Average Geologist Salary in Nova Scotia, Canada for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Geologist salary for 2024 in Nova Scotia and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Canadian dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the CAD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Geologist Make in Nova Scotia?

A Geologist working in Nova Scotia will typically earn around 195,200 CAD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 92,300 CAD to the highest average salary of 309,800 CAD.

Average Annual Salary
195,200 CAD
Average Monthly Salary
16,266 CAD

Lowest Annual Salary
92,300 CAD
Lowest Monthly Salary
7,691 CAD

Highest Annual Salary
309,800 CAD
Highest Monthly Salary
25,816 CAD

These are average salaries for a Geologist in Nova Scotia and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Geologist to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Geologist salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Geologist Salaries in Nova Scotia

So we've looked at the average salaries a Geologist will earn in Nova Scotia. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Geologist can earn between 92,300 CAD and 309,800 CAD on average in Nova Scotia. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Geologist in Nova Scotia is 206,700 CAD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 206,700 CAD, and 50% of the population earn more than 206,700 CAD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Geologist salary in Nova Scotia, 25% of the population are earning less than 134,700 CAD while 75% of the population earn more than 134,700 CAD.

75% of the population earn less than 272,900 CAD, and 25% of the population earn more than 272,900 CAD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Geologist Salary by Experience Level in Nova Scotia

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average geologist salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Geologist in Nova Scotia that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 107,300 CAD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Geologist salary would increase to 147,900 CAD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Geologist, the average salary would be 206,300 CAD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 252,400 CAD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Geologist with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 267,200 CAD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Geologist with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 291,000 CAD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
107,300 CAD
2-5 Years +38%
147,900 CAD
5-10 Years +42%
206,300 CAD
10-15 Years +22%
252,400 CAD
15-20 Years +6%
267,200 CAD
20+ Years +9%
291,000 CAD

Geologist Salary by Education Level in Nova Scotia

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Geologist in Nova Scotia based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Geologist in Nova Scotia with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 134,700 CAD.

  • Master's Degree. A Geologist in Nova Scotia with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 210,600 CAD.

  • PhD. A Geologist in Nova Scotia with a phd education can earn an average salary of 280,400 CAD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree
134,700 CAD
Master's Degree +55%
210,600 CAD
PhD +33%
280,400 CAD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in Canada is around 49,800 to 149,000 CAD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Geologist Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Nova Scotia, a male geologist will earn an average of 205,400 CAD, while a female geologist will earn around 193,200 CAD.

This means that a male geologist earns approximately 6% more than a female geologist for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Nova Scotia

Male
205,400 CAD
Female -6%
193,200 CAD

Geologist Average Pay Raise in Nova Scotia

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Geologist in Nova Scotia is around 12% every 17 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Canada is around 9% every 15 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 12 ÷ 17 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that a Geologist in Nova Scotia can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Nova Scotia for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in Canada.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
2%
Energy
4%
Information Technology
6%
Healthcare
8%
Travel
1%
Construction
3%
Education
5%

Geologist Bonus and Incentive Rates in Nova Scotia

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Geologist is a moderate bonus based job, with 58% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

42% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6%.

Received Bonus
58%
No Bonus
42%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in Canada earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
123,000 CAD
Private Sector -6%
115,600 CAD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Geologist

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Geologist in Nova Scotia.

Job Title Category Salary
Environment Advisor Environmental 160,600 CAD
Environmental and Agricultural Scientist Environmental 199,700 CAD
Environmental Assistant Environmental 70,000 CAD
Environmental Compliance Inspector Environmental 83,300 CAD
Environmental Coordinator Environmental 66,900 CAD
Environmental Economist Environmental 183,900 CAD
Environmental Educator Environmental 142,300 CAD
Environmental Engineer Environmental 111,700 CAD
Environmental Health and Safety Manager Environmental 204,900 CAD
Environmental Health Practitioner Environmental 204,900 CAD
Environmental Manager Environmental 197,600 CAD
Environmental Officer Environmental 57,200 CAD
Environmental Planner Environmental 73,800 CAD
Environmental Protection Officer Environmental 61,300 CAD
Environmental Restoration Planner Environmental 111,700 CAD
Environmental Scientist Environmental 185,900 CAD
Environmental Services Coordinator Environmental 61,400 CAD
Environmental Specialist Environmental 91,700 CAD
Environmental Superintendent Environmental 77,000 CAD
Environmental Technician Environmental 58,000 CAD
Forestry Consultant Environmental 132,000 CAD
Forestry Supervisor Environmental 86,300 CAD
Senor Environmental Health Practitioner Environmental 195,500 CAD
Toxicologist Environmental 128,400 CAD
Waste Management Manager Environmental 184,700 CAD
Waste Tracking Specialist Environmental 151,800 CAD
Water Treatment Superintendent Environmental 92,200 CAD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in Canada, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Brampton 203,033 CAD
Calgary 222,900 CAD
Edmonton 217,367 CAD
Gatineau 183,700 CAD
Halifax 188,100 CAD
Hamilton 203,000 CAD
Kitchener 200,867 CAD
Markham 196,933 CAD
Mississauga 205,733 CAD
Montreal 213,533 CAD
Ottawa 211,367 CAD
Quebec 203,133 CAD
Regina 186,533 CAD
Richmond 183,933 CAD
Saskatoon 178,233 CAD
Surrey 201,533 CAD
Toronto 222,833 CAD
Vancouver 223,400 CAD
Vaughan 189,233 CAD
Windsor 184,867 CAD
Winnipeg 211,833 CAD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in Canada.

City Average Salary
Alberta 223,400 CAD
British Columbia 217,000 CAD
Manitoba 209,300 CAD
New Brunswick 190,933 CAD
Newfoundland-Labrador 183,900 CAD
Northwest Territories 205,867 CAD
Nunavut 213,367 CAD
Ontario 226,300 CAD
Prince Edward Island 182,333 CAD
Quebec 229,133 CAD
Saskatchewan 198,300 CAD
Yukon 184,433 CAD

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