoming | 40 | $94,520 | 4.10 |
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 | 0.983 |
| 2 | Industrial Ecologists | 5 | 0.969 |
| 3 | Soil and Plant Scientists | 5 | 0.967 |
| 4 | Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists | 4 | 0.967 |
| 5 | Atmospheric and Space Scientists | 4 | 0.966 |
| 6 | Geodetic Surveyors | 4 | 0.965 |
| 7 | Nanosystems Engineers | 5 | 0.964 |
| 8 | Physicists | 5 | 0.962 |
| 9 | Petroleum Engineers | 4 | 0.961 |
| 10 | Water Resource Specialists | 4 | 0.959 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Hydrologists, 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 | 0.76 | 0.983 |
| Geodetic Surveyors | Mathematics | 0.76 | 0.965 |
| Water Resource Specialists | Time Management | 0.76 | 0.959 |
| Materials Scientists | Operations Analysis | 0.88 | 0.956 |
| Environmental Compliance Inspectors | Operations Monitoring | 0.88 | 0.945 |
| Environmental Engineers | Coordination | 0.88 | 0.940 |
| Food Scientists and Technologists | Quality Control Analysis | 1.00 | 0.937 |
| Validation Engineers | Operations Analysis | 1.00 | 0.936 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Hydrologists, excluding software Hydrologists 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Maplesoft Maple | 6 of 20 | 18.5x |
| Linux | 11 of 20 | 4.2x |
| Software development tools | 6 of 20 | 10.3x |
| SAS | 10 of 20 | 3.9x |
| Wolfram Research Mathematica | 6 of 20 | 9.2x |
| Oracle Java | 9 of 20 | 4.2x |
| Oracle Database | 8 of 20 | 4.2x |
| National Instruments LabVIEW | 7 of 20 | 5.2x |
| ESRI ArcInfo | 4 of 20 | 10.9x |
| Structured query language SQL | 9 of 20 | 2.8x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 4.12 | 4.75 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.88 | 4.88 |
| Science | Essential skill | 3.88 | 4.38 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.88 | 4.25 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.88 | 4.12 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 3.88 | 4.12 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.75 | 4.50 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 3.75 | 4.12 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.50 | 4.00 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.75 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.75 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.50 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.88 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.88 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 3.00 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.88 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.75 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.12 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.00 |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.50 |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 4.38 | 5.62 |
| Physics | 4.18 | 5.09 |
| Engineering and Technology | 3.77 | 4.91 |
| Chemistry | 3.64 | 4.55 |
| English Language | 3.64 | 4.41 |
| Geography | 3.55 | 5.18 |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.45 | 4.59 |
| Education and Training | 2.86 | 3.82 |
| Biology | 2.73 | 4.00 |
| Design | 2.68 | 3.77 |
| Law and Government | 2.50 | 2.73 |
| Mechanical | 2.38 | 2.90 |
| Communications and Media | 2.32 | 2.55 |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.32 | 2.09 |
| Administration and Management | 2.23 | 3.59 |
| Telecommunications | 2.23 | 2.36 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 2.14 | 2.68 |
| Administrative | 2.09 | 3.00 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.05 | 2.55 |
| Building and Construction | 2.00 | 2.50 |
| Transportation | 1.76 | 1.76 |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.73 | 1.73 |
| History and Archeology | 1.64 | 1.55 |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.64 | 1.32 |
| Production and Processing | 1.64 | 1.32 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 1.55 | 1.18 |
| Psychology | 1.36 | 0.82 |
| Foreign Language | 1.27 | 0.73 |
| Food Production | 1.18 | not rated |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.14 | not rated |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.14 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.09 | not rated |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.05 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Written Expression | 4.12 | 4.88 |
| Oral Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.88 |
| Oral Expression | 4.00 | 4.88 |
| Written Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.88 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.00 | 4.50 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.00 | 4.38 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.88 | 4.25 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.88 | 4.12 |
| Information Ordering | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Near Vision | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.75 | 3.75 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.62 | 3.50 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.62 | 3.38 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.50 | 4.00 |
| Number Facility | 3.25 | 4.00 |
| Far Vision | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Selective Attention | 3.12 | 2.88 |
| Originality | 3.00 | 4.00 |
| Visualization | 3.00 | 3.62 |
| Memorization | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.75 | 3.00 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Time Sharing | 2.38 | 2.25 |
| Control Precision | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Finger Dexterity | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 2.12 | 1.88 |
| Manual Dexterity | 2.12 | 1.75 |
| Depth Perception | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Static Strength | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Spatial Orientation | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.00 | 1.25 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.00 | 1.12 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.00 | 1.00 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 2.00 | 1.00 |
| Stamina | 2.00 | 1.00 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 2.00 | 1.00 |
| Explosive Strength | 1.75 | 0.88 |
| Night Vision | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Rate Control | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Reaction Time | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Response Orientation | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Sound Localization | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 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.
