Materials Scientists pay in the U.S.
$126,180avg. a year
$60.67 an hour · 8,470 employed
Materials Scientists in the U.S. earn an average of $126,180 a year and a median of $117,790. Pay is highest in California ($189,460) and lowest in Montana ($75,610).
$117,790Median pay
$60.67Average hourly
+21%Avg. pay since 2020
8,470Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for materials scientists
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
11,030 jobs
California
$189,460
$91.09 an hour
2100 jobs
Oregon
$154,140
$74.11 an hour
3
District of Columbia
$141,040
$67.81 an hour
4290 jobs
Washington
$139,140
$66.89 an hour
5530 jobs
New York
$138,200
$66.44 an hour
6890 jobs
Massachusetts
$133,360
$64.12 an hour
7380 jobs
Illinois
$129,980
$62.49 an hour
850 jobs
Connecticut
$128,460
$61.76 an hour
970 jobs
Wisconsin
$128,070
$61.57 an hour
10320 jobs
Indiana
$127,210
$61.16 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Materials Scientists pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $107k$107k–$118k$118k–$128k$128k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $225,960 | $108.63 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $225,780 | $108.55 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $154,850 | $74.45 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $140,350 | $67.48 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | $138,310 | $66.49 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $132,890 | $63.89 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $127,130 | $61.12 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $124,850 | $60.02 |
Related jobs
- Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health$91,680
- Chemists$100,450
- Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers$116,150
- Physical Scientists, All Other$129,230
- Physicists$171,180
- Atmospheric and Space Scientists$106,110
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Materials Scientists pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $189,460 | $177,030 | 1,030 |
| Colorado | $118,330 | $117,290 | 370 |
| Connecticut | $128,460 | $130,320 | 50 |
| District of Columbia | $141,040 | $137,600 | – |
| Florida | $108,590 | $102,340 | 200 |
| Georgia | $99,800 | $91,970 | 350 |
| Illinois | $129,980 | $125,850 | 380 |
| Indiana | $127,210 | $130,540 | 320 |
| Iowa | $99,050 | $88,320 | 180 |
| Kansas | $118,360 | $115,490 | 40 |
| Maryland | $113,450 | $112,400 | 270 |
| Massachusetts | $133,360 | $132,600 | 890 |
| Michigan | $117,800 | $107,410 | 230 |
| Minnesota | $125,000 | $132,160 | 290 |
| Montana | $75,610 | $71,810 | 50 |
| Nevada | $96,880 | $97,490 | 100 |
| New Hampshire | $126,200 | $119,990 | 80 |
| New Jersey | $107,960 | $103,150 | 440 |
| New York | $138,200 | $131,740 | 530 |
| North Carolina | $110,700 | $106,470 | 490 |
| Ohio | $110,640 | $108,830 | 450 |
| Oregon | $154,140 | $150,550 | 100 |
| Pennsylvania | $107,370 | $106,920 | 100 |
| South Carolina | $105,730 | $101,930 | 80 |
| Tennessee | $81,300 | $69,010 | 60 |
| Texas | $90,480 | $72,700 | 300 |
| Utah | $126,590 | $126,840 | 110 |
| Virginia | $124,880 | $124,150 | 100 |
| Washington | $139,140 | $127,250 | 290 |
| Wisconsin | $128,070 | $137,700 | 70 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
$132,890
700 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$123,720
560 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$140,350
460 jobsSan Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
$225,960
380 jobsMinneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
$124,850
270 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$98,270
240 jobsDenver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
$118,860
240 jobsCincinnati, OH-KY-IN
$105,030
200 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do materials scientists make?
The average is $126,180 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $117,790 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $60.67, and the median is $56.63 an hour.
Which state pays materials scientists the most?
California, with an average of $189,460 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA at $225,960.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $66,820 a year, and the top 10% earn over $197,290.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 19-2032. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.