Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 19-1042

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

The published band from $64,800 to $177,780 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Physicists.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists: Physicists ($172K) , Sociologists ($106K) , Astronomers ($129K) , Nuclear Technicians ($110K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 19-1042 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Follow strict safety procedures when handling toxic materials to avoid contamination
  2. 2. Evaluate effects of drugs, gases, pesticides, parasites, and microorganisms at various levels
  3. 3. Plan and direct studies to investigate human or animal disease, preventive methods, and treatments for disease
  4. 4. Prepare and analyze organ, tissue, and cell samples to identify toxicity, bacteria, or microorganisms or to study cell structure
  5. 5. Standardize drug dosages, methods of immunization, and procedures for manufacture of drugs and medicinal compounds
  6. 6. Conduct research to develop methodologies, instrumentation, and procedures for medical application, analyzing data and presenting finding…
  7. 7. Teach principles of medicine and medical and laboratory procedures to physicians, residents, students, and technicians
  8. 8. Study animal and human health and physiological processes
  9. 9. Write and publish articles in scientific journals
  10. 10. Write applications for research grants
  11. 11. Investigate cause, progress, life cycle, or mode of transmission of diseases or parasites
  12. 12. Use equipment such as atomic absorption spectrometers, electron microscopes, flow cytometers, or chromatography systems

O*NET skills and knowledge for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 19-1042 - entity-keyed; sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Writing 4.3
  2. 2. Speaking 4.1
  3. 3. Science 4.1
  4. 4. Active Learning 4.1
  5. 5. Reading Comprehension 4.0
  6. 6. Active Listening 4.0
  7. 7. Critical Thinking 4.0
  8. 8. Judgment and Decision Making 4.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Biology 4.7
  2. 2. English Language 4.1
  3. 3. Medicine and Dentistry 3.7
  4. 4. Chemistry 3.4
  5. 5. Mathematics 3.2
  6. 6. Computers and Electronics 3.0
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$64,800 to $177,780
median $103,410 · ~2.7× spread
$103K
National median
↑ +9%
Growth 2024-2034
9,600
Annual openings
172,340
Estimated US jobs
Physicists
Highest-pay peer · $172K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Doctoral or professional degree

Top Paying States for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

1. New Jersey $129,280
2. Alaska $104,930
3. California $136,990
4. Arizona $116,820
5. Rhode Island $103,370
6. Connecticut $116,990
7. Massachusetts $128,210
8. Washington $105,680
9. Maryland $106,000
10. Oregon $111,030

Other Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations titles

  1. 1. Astronomers $128,820
  2. 2. Nuclear Technicians $110,240
  3. 3. Psychologists, All Other $110,840
  4. 4. Sociologists $106,030
  5. 5. Physicists $172,250
  6. 6. Materials Scientists $117,790

The OEWS band for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists runs from $64,800 (10th) to $177,780 (90th), about 2.7× wide, with median $103,410. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +9% change between 2024 and 2034 (much faster than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 9,600 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: New Jersey at $129,280. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Physicists at $172,250. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Where Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists sits in Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

Among 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations with a published OEWS median, Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists is pay-rank #12, 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.

Dive into Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists in more depth or explore nearby career data.

Full Salary Details

State, metro, and percentile breakdown

Jobs in New Jersey

Top-paying state for this role

Jobs in Alaska

Second-highest state pay

Physicists

Highest-pay peer · $172K

Sociologists

Lower-pay peer · $106K

Compare Side-by-Side

Head-to-head with another role
Compare Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists 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 Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists at the top of the pay table? ▼
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists is pay-rank #12 of 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Geographers ($102K), Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers ($102K), Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other ($101K), Sociologists ($106K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do medical scientists, except epidemiologists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists. Leading ones include: Follow strict safety procedures when handling toxic materials to avoid contamination; Evaluate effects of drugs, gases, pesticides, parasites, and microorganisms at various levels; Plan and direct studies to investigate human or animal disease, preventive methods, and treatments for disease; Prepare and analyze organ, tissue, and cell samples to identify toxicity, bacteria, or microorganisms or to study cell structure. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for medical scientists, except epidemiologists? ▼
For SOC 19-1042, O*NET importance scores lead with Writing (4.3), Speaking (4.1), Science (4.1), Active Learning (4.1). Knowledge areas emphasize Biology, English Language, Medicine and Dentistry. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $64,800 and the 90th at $177,780 for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists (2.7× spread). The national median is $103,410. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists is +9%. Projected annual openings: about 9,600. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: much faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists? ▼
BLS assigns Doctoral or professional degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists? ▼
New Jersey ($129,280), Alaska ($104,930), California ($136,990) 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 Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 19-1042. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists. 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