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Role hub · Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

Medical Scientist: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

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Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of medical scientists earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$103,410
Hourly
$49.72
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Medical Scientists conduct research dealing with the understanding of human diseases and the improvement of human health. The median pay is $103,410 a year ($49.72 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a doctoral degree (36% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$103,410
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
172,340
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 5 of 5
extensive preparation
Most common education
Doctoral Degree
36% of workers

Data Government data groups this job as Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists (O*NET-SOC 19-1042.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

Key facts

Medical Scientists at a glance

  • Workers in the BLS occupation “Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists” in the United States earned a median annual wage of $103,410 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education for workers in the BLS occupation “Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists” in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of workers in the BLS occupation “Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists” in the United States to grow 12.6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,500 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimated that 172,340 people were employed in the BLS occupation “Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists” in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the role

Every page for Medical Scientists

SalaryMedical Scientist salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →How to becomeMedical Scientist how to become

Education, training and the skills to build first.

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The work

What medical scientists do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Follow strict safety procedures when handling toxic materials to avoid contamination.
  2. Evaluate effects of drugs, gases, pesticides, parasites, and microorganisms at various levels.
  3. Plan and direct studies to investigate human or animal disease, preventive methods, and treatments for disease.
  4. Prepare and analyze organ, tissue, and cell samples to identify toxicity, bacteria, or microorganisms or to study cell structure.
  5. Conduct research to develop methodologies, instrumentation, and procedures for medical application, analyzing data and presenting findings to the scientific audience and general public.
  6. Teach principles of medicine and medical and laboratory procedures to physicians, residents, students, and technicians.
  7. Write and publish articles in scientific journals.
  8. Write applications for research grants.
Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all medical scientist jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).

  1. Professional, scientific, and technical services34.5% of all jobs in this occupation · +21.0% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $132,710
  2. Hospitals; state, local, and private22.5% of all jobs in this occupation · +4.2% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $107,830
  3. Educational services; state, local, and private20.7% of all jobs in this occupation · +14.3% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $86,240
  4. Ambulatory healthcare services10.4% of all jobs in this occupation · +7.8% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $102,820
  5. Chemical manufacturing3.9% of all jobs in this occupation · +6.9% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $124,980
  6. Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods2.4% of all jobs in this occupation · +7.2% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $173,750

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

WritingcoreSpeakingcoreSciencecoreActive LearningJudgment and Decision MakingReading ComprehensionActive ListeningCritical ThinkingComplex Problem Solving

Knowledge areas: Biology, English Language, Medicine and Dentistry, Chemistry, Mathematics.

Tools and technology

Software medical scientists use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Adobe PhotoshopGraphics or photo imaging softwareHot technology
  • ESRI ArcGIS softwareGeographic information systemHot technology
  • IBM SPSS StatisticsAnalytical or scientific softwareHot technology
  • SASAnalytical or scientific softwareHot technology
  • The MathWorks MATLABAnalytical or scientific softwareHot technology
  • BioArray Software Environment BASEAnalytical or scientific software
  • LexisNexisInformation retrieval or search software
  • Medical Scientists HybridAIAnalytical or scientific software
  • Medical Scientists MediSaveAnalytical or scientific software
  • Microsoft PublisherDesktop publishing software
  • MinitabAnalytical or scientific software
  • PerkinElmer TurboMassAnalytical or scientific software

Also called: Clinical Laboratory Scientist (Clinical Lab Scientist), Clinical Pharmacologist, Clinical Research Scientist, Medical Researcher, Physician Scientist, Research Scientist.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.