Physicist salary: $172,250 median, and how to negotiate yours.
The full pay range by percentile, every state, the top-paying metro areas and similar roles, from the latest BLS survey. Place your own offer on the range.
The median annual wage for physicists in the United States was $172,250 in May 2025 (BLS). The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $82,110 and the top 10% earned more than $274,110. That median is 3.4 times the $50,980 median for all occupations. The highest-paying state was Florida ($225,390).
- 10th percentile
- $82,110
- lowest-paid 10% earn less
- 25th percentile
- $111,720
- a quarter earn less
- 75th percentile
- $222,760
- a quarter earn more
- 90th percentile
- $274,110
- top 10% earn more
Physicist salary in every state
Data BLS state estimates, May 2025. 43 states and DC published a median for this occupation. Sort by pay or by number employed.
- Florida$225,390
- New Hampshire$214,030
- Pennsylvania$210,990
- California$207,490
- Oregon$200,320
- California5,930
- Illinois1,590
- Maryland1,200
- Massachusetts1,150
- New York1,140
| State | 10th–90th percentile | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | $225,390 | $113,240–$308,580 | 340 |
| New Hampshire | $214,030 | $96,760–$301,570 | 30 |
| Pennsylvania | $210,990 | $88,300–$261,820 | 230 |
| California | $207,490 | $125,390–$296,740 | 5,930 |
| Oregon | $200,320 | $104,370–$315,910 | 90 |
| Oklahoma | $200,050 | $61,380–$249,780 | 40 |
| Texas | $184,040 | $69,960–$289,950 | 580 |
| New York | $181,970 | $80,000–$292,950 | 1,140 |
| Kentucky | $180,910 | $65,860–$282,000 | 50 |
| Connecticut | $180,300 | $104,750–$303,910 | 60 |
| Iowa | $178,110 | $83,830–$292,990 | 110 |
| Maryland | $174,390 | $105,560–$219,450 | 1,200 |
| North Carolina | $174,180 | $64,050–$256,860 | 150 |
| Wisconsin | $173,120 | $89,310–$291,910 | 180 |
| Minnesota | $171,220 | $131,870–$336,740 | 110 |
| Louisiana | $166,240 | $85,360–$214,090 | 40 |
| New Mexico | $165,340 | $120,720–$235,180 | 580 |
| Tennessee | $165,010 | $88,610–$239,850 | 240 |
| New Jersey | $163,270 | $100,490–$289,830 | 470 |
| Ohio | $162,900 | $64,860–$239,360 | 630 |
| District of Columbia | $157,040 | $86,820–$202,360 | 480 |
| Utah | $156,760 | $64,090–$258,690 | 30 |
| Rhode Island | $155,150 | $86,340–$298,000 | n/a |
| Nevada | $154,030 | $102,580–$220,070 | 50 |
| Virginia | $145,040 | $97,720–$238,570 | 940 |
| Georgia | $144,870 | $79,860–$288,170 | 160 |
| Missouri | $140,460 | $70,550–$276,590 | 90 |
| Alabama | $139,330 | $74,290–$227,790 | 280 |
| South Carolina | $138,400 | $106,510–$228,440 | 420 |
| Illinois | $137,140 | $81,830–$221,380 | 1,590 |
| Arkansas | $135,820 | $110,390–$214,000 | 60 |
| Idaho | $135,150 | $85,110–$199,990 | n/a |
| Washington | $134,790 | $77,860–$238,430 | 450 |
| Arizona | $130,500 | $102,160–$242,730 | 120 |
| Mississippi | $129,970 | $64,980–$219,440 | 80 |
| Hawaii | $117,190 | $77,190–$383,510 | 40 |
| Massachusetts | $106,410 | $82,050–$213,150 | 1,150 |
| Indiana | $105,940 | $64,000–$220,040 | 230 |
| Colorado | $104,580 | $82,340–$210,950 | 1,050 |
| Montana | $103,800 | $53,500–$237,520 | 30 |
| Michigan | $94,520 | $64,380–$248,500 | 510 |
| South Dakota | $83,050 | $53,910–$180,690 | 30 |
| Delaware | $82,590 | $64,570–$293,950 | 50 |
Where the median is highest
Data Metropolitan areas with at least 100 people employed in the occupation, BLS May 2025.
How the pay compares
Data National medians for related occupations (O*NET related roles, BLS pay).
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How this page is built
Wages are BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates for May 2025 (national, state and metropolitan area), for the occupation shown. OEWS wages are straight-time gross pay: they include base pay, commissions, production bonuses and tips, and exclude overtime, shift differentials, non-production bonuses and benefits. Percentiles describe all workers in the occupation, not entry or senior levels.
- Pay at a specific employer, or for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
- Experience level: percentiles are not seniority bands.
- Equity, bonuses outside OEWS's definition, and benefits.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- 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.