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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

19-2011 Astronomers

Observe, research, and interpret astronomical phenomena to increase basic knowledge or apply such information to practical problems.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
2,070 11.1 % $58.79 $122,270 3.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $28.57 $37.99 $55.09 $77.23 $89.32
Annual Wage (2) $59,420 $79,010 $114,590 $160,650 $185,780


Industry profile for this occupation:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Scientific Research and Development Services 830 0.12 $65.00 $135,210
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 700 0.02 $47.02 $97,800
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 450 0.02 $67.56 $140,520

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Scientific Research and Development Services 830 0.12 $65.00 $135,210
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 450 0.02 $67.56 $140,520
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 700 0.02 $47.02 $97,800

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 450 0.02 $67.56 $140,520
Scientific Research and Development Services 830 0.12 $65.00 $135,210
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 700 0.02 $47.02 $97,800


Geographic profile for this occupation:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 360 0.02 1.47 $78.91 $164,130
Texas 230 0.02 1.33 $53.05 $110,350
Arizona 160 0.06 4.00 $58.90 $122,500
Virginia 100 0.03 1.81 (8) (8)
Hawaii 100 0.15 10.72 $65.50 $136,230




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hawaii 100 0.15 10.72 $65.50 $136,230
District of Columbia 60 0.08 5.94 $59.41 $123,580
Arizona 160 0.06 4.00 $58.90 $122,500
New Mexico 30 0.04 2.87 $37.02 $77,000
Virginia 100 0.03 1.81 (8) (8)




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 360 0.02 1.47 $78.91 $164,130
Hawaii 100 0.15 10.72 $65.50 $136,230
District of Columbia 60 0.08 5.94 $59.41 $123,580
Arizona 160 0.06 4.00 $58.90 $122,500
Texas 230 0.02 1.33 $53.05 $110,350





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 420 0.13 9.33 $61.04 $126,970
Tucson, AZ 150 0.39 27.82 $59.65 $124,060
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 130 0.02 1.47 $96.58 $200,890




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Tucson, AZ 150 0.39 27.82 $59.65 $124,060
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 420 0.13 9.33 $61.04 $126,970
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 130 0.02 1.47 $96.58 $200,890




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 130 0.02 1.47 $96.58 $200,890
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX (8) (8) (8) $63.70 $132,490
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 420 0.13 9.33 $61.04 $126,970
Tucson, AZ 150 0.39 27.82 $59.65 $124,060

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 50 0.52 36.92 $47.31 $98,390

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 50 0.52 36.92 $47.31 $98,390

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 50 0.52 36.92 $47.31 $98,390


About May 2019 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: July 6, 2020