Astronomers
Astronomers (SOC 19-2011) earn a median $128,820 a year ($61.94 an hour) in the United States, with 2,120 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is Maryland.
What astronomers do
Astronomers observe and interpret objects and events beyond Earth, including planets, stars, galaxies, and the structure of the universe, to expand basic knowledge or to solve practical problems. Typical tasks include studying celestial phenomena with ground-based and space-based telescopes and other instruments, analyzing large volumes of observational data on computers to judge what the data mean, and writing up results for journals and presenting them at scientific meetings. They collaborate with other astronomers on research projects, develop theories from their own observations and from the work of others, and advise graduate students and junior colleagues. Some also teach astronomy or astrophysics and supervise student research on celestial phenomena. The occupation differs from physicists, whose research covers physical phenomena generally and is not tied to celestial objects, and from atmospheric and space scientists, who study Earth's weather and space weather. It also differs from aerospace engineers, who design flight vehicles.
Typical entry: According to O*NET, the most commonly reported education level is a doctoral degree.
Also called: Astronomer, Astrophysicist, Cosmologist, Extragalactic Astronomer, Astronomy Outreach Coordinator.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $37.50 | $48.04 | $61.94 | $79.81 | $93.84 | $63.91 | 2,120 |
| Annual | $78,010 | $99,920 | $128,820 | $166,000 | $195,190 | $132,920 | ||
Employment per 1,000 jobs and the location quotient are area measures; they appear in the state and metro tables below. To see what a wage in this range leaves after tax, use FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Where astronomers earn and work most
Five highest-paying states
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Maryland | Hourly | $40.00 | $49.48 | $63.76 | $84.48 | $103.10 | $69.60 | 980 | 0.36 | 26.06 |
| Annual | $83,200 | $102,910 | $132,620 | $175,720 | $214,450 | $144,760 | ||||
| Arizona | Hourly | $36.35 | $47.32 | $62.03 | $78.37 | $85.11 | $61.44 | 100 | 0.03 | 2.33 |
| Annual | $75,600 | $98,430 | $129,020 | $163,020 | $177,020 | $127,790 | ||||
| Virginia | Hourly | $45.53 | $52.97 | $61.99 | $72.19 | $84.40 | $63.77 | ** | ** | ** |
| Annual | $94,710 | $110,170 | $128,930 | $150,160 | $175,560 | $132,650 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $36.55 | $36.55 | $59.39 | $87.87 | $93.84 | $61.70 | 110 | 0.01 | 0.44 |
| Annual | $76,020 | $76,020 | $123,540 | $182,780 | $195,190 | $128,340 | ||||
| Hawaii | Hourly | $34.42 | $37.54 | $49.04 | $58.89 | $67.17 | $49.11 | 100 | 0.16 | 11.67 |
| Annual | $71,590 | $78,090 | $102,000 | $122,490 | $139,720 | $102,140 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Maryland | Hourly | $40.00 | $49.48 | $63.76 | $84.48 | $103.10 | $69.60 | 980 | 0.36 | 26.06 |
| Annual | $83,200 | $102,910 | $132,620 | $175,720 | $214,450 | $144,760 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $36.55 | $36.55 | $59.39 | $87.87 | $93.84 | $61.70 | 110 | 0.01 | 0.44 |
| Annual | $76,020 | $76,020 | $123,540 | $182,780 | $195,190 | $128,340 | ||||
| Arizona | Hourly | $36.35 | $47.32 | $62.03 | $78.37 | $85.11 | $61.44 | 100 | 0.03 | 2.33 |
| Annual | $75,600 | $98,430 | $129,020 | $163,020 | $177,020 | $127,790 | ||||
| Hawaii | Hourly | $34.42 | $37.54 | $49.04 | $58.89 | $67.17 | $49.11 | 100 | 0.16 | 11.67 |
| Annual | $71,590 | $78,090 | $102,000 | $122,490 | $139,720 | $102,140 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | Hourly | $50.90 | $61.83 | $75.36 | $91.32 | $93.84 | $73.93 | 520 | 0.17 | 12.12 |
| Annual | $105,870 | $128,610 | $156,750 | $189,950 | $195,190 | $153,770 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | Hourly | $50.90 | $61.83 | $75.36 | $91.32 | $93.84 | $73.93 | 520 | 0.17 | 12.12 |
| Annual | $105,870 | $128,610 | $156,750 | $189,950 | $195,190 | $153,770 | ||||
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 180 | 0.07 | 5.00 |
| Annual | * | * | * | * | * | * | ||||
Top industries employing astronomers
Scientific Research and Development Services employ 53.8% of astronomers nationally (1,140 jobs) at a median $127,290 a year ($61.20 an hour), followed by Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) (22.2%) and Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (21.7%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific Research and Development Services NAICS 541700 | 1,140 | 53.8% | $127,290 | $61.20 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) NAICS 999100 | 470 | 22.2% | $174,120 | $83.71 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools NAICS 611300 | 460 | 21.7% | $102,330 | $49.20 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (2,120). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $128,160 for astronomers in May 2021 and $128,820 in May 2025, with employment of 1,930 and 2,120.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $128,160 | $61.62 | 1,930 |
| May 2022 | $128,330 | $61.70 | 2,160 |
| May 2023 | $127,930 | $61.50 | 2,080 |
| May 2024 | $132,170 | $63.54 | 1,560 |
| May 2025 | $128,820 | $61.94 | 2,120 |
BLS does not design OEWS as a time series: each release pools three years of samples, and occupational classifications, area definitions and estimation methods change between releases, so a difference between two releases is not a measure of change over time. The figures are shown as published, side by side, and nothing is computed from them. See how often OEWS is updated.
Every state, by median wage
5 states and DC publish a row for this occupation. A linked state has its own page with the within-state metro table and comparison; the others appear here only.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland profile | $63.76 | $132,620 | $83,200 | $214,450 | 980 | 0.36 | 26.06 |
| 2 | Arizona profile | $62.03 | $129,020 | $75,600 | $177,020 | 100 | 0.03 | 2.33 |
| 3 | Virginia profile | $61.99 | $128,930 | $94,710 | $175,560 | ** | ** | ** |
| 4 | California profile | $59.39 | $123,540 | $76,020 | $195,190 | 110 | 0.01 | 0.44 |
| 5 | Hawaii profile | $49.04 | $102,000 | $71,590 | $139,720 | 100 | 0.16 | 11.67 |
Related occupations
Occupations in the same SOC broad group (19-2010), with their national median annual wage.
Part of Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations. Compare any area in the wage explorer.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS 19-2011 Astronomers.
*- Wage estimate not available.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Top industries: nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx in oesm25in4.zip (BLS OEWS May 2025, national, 4-digit NAICS, cross-ownership). Employment is the industry's rounded total for this occupation; industries whose employment BLS withheld (**) are not ranked.
- Published medians: national_M2021_dl.xlsx to national_M2024_dl.xlsx in oesm21nat.zip to oesm24nat.zip (BLS OEWS May 2021 to May 2024, national, cross-industry, all ownerships) and the May 2025 spine. Each release is shown as published; nothing is computed between them.
Sources
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 19-2011, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 19-2011.00, National Center for O*NET Development, USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0).
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, 4-digit NAICS (oesm25in4.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2021 national estimates (oesm21nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2022 national estimates (oesm22nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2023 national estimates (oesm23nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2024 national estimates (oesm24nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2025 national estimates (oesm25nat.zip), the site's data spine, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
Includes information from O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Description written 2026-10-17 in our own words from the sources above.