Side-by-side distribution
Geologist
$109,050
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 33.3%
- Live roles
- 30
Researcher
$160,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 36.1%
- Live roles
- 1,105
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
Researcher, Training - London
Member of Technical Staff (AI Researcher)
Researcher, Automated Red Teaming
Researcher, Alignment CoT Monitorability
Researcher, Frontier Biological and Chemical Risks
Researcher, Alignment Training
Researcher, Alignment Science
Researcher, Synthetic RL
Researcher, Misalignment Research
Researcher, Alignment Oversight
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 |
|---|---|---|
|
OpenAI
|
$370,000 | 14 |
STR
|
$194,500 | 14 |
Egon Zehnder
|
$90,000 | 13 |
Two Six Technologies
|
$169,561 | 10 |
GiveWell
|
$308,000 | 9 |
Stevens Capital Management LP
|
$225,000 | 9 |
IMC
|
$275,000 | 8 |
Arc Institute
|
$80,000 | 8 |
Geologist salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $62,400 | 3 |
Researcher salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore | $237,500 | 9 |
| London | $208,740 | 15 |
| New York | $200,000 | 100 |
| San Francisco | $200,000 | 66 |
| Chicago | $187,500 | 47 |
| Austin | $172,850 | 11 |
| Atlanta | $154,500 | 9 |
| Seattle | $114,400 | 5 |
| Boston | $110,000 | 15 |
| Los Angeles | $109,750 | 6 |
Geologist vs Researcher: which pays more?
The median for Geologist is $109,050 per year (typically $62,400–$150,000), versus $160,000 for Researcher ($100,750–$220,000). That puts Researcher about 47% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Geologist and Researcher 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.