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Hydrologists

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeLower pressure

What they do

Research the distribution, circulation, and physical properties of underground and surface waters; and study the form and intensity of precipitation and its rate of infiltration into the soil, movement through the earth, and return to the ocean and atmosphere.

Kinds of work

  • Investigative: Science, research, figuring out how things work and solving complex problems.
  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $96,600 Median per year · $46.44/hr Most earn $64,020–$153,130

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Design and conduct scientific hydrogeological investigations to ensure that accurate and appropriate information is available for use in water resource management decisions.
  • Evaluate research data in terms of its impact on issues such as soil and water conservation, flood control planning, and water supply forecasting.
  • Study public water supply issues, including flood and drought risks, water quality, wastewater, and impacts on wetland habitats.
  • Develop or modify methods for conducting hydrologic studies.
  • Prepare hydrogeologic evaluations of known or suspected hazardous waste sites and land treatment and feedlot facilities.
  • Evaluate data and provide recommendations regarding the feasibility of municipal projects, such as hydroelectric power plants, irrigation systems, flood warning systems, and waste treatment facilities.

Job outlook

United States
2% more jobs by 2035, slower than average · about 400 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Federal government, excluding postal service26.3%
  • State government, excluding education and hospitals26.1%
  • Management, scientific, and technical consulting services18.5%
  • Local government, excluding education and hospitals12.0%
  • Engineering services7.1%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 6 months to 1 year

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeExperience before this job: 6 months to 1 year

Hydrologists usually need a bachelor's degree plus about 6 months to 1 year of related hands-on work, so the typical route takes roughly 5 years from starting college. Most people begin in a field or technician role before moving into a hydrologist job.

  1. Bachelor's degree in hydrology, geoscience, environmental science, or engineering

    4 years

    You learn the core science of water, soil, and weather, plus math and data skills. This degree gives you the foundation employers look for.

  2. Hydrologic Technician

    6 months - 1 year

    You collect water samples, measure streamflow, and maintain monitoring equipment in the field. This builds the practical experience hydrologist jobs ask for.

  3. Hydrologist

    Ongoing

    You study how water moves through the land and air, analyze data, and write reports that help manage water supplies, floods, and droughts.

Where it can lead

  1. Senior Hydrologist

    3-5 years of experience first

    You take on bigger projects, lead field teams, and advise clients or agencies, with less day-to-day supervision. Strong writing and project-management skills help you move up.

  2. Water Resources Manager

    5-10 years of experience first

    You oversee water planning or programs for a city, utility, or agency and manage budgets and staff. Experience with policy, permits, and public communication is important.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take earth science, biology, chemistry, and mathThese classes build the science and math background you will use in any hydrology degree.
  • Join a science fair or environmental clubWorking on a project about rivers, rain, or local water quality shows initiative and gives you something to talk about in college applications.
  • Volunteer for a local watershed or river cleanup groupYou will see how water systems work in real places and meet people who work in environmental fields.
  • Get a starter job outdoors, such as a summer parks or landscaping jobOutdoor work builds comfort in the field and shows employers you can handle physical, practical tasks.
  • Learn to use spreadsheetsOrganizing and graphing data is a basic skill you will use constantly in hydrology.

In college

  • Major in hydrology, geosciences, environmental science, or civil/environmental engineeringThese majors include the water, soil, and data courses that hydrologist jobs require.
  • Take GIS, statistics, and programming coursesMapping, statistics, and coding skills are used in most modern water-science jobs.
  • Get a summer internship or field job with a water agency or consulting firmPaid field experience counts toward the 6 months to 1 year of work that employers commonly expect.
  • Join a student environmental or water-science organizationClubs offer networking, field trips, and a chance to lead projects.
  • Consider a campus job in a lab or research groupLab work teaches careful data collection and analysis, which are central to hydrology.

Tips for getting started

  • Look for field jobs or summer work with water agencies, parks departments, or consulting firms, since hands-on experience is often what gets you hired.
  • Learn basic data tools such as spreadsheets, GIS mapping, and simple coding in Python or R, because hydrologists work with large amounts of data.
  • Build strong writing skills; hydrologists must explain technical findings clearly to engineers, city officials, and the public.

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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