SOC 19-4044 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Hydrologic Technicians — Virginia
Virginia
In Virginia the median wage is $52,190.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to decline
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- -2.1%
- Openings per year
- 400
- Typical entry-level education
- Associate's degree
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Virginia.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
In Virginia the median wage is $52,190. That is 19.4% lower than the national median of $64,790. Pay ranges from under $37,650 at the tenth percentile to more than $91,170 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $46,950 to $74,010.
Employment stands at 40, or 0.0 jobs per thousand held locally. Virginia ranks number 25th out of 28 states by median pay for this occupation. Of the 747 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 458th.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $37,650 | −41.9% |
| 25th | $46,950 | −27.5% |
| Median (50th) | $52,190 | −19.4% |
| 75th | $74,010 | +14.2% |
| 90th | $91,170 | +40.7% |
| Mean | $58,930 | −9.0% |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Virginia sit close to the national average, so $52,190 is worth roughly its face value against pay elsewhere.
Published median
$52,190as reported by BLSLocal price level
101.1US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$51,622US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $52,190 a year, 19.4% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $37,650 to $91,170 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 40 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 25th of 28 states for this occupation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Hydrologic Technicians in Virginia?
The median annual wage is $52,190, or $25.09 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $64,790, so pay in Virginia is 19.4% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Virginia earns more than $91,170 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $37,650 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 40 jobs in this occupation in Virginia. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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