Average Geophysicist Salary in Canada for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Geophysicist salary for 2024 in Canada 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 Geophysicist Make in Canada?

A Geophysicist working in Canada will typically earn around 195,500 CAD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 96,500 CAD to the highest average salary of 308,400 CAD.

Average Annual Salary
195,500 CAD
Average Monthly Salary
16,291 CAD

Lowest Annual Salary
96,500 CAD
Lowest Monthly Salary
8,041 CAD

Highest Annual Salary
308,400 CAD
Highest Monthly Salary
25,700 CAD

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

Geophysicist 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 Geophysicist Salaries in Canada

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

Salary ranges

We already know that a Geophysicist can earn between 96,500 CAD and 308,400 CAD on average in Canada. 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 Geophysicist in Canada is 199,700 CAD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 199,700 CAD, and 50% of the population earn more than 199,700 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 Geophysicist salary in Canada, 25% of the population are earning less than 134,100 CAD while 75% of the population earn more than 134,100 CAD.

75% of the population earn less than 257,500 CAD, and 25% of the population earn more than 257,500 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.

Geophysicist Salary by Experience Level in Canada

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 geophysicist 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 Geophysicist in Canada that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 116,400 CAD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Geophysicist salary would increase to 148,300 CAD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Geophysicist, the average salary would be 204,900 CAD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 253,400 CAD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Geophysicist with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 271,300 CAD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Geophysicist with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 286,400 CAD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
116,400 CAD
2-5 Years +29%
148,300 CAD
5-10 Years +38%
204,900 CAD
10-15 Years +24%
253,400 CAD
15-20 Years +7%
271,300 CAD
20+ Years +7%
286,400 CAD

Geophysicist Salary by Education Level in Canada

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 Geophysicist in Canada 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 Geophysicist in Canada with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 134,700 CAD.

  • Master's Degree. A Geophysicist in Canada with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 184,700 CAD.

  • PhD. A Geophysicist in Canada with a phd education can earn an average salary of 304,300 CAD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree
134,700 CAD
Master's Degree +38%
184,700 CAD
PhD +64%
304,300 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.

Geophysicist 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 Canada, a male geophysicist will earn an average of 199,700 CAD, while a female geophysicist will earn around 192,600 CAD.

This means that a male geophysicist earns approximately 4% more than a female geophysicist for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Canada

Male
199,700 CAD
Female -4%
192,600 CAD

Geophysicist Average Pay Raise in Canada

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 Geophysicist in Canada is around 14% every 15 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 = ( 14 ÷ 15 ) × 12  = 11%

What this means is that a Geophysicist in Canada can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 11% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Canada 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%

Geophysicist Bonus and Incentive Rates in Canada

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 Geophysicist is a moderate bonus based job, with 60% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

40% 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
60%
No Bonus
40%

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 Geophysicist

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Geophysicist in Canada.

