This page presents information
of the pay scales of US scientists. The data, which is collected
from salary.com, is summarized
and tabulated here. Comparisons with some other selected employment sectors
are provided at the bottom of this webpage.
The information
is current as of July, 2000.
Bookmark this page and
come back since the tables
will be periodically updated.
Summary
Employee Type
Median Salary
Experienced Physicist
$95,957
Experienced Chemist
$78,950
Experienced Astronomer
$77,382
Experienced Geologist
$77,344
Experienced Biologist
$73,059
Experienced Researcher
$68,062
Experienced Academic Researcher
$62,542
Experienced Biochemist
$48,229
Comments: Physicists are the best paid scientists by
a significant margin. The relatively high pay scale of astronomers is somewhat
surprising since there are no industrial jobs in astronomy. The salary figure for
geologists benefits from the petroleum industry. It is hard to understand
why biochemists are paid so poorly.
Comprensive Salary Table
Employee Type
25th Percentile Salary
Median Salary
75th Percentile Salary
Astronomer
$73,409
$77,382
$86,491
Biologist I
$38,093
$42,616
$46,568
Biologist II
$45,073
$47,743
$57,092
Biologist III
$62,606
$73,059
$90,823
Biochemist I
$37,322
$40,361
$47,003
Biochemist II
$41,204
$44,585
$51,892
Biochemist III
$44,551
$48,229
$56,107
Biophysicist
$41,296
$44,686
$52,008
Chemist I
$37,239
$42,296
$46,996
Chemist II
$42,631
$52,136
$61,220
Chemist III
$67,957
$78,950
$91,038
Clinical Researcher I
$32,955
$38,436
$44,345
Clinical Researcher II
$42,801
$51,049
$57,764
Clinical Researcher III
$55,632
$68,062
$77,206
Geologist I
$38,733
$41,014
$47,102
Geologist II
$46,034
$50,784
$58,695
Geologist III
$69,134
$77,344
$94,025
Physicist I
$45,287
$50,093
$56,129
Physicist II
$57,519
$61,429
$70,846
Physicist III
$86,534
$95,957
$104,217
Academic Researcher I
$27,332
$34,073
$40,135
Academic Researcher II
$41,272
$48,633
$56,615
Academic Researcher III
$54,124
$62,542
$72,878
Zoologist
$42,036
$51,375
$63,420
Notes: Tier I scientists have 0-2 years of experience; Tier II
scientists have 2-4 years; Tier III have 5 or more years of experience.
Pay Scales for Educators Across All Academic Subjects
Employee Type
25th Percentile Salary
Median Salary
75th Percentile Salary
High School Teacher
$36,218
$42,244
$52,678
Assistant Professor
$45,374
$55,532
$67,651
Associate Professor
$56,466
$68,717
$84,504
Full Professor
$72,674
$89,130
$109,487
Comments: The above data indicates that full professors
are as well paid as industrial scientists. High school salaries are low -- an
indication that state and local governments do not put sufficient money into public
education.
Salaries of Engineers in Scientifically Related Fields
Employee Type
25th Percentile Salary
Median Salary
75th Percentile Salary
Chemical Engineer I
$46,482
$49,532
$54,265
Chemical Engineer II
$48,188
$56,677
$66,413
Chemical Engineer III
$63,602
$73,370
$82,731
Electrical Engineer I
$43,806
$47,488
$52,061
Electrical Engineer II
$50,859
$60,257
$70,331
Electrical Engineer III
$62,414
$70,450
$81,208
Materials Engineer I
$44,325
$44,859
$48,811
Materials Engineer II
$47,504
$49,874
$52,138
Materials Engineer III
$55,488
$59,871
$69,776
Mechanical Engineer I
$41,382
$45,219
$48,112
Mechanical Engineer II
$46,527
$53,847
$62,373
Mechanical Engineer III
$55,133
$62,415
$70,795
Petroleum Engineer I
$37,986
$41,762
$44,646
Petroleum Engineer II
$52,067
$56,985
$71,237
Petroleum Engineer III
$70,097
$82,674
$97,567
Selected Salaries of Other Sectors for Comparative Purposes
This list was compiled by Jupiter Scientific,
an organization devoted to the promotion of
science through books, the internet
and other means of communication.
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