Side-by-side distribution
Geologist
$87,500
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 27.5%
- Live roles
- 109
Research Scientist
$179,075
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 50.1%
- Live roles
- 820
Highest-paying jobs
Project Geologist
Principal Resource Geologist
Geologist / Hydrogeologist Project Manager
Sr. Professional Geologist
Lead Geologist - Land
Senior Exploration Geologist
Managing Consultant, Engineer/Geologist/Scientist Project Manager
Managing Consultant, Project Manager, Engineer/Geologist/Scientist
Senior Geologist
Engineering Geologist - Mi-Tech Services, Inc.
Highest-paying jobs
Research Engineer/Research Scientist, Pre-training
Research Scientist, Interpretability
Principal Research Scientist, Robot Foundation Model
[Expression of Interest] Research Engineer / Scientist, Alignment - London
Research Scientist
Research Engineer / Research Scientist - Personal AGI, Memory
Research Engineer/Research Scientist- Personal AGI, Model Experience
Research Engineer/Research Scientist - Personal AGI, North Stars
Research Scientist, APEX Benchmarks
Research Engineer / Research Scientist - Personal AGI, Personalization
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Barr Engineering
|
$70,000 | 6 |
| MC Michels Corporation | $84,240 | 3 |
|
Fugro
|
$142,870 | 2 |
| SC SLR Consulting | $137,500 | 2 |
|
ERM
|
$124,149 | 2 |
| TE True Environmental | $75,000 | 2 |
| VE Verdantas | $68,750 | 2 |
|
SpaceX
|
$160,000 | 1 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
The University of Texas at Austin
|
$55,000 | 16 |
Vertex Pharmaceuticals
|
$155,300 | 15 |
|
OpenAI
|
$440,000 | 14 |
MSD
|
$245,550 | 13 |
| SA Scale AI | $244,350 | 12 |
Anduril Industries
|
$221,000 | 12 |
|
Anthropic
|
$388,750 | 10 |
Astera Institute
|
$173,750 | 10 |
Geologist salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $70,000 | 3 |
Geologist vs Research Scientist: which pays more?
The median for Geologist is $87,500 per year (typically $70,000–$124,150), versus $179,075 for Research Scientist ($120,640–$245,550). That puts Research Scientist about 105% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Geologist and Research Scientist are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.