The salary statistics of astronomers in the industry sector of professional, scientific, and technical services are shown in Table 1. In Table 2 we compare astronomers salaries in different industries within the professional, scientific, and technical services sector.
| Percentile Bracket | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile Wage | $62,790 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $78,340 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $106,330 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $142,950 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $176,440 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for astronomers in the industry sector of professional, scientific, and technical services. The salaries are shown in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) astronomers is $176,440. The median annual salary (50th percentile) is $106,330. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent paid astronomers is $62,790.
The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of astronomers in the industry sector of professional, scientific, and technical services from 2012 to 2018.
| Year | Median Salary | Yearly Growth | 6-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $106,330 | 2.26% | 11.72% |
| 2017 | $103,930 | -9.24% | - |
| 2016 | $113,530 | -3.58% | - |
| 2015 | $117,600 | 3.62% | - |
| 2014 | $113,340 | 7.86% | - |
| 2013 | $104,430 | 10.11% | - |
| 2012 | $93,870 | - | - |
Data source: The national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in 2018 and published in April 2019 [1].