The average salary for a materials scientist in North Carolina is around $106,470 per year.
Avg Salary
Materials scientists earn an average yearly salary of $106,470.
Wages typically start from $65,720 and go up to $161,870.
58% above national average Updated in 2025
Materials scientist earnings by seniority
90th percentile
Top-level materials scientist earnings begin at:
$77.82 per hour
$161,870 per year
75th percentile
Senior-level materials scientist earnings begin at:
$64.17 per hour
$133,480 per year
50th percentile
Mid-level materials scientist earnings begin at:
$51.19 per hour
$106,470 per year
25th percentile
Junior-level materials scientist earnings begin at:
$41.15 per hour
$85,580 per year
10th percentile
Starting level materials scientist earnings begin at:
$31.60 per hour
$65,720 per year
Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.
Materials scientist salary by state
| State Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Nevada | $97,490 |
| West Virginia | $97,110 |
| Georgia | $91,970 |
| Iowa | $88,320 |
| Arizona | $87,510 |
| Missouri | $86,610 |
| Kentucky | $74,440 |
| Texas | $72,700 |
| Montana | $71,810 |
| Tennessee | $69,010 |
| Maine | $68,060 |
| Delaware | $66,960 |
| Alabama | $57,960 |
| California | $177,030 |
| Oregon | $150,550 |
| Wisconsin | $137,700 |
| District of Columbia | $137,600 |
| New Mexico | $137,240 |
| Massachusetts | $132,600 |
| Minnesota | $132,160 |
| New York | $131,740 |
| Indiana | $130,540 |
| Connecticut | $130,320 |
| Washington | $127,250 |
| Utah | $126,840 |
| Illinois | $125,850 |
| Virginia | $124,150 |
| New Hampshire | $119,990 |
| Colorado | $117,290 |
| Kansas | $115,490 |
| Louisiana | $113,540 |
| Maryland | $112,400 |
| Ohio | $108,830 |
| Michigan | $107,410 |
| Pennsylvania | $106,920 |
| North Carolina | $106,470 |
| New Jersey | $103,150 |
| Florida | $102,340 |
| South Carolina | $101,930 |
How do materials scientist salaries compare to similar careers?
Materials scientists earn about the same as related careers in North Carolina. On average, they make less than physicists but more than scientists.
| Career | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Physicist salary | $174K |
| Biostatistician salary | $116K |
| Statistician salary | $116K |
| Nanotechnology engineer salary | $112K |
| Materials scientist salary | $106K |
| Bioinformatics scientist salary | $100K |
| Molecular biologist salary | $100K |
| Biochemist salary | $82K |
| Scientist salary | $94K |
Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)




