Physical Scientists, All Other pay in the U.S.
$129,230avg. a year
$62.13 an hour · 22,300 employed
Physical Scientists, All Other in the U.S. earn an average of $129,230 a year and a median of $122,570. Pay is highest in District of Columbia ($152,480) and lowest in Indiana ($75,600).
$122,570Median pay
$62.13Average hourly
+17%Avg. pay since 2020
22,300Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for physical scientists, all other
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1790 jobs
District of Columbia
$152,480
$73.31 an hour
2540 jobs
Minnesota
$151,450
$72.81 an hour
3340 jobs
Florida
$151,150
$72.67 an hour
4710 jobs
Colorado
$147,190
$70.76 an hour
52,320 jobs
California
$143,310
$68.90 an hour
6140 jobs
Alabama
$142,930
$68.72 an hour
7460 jobs
Pennsylvania
$142,660
$68.59 an hour
81,810 jobs
Maryland
$141,310
$67.94 an hour
9450 jobs
Washington
$141,060
$67.82 an hour
1070 jobs
South Carolina
$138,140
$66.42 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.
Physical Scientists, All Other 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 $111k$111k–$122k$122k–$138k$138k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $177,370 | $85.28 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $172,740 | $83.05 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $166,920 | $80.25 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $152,040 | $73.10 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $151,380 | $72.78 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $150,640 | $72.42 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $149,890 | $72.06 |
| Charlottesville, VA | $144,720 | $69.58 |
Related jobs
- Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health$91,680
- Chemists$100,450
- Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers$116,150
- Physicists$171,180
- Atmospheric and Space Scientists$106,110
- Materials Scientists$126,180
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Physical Scientists, All Other 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $142,930 | $135,350 | 140 |
| Alaska | $121,540 | $120,240 | 140 |
| Arizona | $126,240 | $125,270 | 170 |
| California | $143,310 | $130,610 | 2,320 |
| Colorado | $147,190 | $134,440 | 710 |
| Connecticut | $129,560 | $99,990 | 370 |
| District of Columbia | $152,480 | $156,730 | 790 |
| Florida | $151,150 | $131,690 | 340 |
| Georgia | $132,380 | $137,680 | 1,020 |
| Hawaii | $113,530 | $112,880 | 100 |
| Illinois | $113,840 | $108,970 | 580 |
| Indiana | $75,600 | $68,670 | 1,240 |
| Iowa | $101,240 | $80,810 | 100 |
| Kentucky | $80,840 | $81,260 | 260 |
| Louisiana | $106,030 | $94,320 | 280 |
| Maryland | $141,310 | $141,290 | 1,810 |
| Massachusetts | $136,900 | $138,380 | 350 |
| Michigan | $120,940 | $118,870 | 130 |
| Minnesota | $151,450 | $147,890 | 540 |
| Mississippi | $108,820 | $108,890 | 380 |
| Montana | $90,150 | $94,520 | 100 |
| Nebraska | $106,830 | $101,440 | 40 |
| New Hampshire | $129,820 | $112,370 | 210 |
| New Jersey | $117,520 | $109,990 | 590 |
| New Mexico | $129,640 | $123,820 | 240 |
| New York | $121,990 | $117,820 | 1,510 |
| North Carolina | $114,340 | $110,030 | 650 |
| North Dakota | $128,190 | $147,650 | 70 |
| Ohio | $115,360 | $108,790 | 430 |
| Oklahoma | $117,230 | $112,260 | 80 |
| Oregon | $110,560 | $109,580 | 290 |
| Pennsylvania | $142,660 | $134,780 | 460 |
| South Carolina | $138,140 | $141,130 | 70 |
| Tennessee | $136,030 | $129,570 | 120 |
| Texas | $113,910 | $100,920 | 2,310 |
| Utah | $115,940 | $115,920 | 250 |
| Washington | $141,060 | $133,980 | 450 |
| Wisconsin | $110,780 | $97,470 | 70 |
| Wyoming | $77,340 | $69,240 | 60 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
$166,920
2,740 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$134,890
930 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$135,570
860 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$143,420
820 jobsAlbany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
$101,550
780 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$152,040
700 jobsBaltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
$121,150
570 jobsIndianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN
$73,510
560 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do physical scientists, all other make?
The average is $129,230 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $122,570 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $62.13, and the median is $58.93 an hour.
Which state pays physical scientists, all other the most?
District of Columbia, with an average of $152,480 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $177,370.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $67,000 a year, and the top 10% earn over $195,190.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 19-2099. 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.