Physicist earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level physicist earnings begin at:

$88.12 per hour

$183,290 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level physicist earnings begin at:

$79.56 per hour

$165,480 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level physicist earnings begin at:

$62.19 per hour

$129,360 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level physicist earnings begin at:

$43.67 per hour

$90,830 per year

10th percentile

Starting level physicist earnings begin at:

$38.27 per hour

$79,590 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Physicist salary by state

State Name Average Salary
Alabama $99,830
Delaware $80,830
Iowa $79,500
Vermont $79,110
Pennsylvania $201,200
Kansas $193,110
Arizona $172,940
Oklahoma $170,280
New York $167,720
California $164,930
Connecticut $164,000
Missouri $163,980
Colorado $160,450
Texas $159,050
Massachusetts $153,310
New Mexico $148,620
Florida $142,480
Utah $138,100
New Jersey $136,610
Illinois $136,600
Minnesota $136,600
Wisconsin $136,600
Maryland $135,430
District of Columbia $131,870
Rhode Island $131,750
Ohio $130,760
Virginia $129,360
North Carolina $128,420
Louisiana $127,630
Tennessee $125,340
Indiana $119,770
South Carolina $119,770
Washington $110,970
Georgia $106,770
Oregon $106,680
Maine $106,020
Mississippi $104,250
New Hampshire $104,000
Idaho $102,870
Michigan $101,750
Hawaii $100,570
Arkansas $100,110
Kentucky $100,110

How do physicist salaries compare to similar careers?

Physicists earn about the same as related careers in Virginia. On average, they make less than biochemists but more than pharmacists.

Career Median Salary
Biochemist salary $128K
Physicist salary $129K
Nanosystems engineer salary $128K
Nanotechnology engineer salary $128K
Biochemical engineer salary $128K
Pharmacist salary $128K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)