Scientist earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level scientist earnings begin at:

$59.84 per hour

$124,460 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level scientist earnings begin at:

$50.98 per hour

$106,046 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level scientist earnings begin at:

$40.03 per hour

$83,267 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level scientist earnings begin at:

$30.62 per hour

$63,691 per year

10th percentile

Starting level scientist earnings begin at:

$25.73 per hour

$53,526 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Scientist salary by state

State Name Average Salary
Connecticut $99,309
Rhode Island $96,221
Maryland $92,806
New York $92,286
Colorado $90,408
Hawaii $90,040
New Hampshire $88,541
Washington $86,796
Oregon $85,225
Virginia $84,197
North Carolina $84,193
Alaska $83,811
Delaware $83,267
Michigan $82,674
Arizona $82,215
Minnesota $80,626
Texas $80,085
Nevada $79,419
Tennessee $79,158
Pennsylvania $78,202
North Dakota $78,011
Kansas $77,670
Idaho $77,530
Illinois $77,376
Wyoming $77,260
Ohio $76,889
Maine $76,491
Iowa $76,227
Georgia $75,895
Utah $75,648
South Carolina $75,508
Wisconsin $75,155
Nebraska $74,427
Montana $74,008
New Mexico $73,243
Missouri $73,206
Alabama $72,693
Mississippi $72,684
Louisiana $72,549
Oklahoma $72,423
West Virginia $72,329
Arkansas $71,851
Florida $71,228
Vermont $71,176
Indiana $69,802
South Dakota $68,799
Kentucky $67,642
Puerto Rico $62,806
Guam $49,750
District of Columbia $114,694
California $104,815
New Jersey $101,926
Massachusetts $101,404

How do scientist salaries compare to similar careers?

Scientists earn 7% less than similar careers in Delaware. On average, they make less than nanosystems engineers but more than soil and plant scientists.

Career Median Salary
Nanosystems engineer salary $127K
Nanotechnology engineer salary $127K
Materials scientist salary $127K
Biostatistician salary $99K
Biochemist salary $102K
Scientist salary $83K
Geologist salary $77K
Microbiologist salary $65K
Geodesist salary $77K
Soil and plant scientist salary $62K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)