Life, Physical, and Social Science · Holland code IRC

Atmospheric and Space Scientists

Investigate atmospheric phenomena and interpret meteorological data, gathered by surface and air stations, satellites, and radar to prepare reports and forecasts for public and other uses. Includes weather analysts and forecasters whose functions require the detailed knowledge of meteorology.

Also called: Forecaster, General Forecaster, Meteorologist, Research Meteorologist, Broadcast Meteorologist, Hydrometeorological Technician (Hydrometeorological Tech), Ocean Monitoring and Data Assimilation Scientist, Service Hydrologist.

O*NET 19-2021.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $99,070; Middle half earn $73,350 to $129,960. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 60% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +1% · Slower than average; 9,400 jobs in 2024, projected 9,500. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Atmospheric scientists, including meteorologists".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Develop or use mathematical or computer models for weather forecasting.
Interpret data, reports, maps, photographs, or charts to predict long- or short-range weather conditions, using computer models and knowledge of climate theory, physics, and mathematics.
Conduct meteorological research into the processes or determinants of atmospheric phenomena, weather, or climate.
Formulate predictions by interpreting environmental data, such as meteorological, atmospheric, oceanic, paleoclimate, climate, or related information.
Broadcast weather conditions, forecasts, or severe weather warnings to the public via television, radio, or the Internet or provide this information to the news media.
Prepare forecasts or briefings to meet the needs of industry, business, government, or other groups.
Direct forecasting services at weather stations or at radio or television broadcasting facilities.
Gather data from sources such as surface or upper air stations, satellites, weather bureaus, or radar for use in meteorological reports or forecasts.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.1 / 5
Active Listening4.0 / 5
Speaking4.0 / 5
Science4.0 / 5
Critical Thinking4.0 / 5
Active Learning4.0 / 5

Knowledge areas

Mathematics4.4 / 5
Physics4.4 / 5
Geography4.4 / 5
Computers and Electronics4.2 / 5
English Language3.8 / 5
Communications and Media3.2 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic63
Investigative88
Artistic29
Social25
Enterprising28
Conventional58

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

meteorologist · DE Meteorologe/Meteorologin · FR météorologiste
aviation meteorologist · DE Flugmeteorologe/Flugmeteorologin · FR météorologue aéronautique
climatologist · DE Klimatologe/Klimatologin · FR climatologue
weather forecaster · DE Wettervorhersager/Wettervorhersagerin · FR météorologue présentateur/météorologue présentatrice
meteorology technician · DE Meteorologietechniker/Meteorologietechnikerin · FR technicien de la météorologie/technicienne de la météorologie

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Laboratory technicians (3111)51,100 employed
Physical scientists (2114)31,600 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.37. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (19-2021).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test