BLS metro-level wage data places Physicists pay in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL at a median of $266,260 per year ($128.01/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $172,250, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater pays +55% above, signaling either concentrated employer demand, a cost-of-living premium, or both. Approximately 70 physicistss are employed across the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater MSA in SOC 19-2012.

The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater pay distribution spans from $126,170 at the 10th percentile to $308,580 at the 90th — a 2.4× 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 $222,230 and the 75th at $300,030, so half of Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater-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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 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 FL data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.