United States
Physicists salary in the United States
Median annual pay
$166,290
Physicists in the United States earn a median of $166,290 a year, about $79.95 an hour.
Median
$166,290
per year
Hourly
$79.95
as published
Mean
$166,000
pulled up by top earners
Workers
21,340
in this occupation
Where it pays more in the United States
Median pay for this occupation by area, highest-employing first.
| Area | Type | Median | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | State | $180,900 | +9% |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | Metro | $168,280 | +1% |
| Illinois | State | $131,260 | -21% |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | Metro | $131,260 | -21% |
| Maryland | State | $163,950 | -1% |
| Virginia | State | $164,180 | -1% |
| New York | State | $174,160 | +5% |
| Colorado | State | $144,670 | -13% |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Metro | $177,490 | +7% |
| Boulder, CO | Metro | $144,670 | -13% |
| New Mexico | State | $175,960 | +6% |
| Ohio | State | $135,550 | -18% |
| Texas | State | $170,450 | +3% |
| Massachusetts | State | $153,890 | -7% |
| District of Columbia | State | $153,340 | -8% |
| Michigan | State | $107,640 | -35% |
| Pennsylvania | State | $208,470 | +25% |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | Metro | $153,890 | -7% |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | Metro | $162,490 | -2% |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | Metro | $214,520 | +29% |
| Washington | State | $120,080 | -28% |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Metro | $133,070 | -20% |
| South Carolina | State | $131,100 | -21% |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | Metro | $124,710 | -25% |
| Albuquerque, NM | Metro | $175,160 | +5% |
Regional figures come from the same release as the national one. Where an area is missing, the source suppressed it for sample-size reasons rather than reporting an unreliable estimate.
How United States measured this
Employer payroll survey of ~1.1m establishments
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 · Public domain (US Government work)
Related occupations in the United States
- Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists $100,590
- Occupational Health and Safety Specialists $83,910
- Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health $80,060
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- Biological Technicians $52,000
- Clinical and Counseling Psychologists $95,830
- Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other $60,130
- School Psychologists $86,930
- Biological Scientists, All Other $93,330
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- Urban and Regional Planners $83,720
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