Best programs to become a hydrologic technician
BLS lists an associate's degree as the typical entry-level education for hydrologic technicians. The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Science Technologies/Technicians, as well as Hydrology and Water Resources Science (IPEDS completions).
4 college programs at 105 schools train hydrologic technicians, graduating 2,836 people a year (IPEDS completions). The job pays a median of $64,790 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About hydrologic technicians
Collect and organize data concerning the distribution and circulation of ground and surface water, and data on its physical, chemical, and biological properties. Measure and report on flow rates and ground water levels, maintain field equipment, collect water samples, install and collect sampling equipment, and process samples for shipment to testing laboratories. May collect data on behalf of hydrologists, engineers, developers, government agencies, or agriculture.
Best programs to study to become a hydrologic technician
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 41.9999 | 2,473 | 87.2% | 56 | $49,936 | $22,636 |
| 2 | CIP 40.0605 | 206 | 7.3% | 38 | $39,678 | $24,864 |
| 3 | Science Technologies/Technicians, Generalmain feeder CIP 41.0000 | 155 | 5.5% | 19 | $71,144 | $10,229 |
| 4 | CIP 41.0399 | 2 | 0.1% | 1 | $51,860 | $11,959 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
What hydrologic technicians earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | $66,770 | 60 | 0.66× | 17 | 1,266 |
| Nevadamoderate | $68,660 | 30 | 1.20× | 4 | 359 |
| Arizonamoderate | $65,170 | 50 | 0.81× | 4 | 222 |
| Marylandmoderate | $67,520 | 50 | 1.06× | 4 | 213 |
| Colorado | $56,780 | — | — | 7 | 127 |
| West Virginia | $48,230 | — | — | 5 | 89 |
| North Carolinamoderate | $59,590 | 110 | 1.22× | 4 | 60 |
| New Jerseylimited | $65,190 | 40 | 0.48× | 1 | 53 |
| Texas | $88,400 | 270 | 1.06× | 5 | 39 |
| California | $70,790 | 300 | 0.90× | 5 | 26 |
| New Yorkmoderate | $65,190 | 50 | 0.28× | 3 | 25 |
| Wisconsinmoderate | $60,100 | 50 | 0.91× | 3 | 22 |
| Illinoislimited | $52,870 | — | — | 2 | 20 |
| Montanalimited | $53,550 | 70 | 6.99× | 2 | 12 |
| Oregonmoderate | $62,510 | 80 | 2.32× | 3 | 11 |
| Virginialimited | $52,190 | 40 | 0.55× | 1 | 10 |
| New Mexicolimited | $79,710 | 50 | 3.24× | 2 | 8 |
| Louisianalimited | $65,170 | 40 | 1.05× | 2 | 6 |
| Ohiolimited | $52,120 | 80 | 0.76× | 1 | 6 |
| Pennsylvaniamoderate | $65,420 | 100 | 0.94× | 3 | 5 |
| Idaholimited | $54,950 | 50 | 3.33× | 1 | 4 |
| Washingtonlimited | $85,240 | 70 | 1.03× | 2 | 3 |
| Massachusettslimited | $73,820 | 60 | 0.95× | 1 | 2 |
| Missourilimited | $79,440 | 40 | 0.70× | 1 | 2 |
| New Hampshirelimited | $64,790 | 50 | 3.67× | 2 | 2 |
Skills and knowledge
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Analyze ecological data about the impact of pollution, erosion, floods, and other environmental problems on bodies of water.
- Answer technical questions from hydrologists, policymakers, or other customers developing water conservation plans.
- Apply research findings to minimize the environmental impacts of pollution, waterborne diseases, erosion, or sedimentation.
- Assist in designing programs to ensure the proper sealing of abandoned wells.
- Collect water and soil samples to test for physical, chemical, or biological properties, such as pH, oxygen level, temperature, and pollution.
- Develop computer models for hydrologic predictions.
- Estimate the costs and benefits of municipal projects, such as hydroelectric power plants, irrigation systems, and wastewater treatment facilities.
- Investigate complaints or conflicts related to the alteration of public waters by gathering information, recommending alternatives, or preparing legal documents.
How to get in
How to become a hydrologic technician
- Typical entry education
- Associate's degree
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 4 majors mapped to Hydrologic Technicians4 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 40.0605Hydrology and Water Resources Science
- 41.0000Science Technologies/Technicians, General
- 41.0399Physical Science Technologies/Technicians, Other
- 41.9999Science Technologies/Technicians, Other
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a hydrologic technician?+
BLS lists an associate's degree as the typical entry-level education for hydrologic technicians. The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Science Technologies/Technicians, as well as Hydrology and Water Resources Science (IPEDS completions).
Which college majors lead to becoming a hydrologic technician?+
The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Science Technologies/Technicians, as well as Hydrology and Water Resources Science (IPEDS completions). In all, the NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 4 programs to this job, which together graduate about 2,836 people a year.
How much do hydrologic technicians earn?+
The median is $64,790 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $44,950 at the 10th percentile to $100,480 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for hydrologic technicians growing?+
BLS projects a -2.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
105 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 4 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
Do you need training or experience beyond a degree?+
BLS lists 'None' for related work experience and 'Moderate-term on-the-job training' for on-the-job training typically needed to reach competency.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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