What Does a Geologist Do?
Geologists study rock, soil, sediment and groundwater to answer practical questions: where an ore body or oil reservoir lies, whether a slope will hold a highway cut, what sits beneath a proposed building, or how far contamination has spread under a gas station. Their time splits between the field, where they log core, describe outcrops, supervise drilling and collect samples, and the office, where they build maps and cross sections in ArcGIS, interpret lab and geophysical data and write reports. Employers include environmental and geotechnical consulting firms, mining and energy companies, state geological surveys and federal agencies.
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Engineering Geologist, Environmental Protection Geologist, Exploration Geologist, Geological Specialist, Geophysicist, Geoscientist, Mine Geologist, Project Geologist.
Geologist Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a geologist include:
- Plan field programs, including drilling locations, sampling plans, permits, site access and health and safety plans.
- Log soil borings, rock core and well cuttings, describing lithology, grain size, color, fractures and moisture.
- Supervise drilling crews, choose sample depths and oversee monitoring well installation to the design.
- Map outcrops and geologic contacts in the field with a compass, GPS and field notebook or tablet.
- Collect soil, rock and groundwater samples under chain-of-custody procedures and ship them to analytical labs.
- Interpret lab results, well logs, geophysical surveys and aerial imagery to build a picture of the subsurface.
- Prepare geologic maps, cross sections and 3D models in ESRI ArcGIS and other modeling software.
- Assess hazards such as landslides, active faults, sinkholes and erosion for development and infrastructure projects.
- Write technical reports and recommendations for clients, engineers and regulatory agencies.
- Estimate the size and grade of mineral, aggregate or groundwater resources from drilling and sampling data.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a geologist, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Field skills: logging core and borings, rock and mineral identification, structural measurements and safe work around drill rigs
- ESRI ArcGIS for mapping and spatial analysis, plus Python or another scripting language for data processing
- Interpreting geochemical results against regulatory screening levels or ore grade cutoffs
- Writing reports that engineers, regulators and non-technical clients can act on
- Fitness for long field days on rough terrain, often reaching remote sites by ATV or truck
- OSHA 40-hour HAZWOPER training for environmental site work, kept current with annual refreshers
- A Professional Geologist license in states that require one, earned by passing the ASBOG exams
- Directing a drilling crew politely but firmly when the sampling plan and the driller's schedule conflict
Education and Training
A bachelor's degree in geology or geoscience is the minimum for most entry-level jobs, and a summer field camp in geologic mapping is a standard part of the degree. Many employers prefer a master's degree, especially in consulting, hydrogeology and petroleum work, and 44 percent of geoscientists report a master's while 38 percent report a bachelor's. Research and university posts usually require a doctorate. Many states license geologists who sign reports for the public: you typically pass the ASBOG Fundamentals of Geology exam near graduation, complete several years of supervised experience, then pass the Practice of Geology exam to become a Professional Geologist.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $75,110 - $139,380 per year, with a median of $101,920.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers.
Geology careers are influenced by commodity market cycles, but overall employment is projected to grow steadily. Environmental consulting, geotechnical engineering, and hydrogeology offer the most stable employment, while mining and petroleum geology roles fluctuate with energy markets. The growing demand for critical minerals needed in renewable energy technologies (lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements) is creating new opportunities in exploration geology. Geologists who combine traditional field skills with modern computational tools like machine learning and advanced geospatial analysis are increasingly valuable. Government agencies, environmental firms, mining companies, and engineering consultancies are the primary employers.
Geologist Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $59,330 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $75,110 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $101,920 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $139,380 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $200,230 |
Highest-Paying States for Geologists
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are Texas ($145,220), Rhode Island ($121,010), Oklahoma ($119,990), Colorado ($114,410), Mississippi ($112,400). Pay is lowest in Indiana ($68,240), Arkansas ($67,880), Connecticut ($61,810).
Median pay in all 50 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $88,610 |
| Alaska | $107,410 |
| Arizona | $85,190 |
| Arkansas | $67,880 |
| California | $106,500 |
| Colorado | $114,410 |
| Connecticut | $61,810 |
| Delaware | $93,640 |
| Florida | $95,140 |
| Georgia | $73,920 |
| Hawaii | $106,270 |
| Idaho | $91,170 |
| Illinois | $96,950 |
| Indiana | $68,240 |
| Iowa | $74,460 |
| Kansas | $80,080 |
| Kentucky | $77,510 |
| Louisiana | $91,560 |
| Maine | $86,840 |
| Maryland | $110,510 |
| Massachusetts | $108,210 |
| Michigan | $80,990 |
| Minnesota | $80,540 |
| Mississippi | $112,400 |
| Missouri | $83,390 |
| Montana | $75,520 |
| Nebraska | $85,550 |
| Nevada | $99,890 |
| New Hampshire | $101,150 |
| New Jersey | $88,500 |
| New Mexico | $88,530 |
| New York | $86,410 |
| North Carolina | $95,260 |
| North Dakota | $84,070 |
| Ohio | $81,220 |
| Oklahoma | $119,990 |
| Oregon | $98,110 |
| Pennsylvania | $84,180 |
| Rhode Island | $121,010 |
| South Carolina | $86,070 |
| South Dakota | $71,150 |
| Tennessee | $77,870 |
| Texas | $145,220 |
| Utah | $89,990 |
| Vermont | $87,070 |
| Virginia | $88,390 |
| Washington | $105,020 |
| West Virginia | $76,060 |
| Wisconsin | $78,610 |
| Wyoming | $74,910 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 88% use email every day
- 78% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 69% usually work more than 40 hours a week
- 68% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
- 63% spend more than half the workday sitting
- 50% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
- 44% have a lot of freedom to make decisions
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Master's degree | 44% |
| Bachelor's degree | 38% |
| Doctoral degree | 9% |
| Post-doctoral training | 6% |
Tools and Software Geologists Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy analyzing problems and working with ideas as well as hands-on work with tools, machines or the outdoors.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Science, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Writing.
Knowledge areas used most: Geography, Mathematics, English Language, Chemistry, Physics.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 5 of 5, which means extensive preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
Applying for a Geologist Job
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 19-2042.00 (Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.