Side-by-side distribution
Geologist
$110,240
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 31.3%
- Live roles
- 128
Research Scientist
$172,849
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 52%
- Live roles
- 815
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Geologist
Principal Resource Geologist
Principal Resource Geologist
Principal Geologist
Geologist
Geologist / Hydrogeologist Project Manager
Sr. Professional Geologist
Principal Hydrogeologist / Principal Geologist
Principal Hydrogeologist / Principal Geologist
Senior Exploration Geologist
Highest-paying jobs
Research Engineer/Research Scientist, Pre-training
Research Scientist, Interpretability
Staff+ Research Scientist, Multi-Agent
Research Engineer / Research Scientist, RL Frontiers
Research Scientist / Research Engineer, Search - Knowledge Graphs
Research Scientist / Research Engineer - Foundations, Search
Research Scientist / Research Engineer, Search Integrity
[Expression of Interest] Research Engineer / Scientist, Alignment - London
Research Engineer / Research Scientist, Health
Research Engineer / Research Scientist - Personal AGI, Personalization
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| SC SLR Consulting | $162,500 | 8 |
ERM
|
$124,149 | 7 |
Barr Engineering
|
$70,000 | 6 |
LaBella Associates
|
$52,250 | 4 |
| TA Terra AI | $217,500 | 1 |
|
Endurance Energy
|
$180,000 | 1 |
|
ONEOK
|
$164,000 | 1 |
|
SpaceX
|
$160,000 | 1 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
The University of Texas at Austin
|
$46,500 | 18 |
|
OpenAI
|
$440,000 | 14 |
|
Anthropic
|
$425,000 | 13 |
Astera Institute
|
$177,500 | 11 |
Anduril Industries
|
$221,000 | 10 |
UL Research Institutes
|
$128,747 | 10 |
MSD
|
$245,550 | 9 |
| SA Scale AI | $243,000 | 8 |
Geologist salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $52,500 | 5 |
Research Scientist salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| London | $275,000 | 9 |
| San Francisco | $262,250 | 90 |
| New York | $243,000 | 56 |
| Seattle | $216,900 | 20 |
| Toronto | $212,000 | 9 |
| Los Angeles | $187,500 | 4 |
| Boston | $181,000 | 25 |
| Chicago | $147,566 | 4 |
| Austin | $49,864 | 10 |
Geologist vs Research Scientist: which pays more?
The median for Geologist is $110,240 per year (typically $70,000–$140,000), versus $172,849 for Research Scientist ($117,000–$243,000). That puts Research Scientist about 57% 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.