Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 19-1013

Soil and Plant Scientists

The published band from $48,680 to $138,120 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Soil and Plant Scientists: Industrial-Organizational Psychologists ($194K) , Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists ($103K) , Political Scientists ($142K) , Physicists ($172K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Soil and Plant Scientists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 19-1013 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Communicate research or project results to other professionals or the public or teach related courses, seminars, or workshops
  2. 2. Develop methods of conserving or managing soil that can be applied by farmers or forestry companies
  3. 3. Provide information or recommendations to farmers or other landowners regarding ways in which they can best use land, promote plant growt…
  4. 4. Conduct experiments to develop new or improved varieties of field crops, focusing on characteristics such as yield, quality, disease resi…
  5. 5. Investigate soil problems or poor water quality to determine sources and effects
  6. 6. Investigate responses of soils to specific management practices to determine the use capabilities of soils and the effects of alternative…
  7. 7. Conduct experiments to investigate the underlying mechanisms of plant growth and response to the environment
  8. 8. Identify degraded or contaminated soils and develop plans to improve their chemical, biological, or physical characteristics
  9. 9. Develop new or improved methods or products for controlling or eliminating weeds, crop diseases, or insect pests
  10. 10. Provide advice regarding the development of regulatory standards for land reclamation or soil conservation
  11. 11. Study soil characteristics to classify soils on the basis of factors such as geographic location, landscape position, or soil properties
  12. 12. Develop improved measurement techniques, soil conservation methods, soil sampling devices, or related technology

Soil and Plant Scientists: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 19-1013 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 4.0 ; lead knowledge Biology. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 4.0
  2. 2. Speaking 4.0
  3. 3. Science 4.0
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 4.0
  5. 5. Active Learning 4.0
  6. 6. Active Listening 3.9
  7. 7. Writing 3.9
  8. 8. Complex Problem Solving 3.9

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Biology 4.4
  2. 2. English Language 4.0
  3. 3. Computers and Electronics 3.9
  4. 4. Chemistry 3.8
  5. 5. Mathematics 3.8
  6. 6. Education and Training 3.4
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$48,680 to $138,120
median $78,850 · ~2.8× spread
$79K
National median
↑ +5%
Growth 2024-2034
1,700
Annual openings
15,730
Estimated US jobs
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists
Highest-pay peer · $194K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Soil and Plant Scientists

1. Alaska $100,320
2. District of Columbia $107,140
3. New Jersey $91,970
4. Idaho $95,150
5. Florida $103,240
6. California $91,930
7. Hawaii $84,390
8. Iowa $96,310
9. Oregon $85,150
10. Maryland $85,020

Other Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations titles

  1. 1. Political Scientists $142,080
  2. 2. Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists $103,410
  3. 3. Physicists $172,250
  4. 4. Industrial-Organizational Psychologists $193,950
  5. 5. Materials Scientists $117,790
  6. 6. Psychologists, All Other $110,840

The OEWS band for Soil and Plant Scientists runs from $48,680 (10th) to $138,120 (90th), about 2.8× wide, with median $78,850. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +5% change between 2024 and 2034 (faster than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,700 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Alaska at $100,320. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Industrial-Organizational Psychologists at $193,950. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Soil and Plant Scientists pay-rank #29 in Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

Soil and Plant Scientists sits at pay-rank #29 of 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Soil and Plant Scientists is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Soil and Plant Scientists salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 19-1013

Alaska · top state for Soil and Plant Scientists

$100K published median

District of Columbia · #2 state pay

$107K · behind Alaska

Industrial-Organizational Psychologists

Highest-pay peer vs Soil and Plant Scientists · $194K

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

Lower-pay peer beside Soil and Plant Scientists · $103K

Compare Soil and Plant Scientists

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Soil and Plant Scientists with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Soil and Plant Scientists mid-table among Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #29 of 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists ($77K), Historians ($77K), Foresters ($76K), Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health ($82K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do soil and plant scientists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Soil and Plant Scientists. Leading ones include: Communicate research or project results to other professionals or the public or teach related courses, seminars, or workshops; Develop methods of conserving or managing soil that can be applied by farmers or forestry companies; Provide information or recommendations to farmers or other landowners regarding ways in which they can best use land, promote plant growt…; Conduct experiments to develop new or improved varieties of field crops, focusing on characteristics such as yield, quality, disease resi…. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for soil and plant scientists? ▼
For SOC 19-1013, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (4.0), Speaking (4.0), Science (4.0), Critical Thinking (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Biology, English Language, Computers and Electronics. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Soil and Plant Scientists? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $48,680 and the 90th at $138,120 for Soil and Plant Scientists (2.8× spread). The national median is $78,850. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Soil and Plant Scientists? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Soil and Plant Scientists is +5%. Projected annual openings: about 1,700. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Soil and Plant Scientists? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Soil and Plant Scientists. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Soil and Plant Scientists? ▼
Alaska ($100,320), District of Columbia ($107,140), New Jersey ($91,970) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Soil and Plant Scientists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 19-1013. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Soil and Plant Scientists. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics