The average salary for a chemist in California is around $79,990 per year.
Avg Salary
Chemists earn an average yearly salary of $79,990.
Wages typically start from $44,790 and go up to $143,490.
18% above national average Updated in 2018
Chemist earnings by seniority
90th percentile
Top-level chemist earnings begin at:
$68.99 per hour
$143,490 per year
75th percentile
Senior-level chemist earnings begin at:
$53.18 per hour
$110,620 per year
50th percentile
Mid-level chemist earnings begin at:
$38.46 per hour
$79,990 per year
25th percentile
Junior-level chemist earnings begin at:
$27.55 per hour
$57,300 per year
10th percentile
Starting level chemist earnings begin at:
$21.53 per hour
$44,790 per year
Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.
Chemist salary by state
| State Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Virginia | $95,590 |
| Massachusetts | $94,270 |
| New Jersey | $89,000 |
| New Mexico | $86,910 |
| North Dakota | $86,040 |
| Connecticut | $85,510 |
| Alaska | $83,700 |
| Minnesota | $83,090 |
| Georgia | $82,190 |
| Rhode Island | $81,710 |
| Washington | $80,550 |
| Nebraska | $80,480 |
| California | $79,990 |
| Texas | $78,810 |
| Idaho | $78,400 |
| New York | $76,750 |
| Louisiana | $76,000 |
| New Hampshire | $74,830 |
| Mississippi | $74,120 |
| Kansas | $73,840 |
| Michigan | $73,470 |
| Alabama | $72,400 |
| Colorado | $72,120 |
| Kentucky | $72,100 |
| North Carolina | $71,960 |
| Utah | $70,450 |
| Oregon | $69,930 |
| Wisconsin | $69,810 |
| Hawaii | $69,350 |
| Arkansas | $68,500 |
| Tennessee | $68,080 |
| Iowa | $67,862 |
| Ohio | $67,500 |
| Oklahoma | $67,420 |
| Pennsylvania | $67,360 |
| Missouri | $66,830 |
| Nevada | $66,210 |
| Vermont | $64,090 |
| South Carolina | $63,530 |
| Arizona | $62,584 |
| Wyoming | $62,550 |
| Illinois | $62,462 |
| Florida | $62,400 |
| Indiana | $61,991 |
| Maine | $59,110 |
| South Dakota | $58,370 |
| West Virginia | $57,980 |
| Puerto Rico | $55,630 |
| Montana | $52,360 |
| District of Columbia | $124,710 |
| Maryland | $116,360 |
| Delaware | $102,470 |
How do chemist salaries compare to similar careers?
Chemists earn about the same as related careers in California. On average, they make less than climate change analysts but more than soil and plant scientists.
| Career | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Climate change analyst salary | $87K |
| Molecular biologist salary | $88K |
| Bioinformatics scientist salary | $88K |
| Geodesist salary | $91K |
| Cartographer salary | $83K |
| Chemist salary | $80K |
| Occupational health specialist salary | $87K |
| Geographer salary | $86K |
| Forensic science technician salary | $80K |
| Soil and plant scientist salary | $75K |
Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)