Fact brief – Is climate science a high-paying profession?
Posted on 22 July 2025 by Sue Bin Park
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline.
Is climate science a high-paying profession?
Climate scientists are paid for their work, but grants primarily fund research expenses, not personal gain. The field offers modest salaries relative to other accessible professions.
Scientific research is expensive and competitive. Grants fund equipment, lab space, travel, data collection, and salaries for entire teams, not single individuals. A $400,000 grant might pay a scientist less than $17,000 annually over three years.
The average yearly salary of a U.S. climate researcher is $90,000 per year, comparable to IT administrators rather than CEOs.
The claim that climate scientists fabricate results for money ignores the accountability and transparency built into grant systems. Funds are awarded based on peer-reviewed proposals, and all spending must be justified and reported.
Such specialists who are “in it for the money” would likely work in more lucrative private sectors like oil or gas industries, whose executives make $20 million per year.
Go to full rebuttal on Skeptical Science or to the fact brief on Gigafact
This fact brief is responsive to quotes such as this one.
Sources
The New York Times The Baseless Claim That Climate Scientists Are ‘Driven’ by Money
Ars Technica If climate scientists are in it for the money, they’re doing it wrong
Global Warming: Man or Myth? Scientists can also wear their citizen hats Taking the Money for Grant(ed) – Part I
ZipRecruiter Climate Scientist Salary
Glassdoor Climate Scientist Salaries
RaiseMe Climate scientists: Salary, career path, job outlook, education and more
Yahoo Finance Here’s How Rich All the Big Oil Executives Are
About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact — a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all of our published fact briefs here.
