SOC 19-2099 · Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

Physical Scientists, All Other

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025United States, all industries

U.S. median annual wage$122,570
U.S. median hourly wage$58.93
U.S. employment22,300

Nationally, physical scientists, all other earned a median of $122,570 per year as of the May 2025 OEWS estimates, across 22,300 jobs. Pay varies substantially by area — look up a specific state or metro below.

National pay distribution

Pay by state

Every state and territory with a published May 2025 estimate. “Not published” means BLS suppressed the value — it never means zero. Higher medians often track higher living costs; this is not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Physical Scientists, All Other: pay and employment by state
State
District of Columbia$156,730$75.357901.1
Minnesota$147,890$71.105400.2
North Dakota$147,650$70.99700.2
Maryland$141,290$67.931,8100.7
South Carolina$141,130$67.85700.0
Massachusetts$138,380$66.533500.1
Georgia$137,680$66.191,0200.2
Alabama$135,350$65.071400.1
Pennsylvania$134,780$64.804600.1
Colorado$134,440$64.637100.2
Washington$133,980$64.414500.1
Florida$131,690$63.313400.0
California$130,610$62.792,3200.1
Tennessee$129,570$62.291200.0
Arizona$125,270$60.231700.1
New Mexico$123,820$59.532400.3
Alaska$120,240$57.811400.4
Michigan$118,870$57.151300.0
New York$117,820$56.641,5100.2
Utah$115,920$55.732500.1
Hawaii$112,880$54.271000.2
New Hampshire$112,370$54.022100.3
Oklahoma$112,260$53.97800.0
North Carolina$110,030$52.906500.1
New Jersey$109,990$52.885900.1
Oregon$109,580$52.692900.1
Illinois$108,970$52.395800.1
Mississippi$108,890$52.353800.3
Ohio$108,790$52.304300.1
Nebraska$101,440$48.77400.0
Texas$100,920$48.522,3100.2
Connecticut$99,990$48.073700.2
Wisconsin$97,470$46.86700.0
Puerto Rico$97,150$46.71700.1
Montana$94,520$45.441000.2
Louisiana$94,320$45.352800.1
Kentucky$81,260$39.072600.1
Iowa$80,810$38.851000.1
Wyoming$69,240$33.29600.2
Indiana$68,670$33.021,2400.4
Rhode IslandNot publishedNot published700.1
VirginiaNot publishedNot published1,4500.4

Pay by metro area

All 70 metro areas where BLS publishes this occupation. Sort by median wage, employment, or local concentration — or see the highest-paying metros ranked.

$67,000$104,823$142,647$180,470Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN — $67,000Lexington-Fayette, KY — $67,610McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX — $71,580Lubbock, TX — $76,350Baton Rouge, LA — $78,300Columbus, OH — $78,440El Paso, TX — $80,880Duluth, MN-WI — $81,920Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX — $91,430Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX — $93,440Madison, WI — $95,580Rochester, NY — $95,850Athens-Clarke County, GA — $96,820San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR — $97,150Waco, TX — $97,400Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY — $99,460Asheville, NC — $100,690Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA — $101,070Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL — $106,330Cleveland, OH — $106,620Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA — $106,750Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD — $108,160Oklahoma City, OK — $111,380Ogden, UT — $112,400Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ — $113,800Tucson, AZ — $115,000Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL — $115,110Urban Honolulu, HI — $117,000Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC — $117,640Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA — $117,770Trenton-Princeton, NJ — $117,840Fort Collins-Loveland, CO — $118,560San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX — $120,490Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN — $120,740Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN — $121,720Albuquerque, NM — $121,890Salt Lake City-Murray, UT — $123,240Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ — $123,750New Orleans-Metairie, LA — $125,070Durham-Chapel Hill, NC — $128,380San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA — $128,720Pittsburgh, PA — $128,750Colorado Springs, CO — $129,630Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL — $130,940Anchorage, AK — $131,060Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA — $131,640San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA — $132,410Kennewick-Richland, WA — $132,830Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX — $133,590Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA — $134,720Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA — $136,160Knoxville, TN — $136,990Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH — $137,050Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD — $137,220Bakersfield-Delano, CA — $137,340Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA — $137,680New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ — $139,560Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO — $140,980Boulder, CO — $141,320Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH — $142,080Huntsville, AL — $142,650Charlottesville, VA — $144,580Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC — $149,550Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL — $157,710San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA — $160,580Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV — $170,980Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI — $176,440Providence-Warwick, RI-MA — $180,470

Each dot is one metro area with a published median — hover any dot for the name and figure. Metros without published estimates are not drawn.

Physical Scientists, All Other: pay and employment by metro area
Metro area
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA$180,470$86.77700.1
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$176,440$84.834100.2
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$170,980$82.202,7400.9
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$160,580$77.203400.3
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL$157,710$75.82800.3
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC$149,550$71.90400.2
Charlottesville, VA$144,580$69.511000.9
Huntsville, AL$142,650$68.58700.3
Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH$142,080$68.311200.3
Boulder, CO$141,320$67.94Not publishedNot published
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$140,980$67.784200.3
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$139,560$67.108600.1
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA$137,680$66.199300.3
Bakersfield-Delano, CA$137,340$66.03600.2
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$137,220$65.973100.1
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$137,050$65.893500.1
Knoxville, TN$136,990$65.86600.1
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$136,160$65.468200.1
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$134,720$64.773100.1
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$133,590$64.237000.2
Kennewick-Richland, WA$132,830$63.86500.4
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$132,410$63.661800.1
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$131,640$63.29500.1
Anchorage, AK$131,060$63.01900.5
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL$130,940$62.95500.0
Colorado Springs, CO$129,630$62.32300.1
Pittsburgh, PA$128,750$61.901400.1
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$128,720$61.88Not publishedNot published
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC$128,380$61.723701.1
New Orleans-Metairie, LA$125,070$60.13700.2
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ$123,750$59.50400.0
Salt Lake City-Murray, UT$123,240$59.251500.2
Albuquerque, NM$121,890$58.601600.4
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$121,720$58.524300.1
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN$120,740$58.05800.1
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX$120,490$57.931700.2
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO$118,560$57.00500.3
Trenton-Princeton, NJ$117,840$56.651000.4
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA$117,770$56.621700.1
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC$117,640$56.563100.4
Urban Honolulu, HI$117,000$56.25800.2
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL$115,110$55.34300.2
Tucson, AZ$115,000$55.29500.1
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ$113,800$54.71400.3
Ogden, UT$112,400$54.04500.2
Oklahoma City, OK$111,380$53.55500.1
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD$108,160$52.005700.4
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$106,750$51.32400.0
Cleveland, OH$106,620$51.26400.0
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL$106,330$51.12300.0
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$101,070$48.59700.1
Asheville, NC$100,690$48.41700.4
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY$99,460$47.827801.7
Waco, TX$97,400$46.83500.4
San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR$97,150$46.71400.1
Athens-Clarke County, GA$96,820$46.55400.4
Rochester, NY$95,850$46.08400.1
Madison, WI$95,580$45.95400.1
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX$93,440$44.932600.2
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$91,430$43.965500.2
Duluth, MN-WI$81,920$39.381000.8
El Paso, TX$80,880$38.88400.1
Columbus, OH$78,440$37.711400.1
Baton Rouge, LA$78,300$37.65800.2
Lubbock, TX$76,350$36.71500.3
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX$71,580$34.42500.2
Lexington-Fayette, KY$67,610$32.512100.7
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN$67,000$32.215600.5
Manchester-Nashua, NHNot publishedNot published300.2
Raleigh-Cary, NCNot publishedNot published1400.2

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.