The average salary for a scientist in the United States is around $70,238 per year.
Avg Salary
Scientists earn an average yearly salary of $70,238.
Wages typically start from $40,360 and go up to $122,235.
16% above national average Updated in 2019
Scientist earnings by seniority
90th percentile
Top-level scientist earnings begin at:
$58.77 per hour
$122,235 per year
75th percentile
Senior-level scientist earnings begin at:
$45.20 per hour
$94,019 per year
50th percentile
Mid-level scientist earnings begin at:
$33.77 per hour
$70,238 per year
25th percentile
Junior-level scientist earnings begin at:
$25.23 per hour
$52,473 per year
10th percentile
Starting level scientist earnings begin at:
$19.40 per hour
$40,360 per year
Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.
Scientist salary by state
| State Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Maryland | $94,553 |
| New Jersey | $87,997 |
| Connecticut | $86,938 |
| Delaware | $84,106 |
| Massachusetts | $83,691 |
| New Hampshire | $82,421 |
| Virginia | $81,690 |
| New York | $81,407 |
| Alaska | $81,231 |
| Colorado | $80,514 |
| Rhode Island | $79,724 |
| Hawaii | $79,417 |
| Illinois | $77,949 |
| Pennsylvania | $77,837 |
| New Mexico | $77,603 |
| Washington | $77,513 |
| Nevada | $77,402 |
| Oklahoma | $75,474 |
| Arizona | $74,734 |
| Georgia | $74,328 |
| Oregon | $74,174 |
| Texas | $74,130 |
| Michigan | $73,762 |
| Florida | $73,608 |
| Ohio | $73,383 |
| Minnesota | $72,879 |
| Mississippi | $72,771 |
| Guam | $72,445 |
| North Carolina | $72,356 |
| North Dakota | $70,845 |
| Nebraska | $70,811 |
| Alabama | $70,051 |
| Idaho | $69,762 |
| Iowa | $69,412 |
| Wyoming | $69,311 |
| Tennessee | $69,271 |
| Utah | $69,106 |
| Vermont | $68,737 |
| South Carolina | $68,702 |
| Montana | $68,654 |
| Wisconsin | $68,510 |
| Louisiana | $67,341 |
| Maine | $67,110 |
| Missouri | $66,306 |
| Indiana | $65,851 |
| Arkansas | $64,947 |
| West Virginia | $64,497 |
| Kentucky | $63,999 |
| Kansas | $63,762 |
| South Dakota | $59,719 |
| Puerto Rico | $54,194 |
| California | $44,960 |
| District of Columbia | $101,742 |
How do scientist salaries compare to similar careers?
Scientists earn about the same as related careers in the United States. On average, they make less than chemists but more than historians.
| Career | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Chemist salary | $72K |
| Climate change analyst salary | $71K |
| Industrial ecologist salary | $71K |
| Environmental restoration planner salary | $71K |
| Environmental consultant salary | $71K |
| Scientist salary | $70K |
| Biologist salary | $69K |
| Food science technologist salary | $69K |
| Soil and plant scientist salary | $63K |
| Historian salary | $64K |
Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)