- ESRI ArcGIS software in demand
- Microsoft Excel in demand
- Microsoft Office software in demand
- Microsoft PowerPoint in demand
- Python in demand
- R in demand
- Geographic information system GIS systems in demand
- HEC-HMS in demand
- HEC-RAS in demand
- RockWare MODFLOW in demand
- Autodesk AutoCAD hot
- Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D hot
- Bentley MicroStation hot
- C++ hot
- Microsoft Access hot
- Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP hot
- Microsoft Visual Basic hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- The MathWorks MATLAB hot
- Advanced Logic Technology WellCAD
- Amtec Engineering Tecplot
- Argus ONE Open Numerical Environments
- Autodesk AutoCAD Map 3D
- Autodesk Land Desktop
- BOSS International Visual Groundwater
- Bentley Systems gINT
- Biodegration flow and transport modeling software
- Carlson SurvCADD
- ChemStat
- Clover Technology GALENA
All 154
- Data visualization software
- Database software
- ESRI ArcView
- EarthSoft EQuIS Geology
- EarthVision
- Electric Rain Swift 3D
- Email software
- EnviroData Solutions
- EnviroInsite
- Environmental Software and Services SUTRA
- Fitts Geosolutions TWODAN
- Formlink HydroGEN
- Formula translation/translator FORTRAN
- GAEA Technologies Packet ESA
- GAEA Technologies WinLog
- GAEA Technologies WinSieve
- GIS/Solutions GIS/Key
- Geographic information system GIS software
- Geomechanical design analysis GDA software
- Golden Software Strater
- Golden Software Surfer
- Graphics software
- Groundwater Software QuickCross/Fence
- Groundwater Software QuickLog
- Groundwater Software Visual Site Manager
- Groundwater Vistas
- Groundwater modeling system GMS
- HEC-1
- HEC-2
- HydroSOLVE AQTESOLV
- Hydrologic simulation program fortan HSPF software
- Integrated Environmental Services 3D Master
- Laboratory information management system LIMS
- Logger data manager LDM
- Logplot software
- MLPU
- Microsoft Windows Vista Business
- National pollutant discharge elimination system NPDES compliance software
- PRINCE
- Parameter Estimation PEST
- RIVERMorph
- Revised universal soil loss equation RUSLE software
- River Lake Altimetry Product
- RockWare ChemFlux
- RockWare Geochemist's Workbench GWB
- RockWare RockWorks
- RockWare SieveGraph
- SEDCAD
- Satellite database software
- Scientific Software Group 3DFATMIC
- Scientific Software Group 3DFEMFAT
- Scientific Software Group AQUA3D
- Scientific Software Group AQUASEA
- Scientific Software Group AQUIPACK
- Scientific Software Group AT123D
- Scientific Software Group AquaDyn
- Scientific Software Group Aquifer win32
- Scientific Software Group BIO1D
- Scientific Software Group BIOF&T
- Scientific Software Group BIOSLURP
- Scientific Software Group BioTrends
- Scientific Software Group CHASM
- Scientific Software Group ChemGraph
- Scientific Software Group DTM
- Scientific Software Group EVS
- Scientific Software Group Enviro-Base Pro
- Scientific Software Group EnviroScape
- Scientific Software Group FEFLOW
- Scientific Software Group Filter Drain FD
- Scientific Software Group GFLOW
- Scientific Software Group HYDROGEOCHEM
- Scientific Software Group HydroGeo Analyst
- Scientific Software Group Infinite Extent
- Scientific Software Group MARS 2-D/3-D
- Scientific Software Group MIDUSS
- Scientific Software Group MIGRATE
- Scientific Software Group MINTEQA2
- Scientific Software Group MOCDENSE
- Scientific Software Group MODFLOWT
- Scientific Software Group MODPUMP
- Scientific Software Group MODRET
- Scientific Software Group MOFAT
- Scientific Software Group MOVER
- Scientific Software Group MS-VMS
- Scientific Software Group MT3D99
- Scientific Software Group MohrView
- Scientific Software Group OILVOL
- Scientific Software Group POLLUTE
- Scientific Software Group QHM
- Scientific Software Group QuickSoil
- Scientific Software Group RISC WorkBench
- Scientific Software Group RMT
- Scientific Software Group SEQUENCE
- Scientific Software Group SESOIL
- Scientific Software Group SLAEM/MLAEM
- Scientific Software Group SOILPARA
- Scientific Software Group SOLUTRANS
- Scientific Software Group SURF
- Scientific Software Group SVFlux
- Scientific Software Group SVHeat
- Scientific Software Group Soil Vapor Extraction BioSVE
- Scientific Software Group StepMaster
- Scientific Software Group TUFLOW
- Scientific Software Group VAM2D
- Scientific Software Group WinFlow
- Scientific Software Group WinTran
- Scientific Software GroupWHI UnSAT Suite
- Scientific Software GroupWinFence
- Softree Technical Systems Terrain Tools
- SoilVision Systems SVGrainsize
- SoilVision Systems SVOFFICE
- Starpint Software Super Slug
- StatPoint StatGraphics Plus
- Structure query language SQL
- Surface water modeling system SMS software
- Trimble Pathfinder Office
- Trimble TerraSync
- Vieux & Associates Vflow
- Visual MODFLOW Pro
- Waterloo Hydrogeologic AquaChem
- Waterloo Hydrogeologic AquiferTest Pro
- Waterloo Hydrogeologic RBC Tier 2 Analyzer
- Watershed modeling system WMS software
- Web browser software
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia, SC | 100 | 6.42 | $65,770 |
| Columbus, OH | 170 | 4.08 | $98,200 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 260 | 2.92 | $90,000 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 210 | 2.90 | $94,580 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 110 | 2.61 | $106,860 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 140 | 2.36 | $108,680 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 100 | 2.09 | $73,810 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 140 | 1.81 | Not available |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 130 | 0.36 | $88,100 |