Materials Scientists in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Materials Scientists pay in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA at a median of $96,050 per year ($46.18/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $117,790, the metro estimate is 18% below. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 80 materials scientists are employed across the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA in SOC 19-2032.

The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad pay distribution spans from $49,570 at the 10th percentile to $161,880 at the 90th, a 3.3× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $60,100 and the 75th at $138,600, so half of San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad-based materials scientists earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide CA estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.