Chemists · SOC 19-2031

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Chemistss

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas

Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for chemists. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked (3 such areas are excluded here). Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Top 25 of 212 metro areas

Chemists: metro areas with the highest published median annual wages, May 2025
#	Metro area	Median annual	Employment	Per 1,000 jobs
1	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$144,680	2,490	0.8
2	Bay City, MI	$132,480	250	7.4
3	Midland, TX	$131,860	70	0.5
4	Lexington Park, MD	$131,810	60	0.8
5	Lake Charles, LA	$128,330	180	1.7
6	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$127,790	2,180	0.9
7	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	$127,290	2,960	1.1
8	Albuquerque, NM	$126,960	180	0.4
9	Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL	$123,840	50	0.2
10	Spartanburg, SC	$122,350	90	0.5
11	Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT	$121,770	210	1.7
12	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	$118,880	610	0.5
13	Athens-Clarke County, GA	$117,990	110	1.2
14	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$114,890	580	0.5
15	Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY	$110,920	400	0.9
16	Decatur, AL	$109,110	60	0.9
17	Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA	$108,010	80	0.8
18	State College, PA	$107,890	50	0.8
19	Baton Rouge, LA	$107,590	270	0.6
20	Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	$106,740	2,430	0.7
21	Tulsa, OK	$106,690	170	0.4
22	Anchorage, AK	$106,000	40	0.2
23	Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL	$105,770	30	0.3
24	Midland, MI	$105,710	240	6.3
25	Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ	$105,610	40	0.3

Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Chemists overview.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.