Tennessee isn't a high-paying location for geologists. Labor statistics show the state's annual salaries for the profession are far below what some geologists earn in other parts of the country. Geologists in some states can earn twice what some Tennessee geologists earn each year, especially in locations where large oil, gas and mining companies operate.
Average Pay
Geologists earn a living by using their knowledge of the Earth's composition and processes to aid construction projects, prevent environmental damage, and locate energy sources. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics includes geologists' earnings in its data on all geoscientists who study the Earth's composition. The data show that geologists and other geoscientists earned a mean annual salary of $93,380 in 2010. Geoscientists who worked in Tennessee that year earned significantly less than the national average at $58,390.
Employers
Engineering geologists use their knowledge of the Earth's composition to help civil and environmental engineers with construction projects to avoid creating environmental hazards on land at construction sites. Architectural and engineering firms are among the largest employers of geologists. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that geologists who worked at such firms in 2010 earned wages that far exceeded the average annual pay for a Tennessee geologist. The mean annual salary for geoscientists at architectural and engineering firms that year was $80,460.
Top-Paying Industries
Petroleum geologists use computers and various instruments to search oceans and land for oil and gas deposits. The oil and gas industry is among the top-paying industries for geologists. The average salary that geologists earn in the industry is more than twice the average annual salary that the Bureau of Labor Statistics cites for Tennessee geologists. According to the bureau, geoscientists earned a mean annual salary of $132,210 at oil and gas extraction companies in 2010. Companies involved in supporting mining activities also paid geoscientists some of the industry's top wages that year at $106,380.
Wage Comparison
Tennessee's overall pay range for geoscientists is low when compared with average salaries in other states. Tennessee geologists and other geoscientists earned salaries ranging from $37,770 to $62,810 in 2010 based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, geoscientists in Kentucky and other neighboring states earned salaries in the same pay range that year. The top-paying states for geologists in 2010 included Oklahoma and Texas, where geologists and other geoscientists earned mean annual salaries of $129,870 and $125,070, respectively.
Tags: annual salary, Bureau Labor, Bureau Labor Statistics, geoscientists earned, mean annual
