Entry-level Geoscientist salary in Houston, TX

Based on 39 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level I in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Spring, The Woodlands, Sugar Land, Magnolia.

Median salary$103,500
Middle 50%$83.3k–$142k
vs. all levels here−28%comparison median $143,100
Filings39FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $61,922 and $165,230.
PercentileSalary
10th$79,052
25th$83,299
50th (median)$103,500
75th$142,000
90th$163,664

Salary by year

Median salary

$70k $110k $150k FY2020: median $84,700 (24 filings) FY2021: median $103,334 (23 filings) FY2022: median $103,334 (26 filings) FY2023: median $84,500 (14 filings) FY2024: median $95,000 (19 filings) FY2025: median $84,335 (24 filings) FY2026: median $135,000 (15 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 24 filings FY20 FY2021: 23 filings FY21 FY2022: 26 filings FY22 FY2023: 14 filings FY23 FY2024: 19 filings FY24 FY2025: 24 filings FY25 FY2026: 15 filings FY26 26
Shaded: FY2025–FY2026, the years behind the figures above. Median shown for years with at least 10 filings. FY2026 covers Q1–Q3 only.
Show as table
Fiscal yearMedianP25P75Filings
FY2020$84,700$84,302$93,32124
FY2021$103,334$98,800$105,00023
FY2022$103,334$103,334$122,79526
FY2023$84,500$80,808$92,70014
FY2024$95,000$85,800$117,64319
FY2025$84,335$82,597$106,41224
FY2026$135,000$115,020$150,70015

Cost of living

Houston's median entry-level Geoscientist salary of $103,500 is worth about $104,900 at national average prices.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Houston = 98.6).

Compared with all workers here

All Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers in the Houston, TX area earned a median of $174,490 in May 2025 (2,380 employed). The H-1B median here is $103,500, 41% lower.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS metropolitan area estimates. BLS wages include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are base salary.

Employers filing at this level

EmployerMedianFilings
BP America$138,50012
Schlumberger Technologytoo few5
University of Houstontoo few3
Archer Oil Toolstoo few2
Borehole Seismictoo few2
Hydrogeo Energytoo few2
Lumina Geophysicaltoo few2
RevoChemtoo few2

Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I $103,500 39
Mid-level · Level II $159,138 23
Senior · Level III – 0
Expert · Level IV too few 3

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Minimum H-1B salary by level

Wage levelPrevailing wage (most common)Median offered salaryFilings
Entry-level · Level I$103,251$103,50039
Mid-level · Level II$121,160$159,13823

The prevailing wage is the minimum an employer must pay for this job and area. Amounts vary by county within a metro and by wage source.