BLS metro-level wage data places Physicists pay in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD at a median of $164,850 per year ($79.25/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $172,250, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington pays 4% below, which typically tracks with a lower local cost of living or smaller specialized-employer cluster. Approximately 150 physicistss are employed across the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington MSA in SOC 19-2012.

The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington pay distribution spans from $64,570 at the 10th percentile to $269,270 at the 90th — a 4.2× spread that reflects experience tenure, specialization, employer size, and the difference between public-sector, nonprofit, and private-sector compensation inside the metro. The 25th percentile sits at $82,590 and the 75th at $248,780, so half of Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington-based physicistss earn within that middle band.

Metro figures capture where you actually work, not just where you live — which matters for commuters. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. Remember that OEWS wages reflect base pay only: employer-provided health insurance, retirement matches, stock options, signing bonuses, overtime, and tips are excluded and can add 20-40% to real total compensation. Before using this metro median as a negotiation anchor, triangulate against the same occupation's national profile (linked below), its state-wide PA data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.