An oceanographer, like any other professional, makes different salaries dependent upon their place of employment, geographical area and applicable skills. The median salary for oceanographers in the United States as of May 2006 was $72,660 annually. The middle 50 percent of American oceanographers made between $51,860 and $100,650 in the same year. In 2007, the average salary of an oceanographer employed by the United States Federal government was $93,461.