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 12 Hydrologist job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 1385 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 $81,325.

State

The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $81,325.

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 $73,820.

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	0%
Bachelor's Degree	69.82%
Master's Degree	35.81%
Doctoral Degree	30.32%
Other	3.97%

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	58.19%
3 to 5 years	29.75%
6 to 8 years	4.32%
9+ years	7.74%

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 (50.9%)
Communication (38.56%)
Investigation (30.83%)
Research (29.68%)
Planning (27.94%)
Mathematics (27.73%)
Writing (23.03%)
Coordinating (17.11%)
Leadership (16.97%)
Operations (16.03%)

Defining Skills

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

Aquatic Biology (19.37%)
Physical Science (28.15%)
Calculus (22%)
Geographic Information Systems (26.13%)
Chemistry (30.11%)
Atmospheric Sciences (23.12%)
Environmental Science (22.22%)
Hydrology (88.81%)
Meteorology (25.08%)
Hydrologic Modeling (16.14%)
Geophysics (28%)
Geology (60.81%)
Hydrogeology (30.11%)
Physics (25.83%)
Oceanography (23.57%)
Project Management (25.45%)
Water Resources (56.53%)
Surface Water (24.85%)
Groundwater (32.58%)
Soil Science (42.27%)

Necessary Skills

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

Regulatory Process (6.53%)
Statistical Analysis (3.83%)
Applied Research (3.6%)
ArcGIS (GIS Software) (9.83%)
Business Development (5.03%)
Biology (18.02%)
Civil Engineering (18.77%)
Python (Programming Language) (10.14%)
Engineering Geology (7.96%)
Data Collection (15.09%)
Ecology (10.59%)
Computer Simulation (8.18%)
Data Management (8.78%)
Environmental Health (7.28%)
R (Programming Language) (6.16%)
Field Research (13.89%)
Forestry (3.38%)
Data Analysis (29.95%)
Integral Calculus (21.25%)
Human Relations Movement (10.44%)
Remote Sensing (11.64%)
Hydraulics (10.89%)
Geochemistry (15.02%)
Pollution Prevention (11.86%)
Machinery (8.33%)
Ledgers (Accounting) (7.28%)
Resource Management (6.01%)
Stormwater Management (10.89%)
Water Resource Management (18.69%)
Writing Systems (9.91%)
Watershed Management (5.86%)
Environmental Engineering (11.26%)
Mitigation (3.23%)
Scientific Methods (9.46%)
Risk Analysis (1.58%)
Sediment (4.13%)
Technical Writing (9.91%)
Hydraulic Engineering (6.23%)
Sampling (Statistics) (12.84%)
Water Quality (16.52%)
General Scientific Knowledge (8.18%)

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
PhD Researcher
Air Quality Scientist
Fisheries Scientist
Energy Modeler
Water/Wastewater Operator
Modeler

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 (166)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (82)
Geological Survey (74)
U.S Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center (44)
State of South Carolina (36)
The Nature Conservancy (31)
United States Department of the Interior (31)
WSP Global (31)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (27)
United States Government (19)

North Carolina

Geological Survey (3)
Tetra Tech (1)
The Nature Conservancy (1)
Gei Consultants (1)
U.S Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center (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