The salary statistics of astronomers in the industry sector of federal, state, and local government are shown in Table 1. In Table 2 we compare astronomers salaries in different industries within the federal, state, and local government sector.
| Percentile Bracket | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile Wage | $95,140 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $114,610 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $147,710 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $164,200 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $164,220 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for astronomers in the industry sector of federal, state, and local government. 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 $164,220. The median annual salary (50th percentile) is $147,710. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent paid astronomers is $95,140.
The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of astronomers in the industry sector of federal, state, and local government from 2012 to 2018.
| Year | Median Salary | Yearly Growth | 6-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $147,710 | 1.69% | 7.41% |
| 2017 | $145,210 | 1.63% | - |
| 2016 | $142,850 | 2.33% | - |
| 2015 | $139,520 | 0.98% | - |
| 2014 | $138,150 | 0.99% | - |
| 2013 | $136,780 | 0.01% | - |
| 2012 | $136,770 | - | - |
Data source: The national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in 2018 and published in April 2019 [1].