Scientist earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level scientist earnings begin at:

$51.13 per hour

$106,355 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level scientist earnings begin at:

$43.65 per hour

$90,790 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level scientist earnings begin at:

$34.82 per hour

$72,423 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level scientist earnings begin at:

$29.03 per hour

$60,386 per year

10th percentile

Starting level scientist earnings begin at:

$22.40 per hour

$46,595 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 about the same as related careers in Oklahoma. On average, they make less than nanotechnology engineers but more than epidemiologists.

Career Median Salary
Nanotechnology engineer salary $96K
Nanosystems engineer salary $96K
Neuropsychologist salary $99K
Hydrologist salary $85K
Food science technologist salary $79K
Scientist salary $72K
Soil and plant scientist salary $60K
Soil and water conservationist salary $69K
Industrial ecologist salary $60K
Epidemiologist salary $62K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)