Job Title Category Salary
Assistant Yard Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 102,700 CAD
Associate Analyst Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 123,800 CAD
Associate Landman Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 50,600 CAD
Auxiliary Equipment Operator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 44,700 CAD
Biomass Plant Technician Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 52,800 CAD
Biomass Power Plant Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 160,700 CAD
Chemical Plant Operator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 84,800 CAD
Chief Contract Compliance Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 114,300 CAD
Completions Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 99,700 CAD
Cost Controller Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 76,800 CAD
Cost Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 107,700 CAD
Crude Oil Marketing Representative Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 124,500 CAD
Dispatcher Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 47,800 CAD
Distribution Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 158,700 CAD
Dragline Operator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 52,000 CAD
Driller Offsider Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 40,300 CAD
Dump Truck Driver Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 46,400 CAD
Electric and Gas Operations Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 258,700 CAD
Energy Advisor Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 172,200 CAD
Energy Analyst Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 152,700 CAD
Energy Auditor Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 142,100 CAD
Energy Dispatch Director Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 183,900 CAD
Energy Technical Assistant Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 67,500 CAD
Energy Technical Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 130,500 CAD
Energy Technical Support Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 141,000 CAD
Energy Technical Trainer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 95,100 CAD
Engineering Geologist Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 191,500 CAD
Exploration Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 192,600 CAD
Field Safety Auditor Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 124,500 CAD
Fluids Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 111,700 CAD
Fuel Cell Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 117,100 CAD
Fuel Cell Technician Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 59,800 CAD
Fuels Handler Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 54,300 CAD
Gas Compressor Operator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 45,600 CAD
Gas Distribution Plant Operator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 93,100 CAD
Gas Supply Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 164,100 CAD
Geologist Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 200,600 CAD
Geothermal Production Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 184,700 CAD
Geothermal Technician Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 79,600 CAD
HSE Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 112,700 CAD
HSE Officer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 69,700 CAD
HSE Supervisor Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 76,800 CAD
HSEQ Administrator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 77,000 CAD
Inspector Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 105,200 CAD
Instructor Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 89,300 CAD
Instrument Designer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 90,000 CAD
Lead Technical Field Advisor Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 146,700 CAD
Logistics and Tool Coordinator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 100,500 CAD
Maintenance Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 114,600 CAD
Maintenance Superintendent Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 100,400 CAD
Material Controller Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 78,200 CAD
Mine Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 112,700 CAD
Mine Surveyor Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 119,700 CAD
Mining Project Administrator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 92,200 CAD
Mining Project Assistant Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 75,400 CAD
Mining Project Controls Consultant Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 125,400 CAD
Mining Project Coordinator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 100,700 CAD
Mining Project Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 107,300 CAD
Mining Project Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 140,200 CAD
Mining Site Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 151,800 CAD
Mining Team Leader Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 114,300 CAD
NDT Technician Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 63,200 CAD
Oil Service Unit Operator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 57,200 CAD
Oil Trader Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 142,100 CAD
Oilwell Pumper Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 41,900 CAD
Petroleum Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 128,400 CAD
Petroleum Geologist Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 204,900 CAD
Petroleum Pump System Operator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 64,500 CAD
Petroleum Technician Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 70,000 CAD
Pipeline Technician Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 38,900 CAD
Power Coordinator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 66,900 CAD
Power Plant Operations Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 215,100 CAD
Power Plant Operator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 90,600 CAD
Radio Operator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 51,600 CAD
Reliability Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 105,800 CAD
Reservoir Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 105,800 CAD
Risk Analyst Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 137,100 CAD
Roughneck Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 109,000 CAD
Scaffolder Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 72,700 CAD
Shutdown Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 95,500 CAD
Solar Energy Installation Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 158,900 CAD
Solar Energy Systems Engineer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 114,300 CAD
Solar Photovoltaic Installer Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 70,000 CAD
Solar Thermal Technician Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 66,200 CAD
Supply Operations Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 172,200 CAD
Sustainability Specialist Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 180,500 CAD
System Development Advisor Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 123,800 CAD
Tanker Truck Driver Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 44,500 CAD
Utility Operator Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 58,600 CAD
Wind Energy Project Manager Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining 146,900 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 206,100 CAD
Calgary 213,800 CAD
Edmonton 213,800 CAD
Gatineau 184,700 CAD
Halifax 190,400 CAD
Hamilton 206,700 CAD
Kitchener 189,800 CAD
Markham 201,000 CAD
Mississauga 212,500 CAD
Montreal 211,200 CAD
Ottawa 211,200 CAD
Quebec 199,700 CAD
Regina 191,500 CAD
Richmond 175,200 CAD
Saskatoon 190,400 CAD
Surrey 192,600 CAD
Toronto 219,500 CAD
Vancouver 206,300 CAD
Vaughan 199,700 CAD
Windsor 197,600 CAD
Winnipeg 215,100 CAD

Salary Comparison by State

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

City Average Salary
Alberta 206,300 CAD
British Columbia 231,400 CAD
Manitoba 216,600 CAD
New Brunswick 183,900 CAD
Newfoundland-Labrador 177,200 CAD
Northwest Territories 199,700 CAD
Nova Scotia 187,500 CAD
Nunavut 209,700 CAD
Ontario 226,100 CAD
Prince Edward Island 175,200 CAD
Quebec 225,500 CAD
Saskatchewan 199,700 CAD
Yukon 183,600 CAD

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