Geology Degree in Long Beach, CA — Salary & ROI 2026
Geology degree analysis for Long Beach, CA. COL-adjusted salary data, local tuition costs, ROI calculator, and job market outlook.
Starting Salary
$58K
COL-adjusted
Mid-Career
$95K
COL-adjusted
ROI Payback
5 yrs
in Long Beach
Cost of Living
116
index (100 = avg)
Geology in Long Beach, CA Overview
Long Beach, California (pop. 466,742) has 14 colleges offering Geology programs. The local cost of living index of 116 is higher than average, so budget accordingly, with average rent near campus at $1,546/month. Geology enrollment is stable nationwide, with steady demand for graduates skilled in Mineralogy and GIS. The adjusted starting salary in Long Beach is approximately $58,000, growing to $95,120 by mid-career.
Category
STEM
Local Colleges
14
Public Tuition
$4,169/yr
Private Tuition
$9,960/yr
Room & Board
$17,446/yr
Avg Fin. Aid
$15,553/yr
Unemployment
6.6%
Graduation Rate
60%
Geology Salary in Long Beach (COL-Adjusted)
Salaries adjusted for Long Beach's cost of living index of 116 (national average = 100).
Note: National average Geology salary: $50,000 starting, $82,000 mid-career, $105,000 senior level.Long Beach adjustment factor: 1.16x based on the local cost of living index.
Geology ROI Calculator for Long Beach
Estimate your return on investment for a Geology degree using local Long Beach tuition and cost of living data.
Public avg: $4,169 | Private avg: $9,960
Long Beach avg aid: $15,553/yr
Federal avg: 6.5% | Private: 4-14%
Total Education Cost
$86,460
tuition + room & board - aid
Annual Earnings Premium
$17,400
vs HS diploma in Long Beach
ROI Payback Period
5 years
to break even
Lifetime Return in Long Beach
$516,740
Lifetime earnings premium ($603,200) minus total education cost ($86,460)
Student Loan Payoff for Geology in Long Beach
Standard Plan (10 years)
Aggressive Plan (5 years)
Colleges in Long Beach for Geology
California State University, Long Beach
public
$6,798/yr
$27,192 total
Long Beach City College
public
$1,540/yr
$6,160 total
Pacific Coast University School of Law
private
$9,960/yr
$39,840 total
Community Colleges (2-Year Transfer)
Long Beach City College
$1,540/yr
Top Employers for Geology in Long Beach
Long Beach offers opportunities in Tech companies, Research labs, Government agencies for Geology graduates. National top employers in this field include:
Key Long Beach Hiring Sectors for STEM
Tech companies
Research labs
Government agencies
Startups
Consulting firms
Common Geology Job Titles
Geology in Nearby California Cities
Los Angeles, CA
$71K starting · COL 141
69 colleges
San Diego, CA
$70K starting · COL 140
68 colleges
San Jose, CA
$65K starting · COL 129
95 colleges
San Francisco, CA
$57K starting · COL 114
22 colleges
Fresno, CA
$59K starting · COL 118
37 colleges
Sacramento, CA
$56K starting · COL 112
38 colleges
Oakland, CA
$66K starting · COL 132
13 colleges
Bakersfield, CA
$67K starting · COL 134
18 colleges
Other STEM Majors in Long Beach
Prompt Engineering
$58K starting · 1.5 yr ROI
Computational Linguistics
$110K starting · 2 yr ROI
Computer Science
$99K starting · 2.8 yr ROI
Software Engineering
$102K starting · 2.7 yr ROI
Data Science
$95K starting · 3 yr ROI
Actuarial Science
$58K starting · 3 yr ROI
Cybersecurity
$93K starting · 3 yr ROI
Robotics Engineering
$58K starting · 3 yr ROI
Geology Degree in Long Beach — FAQ
Data Sources: Salary data from BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook. Cost of living from BLS Regional Data. College data from NCES/IPEDS. Updated March 2026.
Explore More
Compare Geology ROI in other cities, or explore other majors in Long Beach.