Hydrologists build complex problem solving, judgment and decision making and systems analysis skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Water Resource Specialists (90%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Water Resource Specialists | 90% | $167,220Pay for the broader BLS group “Natural Sciences Managers” | Not compared | None |
| 2 | Environmental Engineers | 84% | $107,110 | +11% | None |
| 3 | Water/Wastewater Engineers | 81% | $100,840Pay for the broader BLS group “Civil Engineers” | Not compared | None |
| 4 | Petroleum Engineers | 80% | $144,910 | +50% | None |
| 5 | Conservation Scientists | 79% | $73,010 | −24% | None |
| 6 | Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers | 79% | $106,220 | +10% | None |
| 7 | Agricultural Engineers | 78% | $98,590 | +2% | None |
| 8 | Soil and Plant Scientists | 78% | $78,850 | −18% | Graduate degree |
| 9 | Nuclear Engineers | 77% | $133,970 | +39% | None |
| 10 | Geodetic Surveyors | 76% | $75,440Pay for the broader BLS group “Surveyors” | Not compared | None |
Compared with Hydrologists, median $96,600. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as hydrologists (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
90% skill match · $167,220 (broader BLS group)
Time Management · Service Orientation · Systems Evaluation
84% skill match · $107,110 · +11% pay
Coordination · Service Orientation · Negotiation
81% skill match · $100,840 (broader BLS group)
Technology Design · Systems Evaluation · Operations Analysis
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Water Resource Specialists (90% skill match, median $167,220), Environmental Engineers (84% skill match, median $107,110) and Water/Wastewater Engineers (81% skill match, median $100,840), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 11 pay more than hydrologists at the median. The biggest increases: Computer Hardware Engineers (+67%, $161,740), Petroleum Engineers (+50%, $144,910) and Nuclear Engineers (+39%, $133,970).
23 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones. 2 usually need a graduate degree: Soil and Plant Scientists and Biochemists and Biophysicists.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.