According to the U.S. Department of Labor, in 2003, government meteorologists were making anywhere from $23,000 to $92,000 in both supervising and non-supervising positions. The exact amount varied, depending on the area of the country, level of education and seniority. The median income was about $60,000. Adjust annually for inflation for a rough estimate of current salaries. It's also reported by people who have these jobs that advancing technology is making the job easier and that salaries do rise steadily as one stays in the job over the course of years.
In studies of broadcast meteorologist salaries in 2003, the salary range was wider and the potential pay-off much larger: $13,000 to $250,000 (with a handful in very large markets potentially earning more). In this case, market size and years of experience determined the salary. People working at small TV stations in small media markets made less. People in large TV markets with many years' experience made more. The key to advancing in salary is to advance in market size, working one's way to larger and larger TV markets. Many observers agree that future salaries in these positions may or may not continue to increase at the same rate as other branches of meteorology, due to the tightening of competition in the media sector.
---D.M.
