Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 19-1021

Biochemists and Biophysicists

The published band from $74,290 to $201,110 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Political Scientists.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Biochemists and Biophysicists: Political Scientists ($142K) , Clinical and Counseling Psychologists ($101K) , Psychologists, All Other ($111K) , Economists ($125K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Biochemists and Biophysicists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 19-1021 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Share research findings by writing scientific articles or by making presentations at scientific conferences
  2. 2. Teach or advise undergraduate or graduate students or supervise their research
  3. 3. Study physical principles of living cells or organisms and their electrical or mechanical energy, applying methods and knowledge of mathe…
  4. 4. Manage laboratory teams or monitor the quality of a team's work
  5. 5. Develop new methods to study the mechanisms of biological processes
  6. 6. Write grant proposals to obtain funding for research
  7. 7. Design or perform experiments with equipment, such as lasers, accelerators, or mass spectrometers
  8. 8. Determine the three-dimensional structure of biological macromolecules
  9. 9. Design or build laboratory equipment needed for special research projects
  10. 10. Prepare reports or recommendations, based upon research outcomes
  11. 11. Study spatial configurations of submicroscopic molecules, such as proteins, using x-rays or electron microscopes
  12. 12. Study the chemistry of living processes, such as cell development, breathing and digestion, or living energy changes, such as growth, agi…

Biochemists and Biophysicists: O*NET ranks Science first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 19-1021 - lead skill Science at 4.8 ; lead knowledge Biology. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Science 4.8
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 4.4
  3. 3. Writing 4.3
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 4.3
  5. 5. Active Listening 4.1
  6. 6. Speaking 4.1
  7. 7. Active Learning 4.1
  8. 8. Complex Problem Solving 4.1

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Biology 4.7
  2. 2. Chemistry 4.3
  3. 3. Mathematics 4.3
  4. 4. English Language 4.3
  5. 5. Physics 4.0
  6. 6. Education and Training 3.7
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$74,290 to $201,110
median $127,410 · ~2.7× spread
$127K
National median
↑ +6%
Growth 2024-2034
2,900
Annual openings
33,830
Estimated US jobs
Political Scientists
Highest-pay peer · $142K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Doctoral or professional degree

Top Paying States for Biochemists and Biophysicists

1. Pennsylvania $134,090
2. Massachusetts $131,600
3. Florida $157,390
4. California $139,580
5. Tennessee $134,560
6. Connecticut $132,670
7. New Jersey $122,620
8. Michigan $109,340
9. District of Columbia $120,090
10. New Hampshire $109,770

Other Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations titles

  1. 1. Psychologists, All Other $110,840
  2. 2. Economists $124,720
  3. 3. Political Scientists $142,080
  4. 4. Nuclear Technicians $110,240
  5. 5. Clinical and Counseling Psychologists $100,580
  6. 6. Sociologists $106,030

The OEWS band for Biochemists and Biophysicists runs from $74,290 (10th) to $201,110 (90th), about 2.7× wide, with median $127,410. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +6% change between 2024 and 2034 (faster than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 2,900 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Doctoral or professional degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Pennsylvania at $134,090. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Political Scientists at $142,080. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Biochemists and Biophysicists pay-rank #5 in Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

Among 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations with a published OEWS median, Biochemists and Biophysicists is pay-rank #5, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Biochemists and Biophysicists is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Biochemists and Biophysicists salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 19-1021

Pennsylvania · top state for Biochemists and Biophysicists

$134K published median

Massachusetts · #2 state pay

$132K · behind Pennsylvania

Political Scientists

Highest-pay peer vs Biochemists and Biophysicists · $142K

Clinical and Counseling Psychologists

Lower-pay peer beside Biochemists and Biophysicists · $101K

Compare Biochemists and Biophysicists

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Biochemists and Biophysicists with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations titles sit near Biochemists and Biophysicists at the top of the pay table? ▼
Biochemists and Biophysicists is pay-rank #5 of 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Astronomers ($129K), Economists ($125K), Physical Scientists, All Other ($123K), Materials Scientists ($118K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do biochemists and biophysicists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Biochemists and Biophysicists. Leading ones include: Share research findings by writing scientific articles or by making presentations at scientific conferences; Teach or advise undergraduate or graduate students or supervise their research; Study physical principles of living cells or organisms and their electrical or mechanical energy, applying methods and knowledge of mathe…; Manage laboratory teams or monitor the quality of a team's work. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for biochemists and biophysicists? ▼
For SOC 19-1021, O*NET importance scores lead with Science (4.8), Reading Comprehension (4.4), Writing (4.3), Critical Thinking (4.3). Knowledge areas emphasize Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Biochemists and Biophysicists? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $74,290 and the 90th at $201,110 for Biochemists and Biophysicists (2.7× spread). The national median is $127,410. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Biochemists and Biophysicists? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Biochemists and Biophysicists is +6%. Projected annual openings: about 2,900. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Biochemists and Biophysicists? ▼
BLS assigns Doctoral or professional degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Biochemists and Biophysicists. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Biochemists and Biophysicists? ▼
Pennsylvania ($134,090), Massachusetts ($131,600), Florida ($157,390) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Biochemists and Biophysicists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 19-1021. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Biochemists and Biophysicists. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics