19 Series · SOC 19-2012
Physicists
National salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2024)
Median Salary
$166,290
per year
Median Hourly
$79.95/hr
per hour
Mean Salary
$166,000
average
Employment
21,340
jobs nationwide
Salary Range
Annual Salary Distribution
Hourly Rate Distribution
10th Percentile
$80,020
25th Percentile
$117,450
Median
$166,290
75th Percentile
$210,260
90th Percentile
N/A
Salary by State
Highest Paying States
View all 40 states →
| # | State | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota | $222,550 | +34% above national |
| 2 | Florida | $209,020 | +26% above national |
| 3 | Pennsylvania | $208,470 | +25% above national |
| 4 | Arizona | $190,960 | +15% above national |
| 5 | Oregon | $183,860 | +11% above national |
| 6 | California | $180,900 | +9% above national |
| 7 | Missouri | $180,450 | +9% above national |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $179,440 | +8% above national |
| 9 | New Mexico | $175,960 | +6% above national |
| 10 | New York | $174,160 | +5% above national |
| 11 | Wisconsin | $174,010 | +5% above national |
| 12 | Tennessee | $173,660 | +4% above national |
| 13 | Connecticut | $171,630 | +3% above national |
| 14 | North Carolina | $170,690 | +3% above national |
| 15 | Texas | $170,450 | +3% above national |
| 16 | Kentucky | $168,660 | +1% above national |
| 17 | New Jersey | $168,610 | +1% above national |
| 18 | Virginia | $164,180 | 1% below national |
| 19 | Maryland | $163,950 | 1% below national |
| 20 | Massachusetts | $153,890 | 7% below national |
| 21 | District of Columbia | $153,340 | 8% below national |
| 22 | Colorado | $144,670 | 13% below national |
| 23 | Ohio | $135,550 | 18% below national |
| 24 | Utah | $133,900 | 19% below national |
| 25 | Idaho | $132,060 | 21% below national |
| 26 | Arkansas | $131,880 | 21% below national |
| 27 | Georgia | $131,500 | 21% below national |
| 28 | Illinois | $131,260 | 21% below national |
| 29 | South Carolina | $131,100 | 21% below national |
| 30 | Iowa | $120,810 | 27% below national |
| 31 | Mississippi | $120,640 | 27% below national |
| 32 | Washington | $120,080 | 28% below national |
| 33 | Nevada | $116,080 | 30% below national |
| 34 | Alabama | $114,690 | 31% below national |
| 35 | Maine | $114,610 | 31% below national |
| 36 | Indiana | $110,410 | 34% below national |
| 37 | Michigan | $107,640 | 35% below national |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $84,570 | 49% below national |
| 39 | Delaware | $82,780 | 50% below national |
| 40 | South Dakota | $78,390 | 53% below national |
Salary by Metro Area
Highest Paying Metros
View all 52 metro areas →
| # | Metro Area | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | $226,750 | +36% above national |
| 2 | Cleveland, OH | $225,930 | +36% above national |
| 3 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $219,070 | +32% above national |
| 4 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $215,340 | +29% above national |
| 5 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $214,520 | +29% above national |
| 6 | Richmond, VA | $212,950 | +28% above national |
| 7 | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $212,050 | +28% above national |
| 8 | Pittsburgh, PA | $211,600 | +27% above national |
| 9 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $206,070 | +24% above national |
| 10 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $202,610 | +22% above national |
| 11 | Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | $196,680 | +18% above national |
| 12 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $188,400 | +13% above national |
| 13 | St. Louis, MO-IL | $180,450 | +9% above national |
| 14 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $177,490 | +7% above national |
| 15 | Northern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area | $175,960 | +6% above national |
| 16 | Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | $175,220 | +5% above national |
| 17 | Albuquerque, NM | $175,160 | +5% above national |
| 18 | San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $170,130 | +2% above national |
| 19 | Charlottesville, VA | $170,040 | +2% above national |
| 20 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $168,280 | +1% above national |
| 21 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | $166,400 | same as national |
| 22 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $165,730 | same as national |
| 23 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $162,490 | 2% below national |
| 24 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $155,560 | 6% below national |
| 25 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $153,890 | 7% below national |
| 26 | Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | $151,860 | 9% below national |
| 27 | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $151,660 | 9% below national |
| 28 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $150,490 | 10% below national |
| 29 | Boulder, CO | $144,670 | 13% below national |
| 30 | Columbus, OH | $134,260 | 19% below national |
| 31 | Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH | $134,030 | 19% below national |
| 32 | Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | $133,900 | 19% below national |
| 33 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $133,070 | 20% below national |
| 34 | Memphis, TN-MS-AR | $132,250 | 20% below national |
| 35 | Idaho Falls, ID | $132,060 | 21% below national |
| 36 | Northeast Virginia nonmetropolitan area | $131,750 | 21% below national |
| 37 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $131,560 | 21% below national |
| 38 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $131,260 | 21% below national |
| 39 | Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $129,380 | 22% below national |
| 40 | Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | $129,140 | 22% below national |
| 41 | Madison, WI | $129,070 | 22% below national |
| 42 | Huntsville, AL | $126,770 | 24% below national |
| 43 | Knoxville, TN | $126,690 | 24% below national |
| 44 | Lexington Park, MD | $126,530 | 24% below national |
| 45 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $124,710 | 25% below national |
| 46 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | $114,900 | 31% below national |
| 47 | Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | $114,630 | 31% below national |
| 48 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $112,790 | 32% below national |
| 49 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $109,540 | 34% below national |
| 50 | Champaign-Urbana, IL | $79,610 | 52% below national |
| 51 | Ann Arbor, MI | $79,060 | 52% below national |
| 52 | Lansing-East Lansing, MI | $67,710 | 59% below national |
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