Side-by-side distribution
Geologist
$109,050
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 32.3%
- Live roles
- 31
Research Scientist
$219,688
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 52.9%
- Live roles
- 384
Highest-paying jobs
Principal Geologist
Project Geologist
Lead Resource Geologist
Senior Exploration Geologist
Geologist or Geologist-in-Training
Environmental Scientist / Geologist / Engineer
Environmental Engineer, Scientist, or Geologist I
Environmental Scientist, Geologist or Engineer
Senior Exploration Geologist (Solomon Islands - FIFO Roster)
Senior Exploration Geologist (Solomon Islands - FIFO Roster)
Highest-paying jobs
Research Scientist, Interpretability
Research Engineer/Research Scientist, Pre-training
Research Engineer/Research Scientist - Personal AGI, North Stars
Research Engineer / Research Scientist- Personal AGI (Post Training)
Research Engineer/Research Scientist, Personal AGI-Model Experience
Research Engineer / Research Scientist - Personal AGI, Personality and Model Behavior
Research Engineer / Research Scientist -Personal AGI, Proactivity
Research Engineer / Research Scientist, Tokens
Staff / Principal Research Scientist - USA
Research Engineer / Scientist, Alignment
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
LaBella Associates
|
$61,700 | 2 |
|
IBMC
|
$46,200 | 2 |
|
Endurance Energy
|
$180,000 | 1 |
|
Mariana Minerals
|
$157,500 | 1 |
|
Apex Companies
|
$150,000 | 1 |
|
KoBold Metals
|
$140,000 | 1 |
|
Evr
|
$109,050 | 1 |
| TE True Environmental | $70,000 | 1 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Anthropic
|
$377,500 | 12 |
Anduril Industries
|
$221,000 | 8 |
Astera Institute
|
$225,000 | 7 |
|
OpenAI
|
$425,000 | 6 |
Waabi
|
$212,750 | 6 |
| SA Scale AI | $243,000 | 5 |
Nuro
|
$229,900 | 5 |
World Labs
|
$300,000 | 4 |
Geologist salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $62,400 | 3 |
Research Scientist salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $291,650 | 11 |
| Boston | $275,000 | 8 |
| San Francisco | $267,500 | 67 |
| New York | $243,000 | 38 |
| Toronto | $212,000 | 8 |
| London | $203,341 | 10 |
| Los Angeles | $80,000 | 3 |
Geologist vs Research Scientist: which pays more?
The median for Geologist is $109,050 per year (typically $62,400–$150,000), versus $219,688 for Research Scientist ($177,088–$275,000). That puts Research Scientist about 101% 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.