Hydrologic Technicians
Hydrologic Technicians (SOC 19-4044) earn a median $64,790 a year ($31.15 an hour) in the United States, with 2,840 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is Texas.
What hydrologic technicians do
Hydrologic technicians collect and organize data about the movement of surface water and groundwater and about its physical, chemical, and biological properties. Their work supports hydrologists and engineers. Technicians measure and report on stream flow rates and groundwater levels, maintain field equipment, collect water samples, install and collect sampling equipment, and process samples for shipment to testing laboratories. They organize the data they collect, and the SOC definition notes that it may be gathered for developers, government agencies, or agriculture as well. The occupation differs from hydrologists, who design the investigations and interpret the findings, from geological technicians, who study rock, minerals, and energy resources, and from water and wastewater treatment plant operators, who run treatment facilities. O*NET does not list core tasks or an education distribution for this occupation in the data used here.
Also called: Hydrologic Technician, Hydrographer, Groundwater Monitoring Technician, Field Technician (Field Tech), Hydro Operator.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $21.61 | $25.02 | $31.15 | $40.71 | $48.31 | $33.43 | 2,840 |
| Annual | $44,950 | $52,040 | $64,790 | $84,680 | $100,480 | $69,530 | ||
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 hydrologic technicians 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 | ||||||
| Texas | Hourly | $22.77 | $28.62 | $42.50 | $55.39 | $58.66 | $42.13 | 270 | 0.02 | 1.06 |
| Annual | $47,360 | $59,530 | $88,400 | $115,210 | $122,000 | $87,620 | ||||
| Washington | Hourly | $24.01 | $30.89 | $40.98 | $44.84 | $49.78 | $38.93 | 70 | 0.02 | 1.03 |
| Annual | $49,940 | $64,250 | $85,240 | $93,270 | $103,540 | $80,970 | ||||
| New Mexico | Hourly | $24.27 | $28.68 | $38.32 | $46.91 | $57.94 | $38.62 | 50 | 0.06 | 3.24 |
| Annual | $50,480 | $59,650 | $79,710 | $97,580 | $120,520 | $80,330 | ||||
| Missouri | Hourly | $24.41 | $26.65 | $38.19 | $42.25 | $47.38 | $36.20 | 40 | 0.01 | 0.70 |
| Annual | $50,770 | $55,430 | $79,440 | $87,880 | $98,550 | $75,300 | ||||
| Massachusetts | Hourly | $24.48 | $29.28 | $35.49 | $44.47 | $47.12 | $36.24 | 60 | 0.02 | 0.95 |
| Annual | $50,920 | $60,910 | $73,820 | $92,490 | $98,000 | $75,380 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| California | Hourly | $23.31 | $26.62 | $34.03 | $42.74 | $50.36 | $35.94 | 300 | 0.02 | 0.90 |
| Annual | $48,480 | $55,370 | $70,790 | $88,900 | $104,750 | $74,760 | ||||
| Texas | Hourly | $22.77 | $28.62 | $42.50 | $55.39 | $58.66 | $42.13 | 270 | 0.02 | 1.06 |
| Annual | $47,360 | $59,530 | $88,400 | $115,210 | $122,000 | $87,620 | ||||
| Florida | Hourly | $21.41 | $24.14 | $29.72 | $38.44 | $42.90 | $31.30 | 240 | 0.02 | 1.30 |
| Annual | $44,520 | $50,210 | $61,820 | $79,950 | $89,230 | $65,110 | ||||
| North Carolina | Hourly | $22.77 | $24.74 | $28.65 | $34.01 | $45.46 | $31.03 | 110 | 0.02 | 1.22 |
| Annual | $47,370 | $51,460 | $59,590 | $70,750 | $94,570 | $64,530 | ||||
| Pennsylvania | Hourly | $22.87 | $23.81 | $31.45 | $44.10 | $49.33 | $34.26 | 100 | 0.02 | 0.94 |
| Annual | $47,580 | $49,510 | $65,420 | $91,730 | $102,610 | $71,260 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Midland, TX | Hourly | $22.77 | $22.77 | $49.11 | $58.91 | $58.93 | $42.62 | ** | ** | ** |
| Annual | $47,350 | $47,360 | $102,150 | $122,540 | $122,580 | $88,640 | ||||
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | Hourly | $25.88 | $29.61 | $39.60 | $48.51 | $49.78 | $38.94 | 40 | 0.04 | 1.91 |
| Annual | $53,830 | $61,590 | $82,360 | $100,900 | $103,540 | $80,990 | ||||
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | Hourly | $30.33 | $34.03 | $38.40 | $38.40 | $48.24 | $37.30 | 30 | 0.15 | 8.02 |
| Annual | $63,080 | $70,790 | $79,860 | $79,860 | $100,350 | $77,570 | ||||
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | Hourly | $23.78 | $25.08 | $34.01 | $36.03 | $48.25 | $33.22 | 40 | 0.06 | 3.17 |
| Annual | $49,470 | $52,170 | $70,750 | $74,940 | $100,360 | $69,090 | ||||
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | Hourly | $23.96 | $26.62 | $33.90 | $42.03 | $47.28 | $35.17 | 60 | 0.06 | 3.18 |
| Annual | $49,840 | $55,370 | $70,510 | $87,420 | $98,340 | $73,150 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | Hourly | $22.33 | $29.38 | $31.13 | $38.44 | $48.01 | $32.97 | 110 | 0.08 | 4.43 |
| Annual | $46,450 | $61,110 | $64,750 | $79,950 | $99,850 | $68,580 | ||||
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 100 | 0.03 | 1.59 |
| Annual | * | * | * | * | * | * | ||||
