Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 19-2031

Chemists

The published band from $58,460 to $160,830 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Economists.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Chemists: Economists ($125K) , Clinical and Counseling Psychologists ($101K) , Materials Scientists ($118K) , Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other ($101K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Chemists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 19-2031 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Develop, improve, or customize products, equipment, formulas, processes, or analytical methods
  2. 2. Analyze organic or inorganic compounds to determine chemical or physical properties, composition, structure, relationships, or reactions…
  3. 3. Induce changes in composition of substances by introducing heat, light, energy, or chemical catalysts for quantitative or qualitative ana…
  4. 4. Conduct quality control tests
  5. 5. Write technical papers or reports or prepare standards and specifications for processes, facilities, products, or tests
  6. 6. Maintain laboratory instruments to ensure proper working order and troubleshoot malfunctions when needed
  7. 7. Prepare test solutions, compounds, or reagents for laboratory personnel to conduct tests
  8. 8. Compile and analyze test information to determine process or equipment operating efficiency or to diagnose malfunctions
  9. 9. Confer with scientists or engineers to conduct analyses of research projects, interpret test results, or develop nonstandard tests
  10. 10. Evaluate laboratory safety procedures to ensure compliance with standards or to make improvements as needed
  11. 11. Direct, coordinate, or advise personnel in test procedures for analyzing components or physical properties of materials
  12. 12. Purchase laboratory supplies, such as chemicals, when supplies are low or near their expiration date

Chemists: O*NET ranks Science first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 19-2031 - lead skill Science at 4.1 ; lead knowledge Chemistry. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Science 4.1
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 4.0
  3. 3. Critical Thinking 4.0
  4. 4. Speaking 3.9
  5. 5. Active Listening 3.8
  6. 6. Writing 3.8
  7. 7. Mathematics 3.8
  8. 8. Active Learning 3.6

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Chemistry 4.9
  2. 2. English Language 4.0
  3. 3. Mathematics 3.8
  4. 4. Production and Processing 3.5
  5. 5. Administration and Management 3.4
  6. 6. Computers and Electronics 3.4
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$58,460 to $160,830
median $91,240 · ~2.8× spread
$91K
National median
↑ +5%
Growth 2024-2034
6,300
Annual openings
82,770
Estimated US jobs
Economists
Highest-pay peer · $125K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Chemists

1. Oregon $104,590
2. District of Columbia $149,860
3. Louisiana $103,890
4. Wyoming $102,000
5. Delaware $129,860
6. Colorado $101,980
7. Alaska $106,010
8. New Mexico $126,960
9. Maryland $140,670
10. Massachusetts $125,000

Other Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations titles

  1. 1. Materials Scientists $117,790
  2. 2. Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other $101,110
  3. 3. Nuclear Technicians $110,240
  4. 4. Clinical and Counseling Psychologists $100,580
  5. 5. Economists $124,720
  6. 6. Psychologists, All Other $110,840

The OEWS band for Chemists runs from $58,460 (10th) to $160,830 (90th), about 2.8× wide, with median $91,240. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +5% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 6,300 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's 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: Oregon at $104,590. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Economists at $124,720. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Chemists pay-rank #22 in Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

Chemists sits at pay-rank #22 of 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table 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 Chemists is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Chemists salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 19-2031

Oregon · top state for Chemists

$105K published median

District of Columbia · #2 state pay

$150K · behind Oregon

Economists

Highest-pay peer vs Chemists · $125K

Clinical and Counseling Psychologists

Lower-pay peer beside Chemists · $101K

Compare Chemists

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Chemists 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

Is Chemists mid-table among Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #22 of 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Occupational Health and Safety Specialists ($90K), Urban and Regional Planners ($89K), Life Scientists, All Other ($94K), Food Scientists and Technologists ($89K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do chemists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Chemists. Leading ones include: Develop, improve, or customize products, equipment, formulas, processes, or analytical methods; Analyze organic or inorganic compounds to determine chemical or physical properties, composition, structure, relationships, or reactions…; Induce changes in composition of substances by introducing heat, light, energy, or chemical catalysts for quantitative or qualitative ana…; Conduct quality control tests. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for chemists? ▼
For SOC 19-2031, O*NET importance scores lead with Science (4.1), Reading Comprehension (4.0), Critical Thinking (4.0), Speaking (3.9). Knowledge areas emphasize Chemistry, English Language, Mathematics. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Chemists? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $58,460 and the 90th at $160,830 for Chemists (2.8× spread). The national median is $91,240. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Chemists? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Chemists is +5%. Projected annual openings: about 6,300. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Chemists? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Chemists. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Chemists? ▼
Oregon ($104,590), District of Columbia ($149,860), Louisiana ($103,890) 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 Chemists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 19-2031. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Chemists. 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