Average Income

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that the average annual income of atmospheric and space scientists was $88,010 in May 2010 and the average hourly wage in the field was $42.31. The median income in the occupation was $87,780. The median is the income level that divides a group in half, which means half of workers earned more than $87,780, while half earned less.
  
  

Income Range

• The pay of workers in any field tends to vary from one individual to the next due to factors like experience, technical knowledge and education. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the top 10 percent of atmospheric and space scientists made $132,130 or more in May 2010 and the bottom 10 percent earned $45,050 or less. The middle 50 percent of workers in the occupation in terms of annual pay made between $64,200 and $107,900.
  
  

Top Industries

• Meteorologists are employed in several different industries and their average income varies from one industry to the next. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that the federal government employed about a third of all atmospheric and space scientists, and these federal workers earned $95,760 annually on average. Workers engaged in television and radio broadcasting earned $82,790 annually on average and those working for colleges, universities and professional schools made $87,450 annually on average.
  
  

Top States

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that the top-paying state for atmospheric and space scientists was Maryland in May 2010, and workers in the state made $114,650 a year on average. Other high-paying states included New Jersey, where workers earned $107,840 a year on average, Colorado, where workers earned $99,510 a year on average and California, where workers earned $98,130 a year on average. Texas employed the second-most workers in the occupation behind Colorado; workers in Texas made $95,320 a year on average.