Scientist salary: what the official data says
There is no single scientist salary. US medians run from $49,630 to $172,250 across these 25 occupations, and the gap inside one occupation is often just as large.
If you searched for "research scientist salary", two rows are closest: medical scientists, with a median of $103,410, and computer and information research scientists, with a median of $140,300. "Research scientist" is a job title and not a federal occupation code, so no official number exists for it directly.
| Physicists | $172,250 | $82,110 | $274,110 | 20,430 |
| Computer and information research scientists | $140,300 | $82,200 | $230,630 | 37,200 |
| Astronomers | $128,820 | $78,010 | $195,190 | 2,120 |
| Biochemists and biophysicists | $127,410 | $74,290 | $201,110 | 33,830 |
| Materials scientists | $117,790 | $66,820 | $197,290 | 8,470 |
| Medical scientists, except epidemiologists | $103,410 | $64,800 | $177,780 | 172,340 |
| Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers | $101,920 | $59,330 | $200,230 | 23,470 |
| Physics teachers, postsecondary | $100,310 | $60,200 | $177,850 | 13,090 |
| Atmospheric and space scientists | $99,070 | $53,060 | $161,890 | 10,000 |
| Biological scientists, all other | $98,920 | $60,430 | $168,010 | 55,850 |
| Hydrologists | $96,600 | $64,020 | $153,130 | 5,850 |
| Chemistry teachers, postsecondary | $93,250 | $57,870 | $172,110 | 19,980 |
| Chemists | $91,240 | $58,460 | $160,830 | 82,770 |
| Food scientists and technologists | $88,720 | $52,920 | $145,280 | 13,060 |
| Microbiologists | $87,990 | $54,670 | $150,000 | 18,940 |
| Epidemiologists | $87,220 | $61,270 | $138,800 | 12,090 |
| Biological science teachers, postsecondary | $84,620 | $52,150 | $169,900 | 50,190 |
| Environmental scientists and specialists, including health | $82,220 | $52,520 | $140,010 | 89,250 |
| Soil and plant scientists | $78,850 | $48,680 | $138,120 | 15,730 |
| Zoologists and wildlife biologists | $76,780 | $49,100 | $126,440 | 18,120 |
| Conservation scientists | $73,010 | $47,550 | $110,410 | 25,950 |
| Forensic science technicians | $72,060 | $48,250 | $117,250 | 19,120 |
| Chemical technicians | $60,390 | $41,740 | $92,040 | 57,540 |
| Biological technicians | $57,510 | $40,330 | $84,940 | 69,620 |
| Agricultural technicians | $49,630 | $35,980 | $76,480 | 15,130 |
How to read this table
The median is the middle worker: half earn more and half earn less. The 10th and 90th percentiles show the edges of the range. These are national annual wages across all industries, and they do not account for your location, seniority or degree level.
"Teachers, postsecondary" rows are university faculty. The figures include all ranks and exclude the summer income some faculty earn from grants. Technician rows are the paid entry to many labs, and they often need a bachelor's degree or less.
Numbers are only half of it
Erlen can help you weigh pay against how many years of training it takes to get there.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, via the official BLS public data API, retrieved 2026-11-03.