Annual Salary, Salary Range, and Highest Paying States and Industries
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Soil and Plant Scientists
Soil and Plant Scientists conduct research in breeding, physiology, production, yield, and management of crops and agricultural plants or trees, shrubs, and nursery stock, their growth in soils, and control of pests; or study the chemical, physical, biological, and mineralogical composition of soils as they relate to plant or crop growth. May classify and map soils and investigate effects of alternative practices on soil and crop productivity.
Table of contents
- Average salary
- Starting salary
- Salary rank
- Salary range
- Highest paying states
- Highest paying industries
Average salary
Starting salary
Entry-level Soil and Plant Scientists with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $39,650 to $51,420 per year or $19 to $25 per hour. Similar to any other job, their salary will increase as they gain experience.
Salary rank
We wanted to make it easy for our readers to compare the salary of Soil and Plant Scientists to all the other careers out there. So we created Salary Rank. We compared the salary of all careers then we gave them a rank of A, B, C, or D depending on where their average salary sit in comparison to other careers.
Salary range
| Level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Highest (Top 10%) | $56 | $117,450 |
| Senior (Top 25%) | $42 | $87,560 |
| Middle (Mid 50%) | $32 | $66,120 |
| Junior (Bottom 25%) | $25 | $51,420 |
| No experience (Bottom 10%) | $19 | $39,650 |
Highest paying states
| State | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| MD | $51 | $107,050 |
| MS | $45 | $93,290 |
| MA | $45 | $93,150 |
| DC | $44 | $92,040 |
| NC | $44 | $91,070 |
| OK | $41 | $85,230 |
| OR | $41 | $84,810 |
| NJ | $39 | $80,220 |
| GA | $38 | $80,030 |
| LA | $38 | $79,510 |
Another simple way to increase your salary as a Soil and Plant Scientist is to move to a higher paying state. However moving to a higher paying state like MD doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the expenses at MD might be much higher than where you are currently living at right now.
According to BLS, the highest paid Soil and Plant Scientists are in the states of MD, MS, MA, DC and NC.
Highest paying industries
| Salary by industry | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical Manufacturing | $119540 | $57.47 |
| Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods | $109100 | $52.45 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | $96860 | $46.57 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services | $92150 | $44.30 |
| Federal Executive Branch | $90200 | $43.37 |
| Wholesale Electronic Markets and Agents and Brokers | $81610 | $39.24 |
| Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations | $77400 | $37.21 |
| Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers | $72020 | $34.63 |
| Beverage Manufacturing | $70480 | $33.89 |
| Other Amusement and Recreation Industries | $69400 | $33.37 |
| Support Activities for Crop Production | $69210 | $33.27 |
| State Government | $68740 | $33.05 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | $65840 | $31.66 |
| Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods | $64930 | $31.21 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | $64540 | $31.03 |
| Local Government | $61890 | $29.75 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | $61810 | $29.72 |
| Social Advocacy Organizations | $59790 | $28.74 |
| Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions | $53190 | $25.57 |
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