Soil and Plant Scientists build complex problem solving, judgment and decision making and systems evaluation 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 Industrial Ecologists (89%).
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 | Industrial Ecologists | 89% | $82,220Pay for the broader BLS group “Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health” | Not compared | None |
| 2 | Agricultural Engineers | 86% | $98,590 | +25% | None |
| 3 | Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers | 85% | $101,920 | +29% | None |
| 4 | Hydrologists | 85% | $96,600 | +23% | None |
| 5 | Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | 85% | $82,220 | +4% | None |
| 6 | Environmental Restoration Planners | 84% | $82,220Pay for the broader BLS group “Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health” | Not compared | None |
| 7 | Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists | 75% | $122,570Pay for the broader BLS group “Physical Scientists, All Other” | Not compared | None |
| 8 | Astronomers | 75% | $128,820 | +63% | None |
| 9 | Water Resource Specialists | 75% | $167,220Pay for the broader BLS group “Natural Sciences Managers” | Not compared | None |
| 10 | Atmospheric and Space Scientists | 74% | $99,070 | +26% | None |
Compared with Soil and Plant Scientists, median $78,850. 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 soil and plant scientists (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.
89% skill match · $82,220 (broader BLS group)
Management of Personnel Resources · Systems Analysis
No work-context factor stands out as unusually hard in O*NET data.
86% skill match · $98,590 · +25% pay
Technology Design · Equipment Selection · Equipment Maintenance
85% skill match · $101,920 · +29% pay
Equipment Selection · Equipment Maintenance · Repairing
No work-context factor stands out as unusually hard in O*NET data.
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Industrial Ecologists (89% skill match, median $82,220), Agricultural Engineers (86% skill match, median $98,590) and Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers (85% skill match, median $101,920), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 14 pay more than soil and plant scientists at the median. The biggest increases: Physicists (+118%, $172,250), Petroleum Engineers (+84%, $144,910) and Nuclear Engineers (+70%, $133,970).
25 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
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.