Scientist earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level scientist earnings begin at:

$87.91 per hour

$182,860 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level scientist earnings begin at:

$64.45 per hour

$134,051 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level scientist earnings begin at:

$51.62 per hour

$107,377 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level scientist earnings begin at:

$41.21 per hour

$85,720 per year

10th percentile

Starting level scientist earnings begin at:

$35.79 per hour

$74,453 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Scientist salary by state

State Name Average Salary
New York $99,351
Virginia $98,109
Colorado $96,654
Pennsylvania $95,942
New Hampshire $95,537
Florida $95,080
Delaware $95,073
North Carolina $94,482
Maine $93,777
Hawaii $93,112
Texas $92,444
Utah $92,433
Minnesota $91,120
New Mexico $91,046
Idaho $90,982
Illinois $90,920
Mississippi $90,302
Arizona $89,711
Georgia $89,686
Wisconsin $89,228
Nevada $88,887
Iowa $87,866
Tennessee $87,730
Ohio $87,452
Montana $87,280
Oklahoma $86,912
Missouri $86,474
Michigan $86,210
Kentucky $86,146
Wyoming $86,099
North Dakota $86,070
Louisiana $85,797
Alabama $85,518
South Carolina $85,420
Vermont $84,927
Indiana $83,769
Kansas $83,441
Nebraska $82,020
Arkansas $80,035
West Virginia $78,766
South Dakota $76,975
Guam $72,445
Puerto Rico $54,194
California $119,602
Massachusetts $117,881
District of Columbia $115,003
Maryland $110,038
Connecticut $108,001
Rhode Island $107,377
New Jersey $105,434
Oregon $103,488
Washington $102,230
Alaska $100,515

How do scientist salaries compare to similar careers?

Scientists earn about the same as related careers in Rhode Island. On average, they make less than natural sciences managers but more than chemists.

Career Median Salary
Natural sciences manager salary $130K
Nanotechnology engineer salary $117K
Geologist salary $121K
Scientist salary $107K
Mathematician salary $109K
Molecular biologist salary $102K
Bioinformatics scientist salary $102K
Chemist salary $102K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)