The average salary for a scientist in the United States is around $66,758 per year.
Avg Salary
Scientists earn an average yearly salary of $66,758.
Wages typically start from $38,924 and go up to $114,497.
10% above national average Updated in 2023
Scientist earnings by seniority
90th percentile
Top-level scientist earnings begin at:
$55.05 per hour
$114,497 per year
75th percentile
Senior-level scientist earnings begin at:
$42.63 per hour
$88,677 per year
50th percentile
Mid-level scientist earnings begin at:
$32.10 per hour
$66,758 per year
25th percentile
Junior-level scientist earnings begin at:
$24.16 per hour
$50,257 per year
10th percentile
Starting level scientist earnings begin at:
$18.71 per hour
$38,924 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 the United States. On average, they make less than mathematicians but more than zoologists.
| Career | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Mathematician salary | $75K |
| Food science technologist salary | $73K |
| Epidemiologist salary | $73K |
| Soil and water conservationist salary | $69K |
| Geodesist salary | $69K |
| Scientist salary | $67K |
| Microbiologist salary | $63K |
| Molecular biologist salary | $61K |
| Animal scientist salary | $58K |
| Zoologist salary | $49K |
Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)