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | Hourly | $23.96 | $26.62 | $33.90 | $42.03 | $47.28 | $35.17 | 60 | 0.06 | 3.18 |
| Annual | $49,840 | $55,370 | $70,510 | $87,420 | $98,340 | $73,150 | ||||
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | Hourly | $22.18 | $23.84 | $30.02 | $40.72 | $47.45 | $33.34 | 40 | 0.03 | 1.58 |
| Annual | $46,130 | $49,580 | $62,450 | $84,700 | $98,700 | $69,350 | ||||
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | Hourly | $22.32 | $22.66 | $31.05 | $37.90 | $42.90 | $31.58 | 40 | 0.01 | 0.71 |
| Annual | $46,430 | $47,120 | $64,570 | $78,830 | $89,230 | $65,690 | ||||
Top industries employing hydrologic technicians
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) employ 55.6% of hydrologic technicians nationally (1,580 jobs) at a median $71,780 a year ($34.51 an hour), followed by Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) (8.5%) and Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (6.0%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) NAICS 999100 | 1,580 | 55.6% | $71,780 | $34.51 |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) NAICS 999300 | 240 | 8.5% | $64,880 | $31.19 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services NAICS 541300 | 170 | 6.0% | $49,520 | $23.81 |
| Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution NAICS 221100 | 90 | 3.2% | $81,860 | $39.36 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools NAICS 611300 | 50 | 1.8% | $49,500 | $23.80 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (2,840). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $62,280 for hydrologic technicians in May 2021 and $64,790 in May 2025, with employment of 3,550 and 2,840.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $62,280 | $29.94 | 3,550 |
| May 2022 | $58,360 | $28.06 | 2,920 |
| May 2023 | $55,890 | $26.87 | 3,000 |
| May 2024 | $58,570 | $28.16 | 2,940 |
| May 2025 | $64,790 | $31.15 | 2,840 |
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
28 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 | Texas profile | $42.50 | $88,400 | $47,360 | $122,000 | 270 | 0.02 | 1.06 |
| 2 | Washington profile | $40.98 | $85,240 | $49,940 | $103,540 | 70 | 0.02 | 1.03 |
| 3 | New Mexico profile | $38.32 | $79,710 | $50,480 | $120,520 | 50 | 0.06 | 3.24 |
| 4 | Missouri profile | $38.19 | $79,440 | $50,770 | $98,550 | 40 | 0.01 | 0.70 |
| 5 | Massachusetts profile | $35.49 | $73,820 | $50,920 | $98,000 | 60 | 0.02 | 0.95 |
| 6 | California profile | $34.03 | $70,790 | $48,480 | $104,750 | 300 | 0.02 | 0.90 |
| 7 | Nevada profile | $33.01 | $68,660 | $41,180 | $95,620 | 30 | 0.02 | 1.20 |
| 8 | Maryland profile | $32.46 | $67,520 | $39,670 | $97,510 | 50 | 0.02 | 1.06 |
| 9 | Georgia profile | $32.10 | $66,770 | $42,800 | $101,630 | 60 | 0.01 | 0.66 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania profile | $31.45 | $65,420 | $47,580 | $102,610 | 100 | 0.02 | 0.94 |
| 11 | New Jersey profile | $31.34 | $65,190 | $47,170 | $101,650 | 40 | 0.01 | 0.48 |
| 12 | New York profile | $31.34 | $65,190 | $42,470 | $94,060 | 50 | 0.01 | 0.28 |
| 13 | Arizona profile | $31.33 | $65,170 | $40,330 | $96,100 | 50 | 0.02 | 0.81 |
| 14 | Kentucky profile | $31.33 | $65,170 | $44,950 | $96,100 | 30 | 0.02 | 0.96 |
| 15 | Louisiana profile | $31.33 | $65,170 | $44,320 | $91,170 | 40 | 0.02 | 1.05 |
| 16 | New Hampshire profile | $31.15 | $64,790 | $62,390 | $98,700 | 50 | 0.07 | 3.67 |
| 17 | Oregon profile | $30.05 | $62,510 | $45,150 | $100,900 | 80 | 0.04 | 2.32 |
| 18 | Florida profile | $29.72 | $61,820 | $44,520 | $89,230 | 240 | 0.02 | 1.30 |
| 19 | Wisconsin profile | $28.89 | $60,100 | $40,330 | $91,170 | 50 | 0.02 | 0.91 |
| 20 | North Carolina profile | $28.65 | $59,590 | $47,370 | $94,570 | 110 | 0.02 | 1.22 |
| 21 | Colorado profile | $27.30 | $56,780 | $49,940 | $96,030 | ** | ** | ** |
| 22 | Idaho profile | $26.42 | $54,950 | $45,350 | $83,780 | 50 | 0.06 | 3.33 |
| 23 | Montana profile | $25.75 | $53,550 | $40,060 | $86,260 | 70 | 0.13 | 6.99 |
| 24 | Illinois profile | $25.42 | $52,870 | $52,870 | $77,760 | ** | ** | ** |
| 25 | Virginia profile | $25.09 | $52,190 | $37,650 | $91,170 | 40 | 0.01 | 0.55 |
| 26 | Ohio profile | $25.06 | $52,120 | $29,590 | $82,280 | 80 | 0.01 | 0.76 |
| 27 | West Virginia profile | $23.19 | $48,230 | $40,210 | $81,330 | ** | ** | ** |
| 28 | Tennessee profile | $14.80 | $30,780 | $27,730 | $86,260 | ** | ** | ** |
Related occupations
Occupations in the same SOC broad group (19-4040), 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 19-4044 Hydrologic Technicians.
*- 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 19-4044, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 19-4044.00, 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.