Geologist Salary in Denver, CO
May 2025 BLS wage benchmarks for the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metropolitan area. Reviewed September 7, 2026. Regional occupational estimates, not city-only or guaranteed pay.
Annual median
$120,480
Annual mean
$138,380
Hourly median
$57.92
Employment estimate
1,020
The regional median is $120,480 per year for Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers, occupation code 19-2042. O*NET lists geologist among the titles in this occupation. The category is broader than any one job title, and it excludes hydrologists and geographers.
Denver metro wage distribution
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $74,720 | $35.93 |
| 25th percentile | $90,840 | $43.67 |
| Median (50th) | $120,480 | $57.92 |
| 75th percentile | $175,050 | $84.16 |
| 90th percentile | $220,270 | $105.90 |
Percentiles describe the wage distribution. They are not minimum offers, maximum salaries, or junior/senior experience levels. The mean of $138,380 and the median of $120,480 are different statistics.
Same-occupation national comparison
The national median for the same BLS occupation and reference period is $101,920. The metro median is $18,560 higher, or 18.2%. National estimated employment is 23,470.
This is a comparison of two published occupational estimates. It is not a cost-of-living adjustment, a purchasing-power comparison or an explanation of why local pay differs. Industry mix and the positions included in each estimate matter.
What this benchmark covers
- Geography: Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO, BLS area 19740. This is not limited to the Denver city boundary.
- Occupation: 19-2042, Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers. Match job duties as well as the advertised title.
- Period: May 2025 wage estimates, published by BLS in 2026. No inflation uplift or future salary growth is added here.
- Scope: cross-industry wage and salary employment. Self-employed consulting income is outside the OEWS survey scope.
- Uncertainty: estimated employment is 1,020, with 10.3% relative standard error reported for employment. That percentage is not a confidence interval for the median wage.
Sources and reproducibility
The wage table retains the published cells for area 19740 and occupation 19-2042 from MSA_M2025_dl.xlsx. The national comparison uses the same occupation from national_M2025_dl.xlsx. Both are cross-industry, all-ownership estimates; no Salario salary model is applied.
- Data for this report (JSON)
- Official BLS May 2025 metro workbook ZIP
- Official BLS May 2025 national workbook ZIP
- BLS OEWS technical notes
- O*NET occupation definition and reported titles
Metro source retrieved September 7, 2026. Original ZIP SHA256:
cc3e6fa80edf64ab8fd0e8a6472ef1b513a6bcaef2f5018e9649c485793b0b99Correction to the earlier estimate
This URL previously displayed $97,940 from a national-job estimate adjusted by a local cost-of-living factor. That model is not a local wage survey. This revision replaces it with the directly sourced metro occupational benchmark and removes unsupported experience bands, growth projections and fixed take-home estimates from this report.
Other Salario profiles may use different methods. This report does not establish what a particular employer will offer or what an individual will take home after taxes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the geologist salary benchmark for Denver?
BLS May 2025 estimates put the annual median at $120,480 for Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers, in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area. Geologist is one title within that broader occupation. This is not a city-only survey or a guaranteed offer.
How much do entry-level geologists earn in Denver?
These BLS data do not identify years of experience. The metro 10th-percentile wage is $74,720 and the 25th percentile is $90,840, but they cannot be relabeled as entry-level salaries. Compare a specific entry-level posting and its duties rather than treating a wage percentile as an experience band.
Does this cover only Denver city?
No. The reporting area is Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO, area code 19740. It includes the wider metropolitan labor market, and the wages cover the full BLS geoscientist occupation across surveyed industries.
Are these wages the same as total compensation or consulting fees?
No. OEWS measures straight-time gross wages under its survey definition. It excludes self-employed workers, overtime and employer benefit costs; some incentive pay is included. An hourly wage estimate is not a consulting billing rate, and base pay should not be compared directly with an offer that includes benefits or equity.
Does the employment estimate mean there are 1,020 vacancies?
No. The 1,020 figure is estimated employment in May 2025, not a count of current job openings, employers or unique jobseekers. Survey estimates have sampling uncertainty.