Hydrologist

What Does a Professional in this Career Do?

A Hydrologist studies water, including underground water and water from ground sources like lakes and streams, and researches various aspects of the water cycle. Collects data used to plan conservation efforts and manage water supply. May advise on groundwater contamination risks or planning for flood management.

Job Outlook

There were 16 Hydrologist job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 1466 in the United States.

In combination with other careers in the Hydrologist industry, which includes the Hydrologist career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2015:

Salary

Many new Hydrologist jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.

National

The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $77,316.

State

The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $77,316.

Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Hydrologist postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $72,199.

Education and Experience

Posted Hydrologist jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.

Education Level	Percentage
Associate's Degree	1.71%
Bachelor's Degree	70.87%
Master's Degree	37.24%
Doctoral Degree	28.31%
Other	3.48%

Posted Hydrologist jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.

Years of Experience	Percentage
0 to 2 years	54%
3 to 5 years	30.48%
6 to 8 years	4.76%
9+ years	10.76%

Skills

Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Hydrologist positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.

Baseline Skills

A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.

Management (52.66%)
Communication (37.24%)
Research (30.9%)
Investigation (29.4%)
Mathematics (28.17%)
Planning (27.42%)
Writing (24.83%)
Coordinating (17.46%)
Forecasting (15.83%)
Operations (15.76%)

Defining Skills

A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.

Groundwater (30.37%)
Geology (58.26%)
Water Resources (56.07%)
Geographic Information Systems (25.71%)
Physics (24.93%)
Environmental Science (22.25%)
Hydrogeology (27.68%)
Hydrologic Modeling (14.48%)
Hydrology (88.56%)
Calculus (21.26%)
Integral Calculus (20.34%)
Aquatic Biology (19.77%)
Surface Water (24.15%)
Project Management (25.07%)
Geomorphology (4.8%)
Soil Science (39.69%)

Necessary Skills

A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.

Meteorology (23.45%)
Business Development (5.72%)
Ecology (9.89%)
ArcGIS (GIS Software) (12.78%)
Hydraulic Engineering (5.51%)
Physical Science (27.12%)
Data Analysis (29.1%)
Python (Programming Language) (9.32%)
Stormwater Management (12.78%)
Water Quality (20.27%)
Hydraulics (11.37%)
Pollution Prevention (13.21%)
Biology (16.17%)
Environmental Engineering (11.37%)
Human Relations Movement (9.04%)
Geochemistry (13.84%)
Geophysics (26.69%)
Computer Simulation (8.9%)
Water Resource Management (18.64%)
Sampling (Statistics) (12.36%)
Atmospheric Sciences (23.02%)
Civil Engineering (18.86%)
Workplace Safety (7.91%)
Earth Science (4.52%)
Technical Writing (8.83%)
R (Programming Language) (5.72%)
Machinery (6.92%)
Remote Sensing (10.73%)
Resource Management (4.94%)
Applied Research (3.53%)
Environmental Health (7.2%)
Environmental Resource Management (0.99%)
Oceanography (22.39%)
Engineering Geology (8.26%)
Chemistry (29.1%)
Geography (6.21%)
Field Research (13.28%)
Risk Management (1.27%)
Data Collection (15.96%)
Environmental Compliance (3.11%)
Data Management (9.11%)

Alternative Job Titles

Sometimes employers post jobs with Hydrologist skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:

Geologist/Hydrogeologist
Water Resources Scientist
Hydrogeologist
Water/Wastewater Operator
PhD Researcher
Air Quality Scientist
Fisheries Scientist
Energy Modeler
Water Resources Manager

Similar Occupations

If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.

Common Employers

Here are the employers that have posted the most Hydrologist jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.

United States

State of Minnesota (153)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (79)
Geological Survey (72)
State of South Carolina (47)
AECOM (42)
U.S Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center (36)
The Nature Conservancy (31)
WSP Global (27)
United States Department of the Interior (25)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (23)

North Carolina

Swca Environmental Consultants (3)
Geological Survey (3)
The Nature Conservancy (1)
RTI International (1)
Environment For The Americas (1)
U.S Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center (1)
Phoventus (1)

NC State Programs Relevant to this Career

If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!

All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.

Science and Research