Science Jobs: Every Major Occupation’s Pay, Ranked (May 2025 BLS Data)
- The median annual wage for life, physical and social science occupations was $82,530 in May 2025, above the $50,980 median for all U.S. jobs.
- The group employed about 1,473,260 people nationwide.
- Its best-paid occupation with at least 10,000 jobs was physicists ($172,250); the lowest-paid was agricultural technicians ($49,630).
BLS sorts every job in the country into 22 major occupational groups. This one, “Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations” (SOC 19-0000), covers the occupations below. All pay and job counts come from the BLS OEWS national data, May 2025; the typical entry education for each job comes from BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35. Use the tables to see where your job sits in its field and which nearby jobs pay more.
Highest-paying jobs in the group
Occupations with at least 10,000 U.S. jobs, ranked by median annual wage:
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Hourly median | U.S. jobs | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physicists | $172,250 | $82.81 | 20,430 | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Biochemists and Biophysicists | $127,410 | $61.26 | 33,830 | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Economists | $124,720 | $59.96 | 17,790 | Master's degree |
| Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists | $103,410 | $49.72 | 172,340 | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers | $101,920 | $49.00 | 23,470 | Bachelor's degree |
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | $100,580 | $48.36 | 75,990 | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Atmospheric and Space Scientists | $99,070 | $47.63 | 10,000 | Bachelor's degree |
| School Psychologists | $95,990 | $46.15 | 63,940 | Master's degree |
| Chemists | $91,240 | $43.87 | 82,770 | Bachelor's degree |
| Occupational Health and Safety Specialists | $90,150 | $43.34 | 140,610 | Bachelor's degree |
| Urban and Regional Planners | $89,320 | $42.94 | 44,230 | Master's degree |
| Food Scientists and Technologists | $88,720 | $42.65 | 13,060 | Bachelor's degree |
Lowest-paying jobs in the group
| Occupation | Median annual wage | U.S. jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural Technicians | $49,630 | 15,130 |
| Food Science Technicians | $52,130 | 14,600 |
| Forest and Conservation Technicians | $54,560 | 30,410 |
| Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health | $55,090 | 34,670 |
| Biological Technicians | $57,510 | 69,620 |
The most common jobs in the group
These are the occupations most people in this field actually hold:
| Occupation | U.S. jobs | 10th percentile | Median | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists | 172,340 | $64,800 | $103,410 | $177,780 |
| Occupational Health and Safety Specialists | 140,610 | $55,000 | $90,150 | $134,950 |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | 89,250 | $52,520 | $82,220 | $140,010 |
| Chemists | 82,770 | $58,460 | $91,240 | $160,830 |
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | 75,990 | $55,170 | $100,580 | $180,960 |
| Biological Technicians | 69,620 | $40,330 | $57,510 | $84,940 |
| School Psychologists | 63,940 | $63,070 | $95,990 | $142,330 |
| Chemical Technicians | 57,540 | $41,740 | $60,390 | $92,040 |
Where life, physical and social science jobs pay the most
States with the highest median wage for the whole group (BLS OEWS state data, May 2025):
| State | Group median wage | Jobs in the group |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $128,610 | 17,790 |
| Massachusetts | $104,050 | 78,090 |
| Maryland | $103,560 | 48,980 |
| California | $101,700 | 206,700 |
| Connecticut | $98,140 | 12,940 |
The lowest group medians were in Arkansas ($62,820), Mississippi ($64,770), South Dakota ($65,570). Part of the gap reflects living costs and part reflects which jobs in the group are common in each state.
No bachelor’s degree? The best-paid job in this group with a typical entry requirement below a four-year degree was occupational health and safety technicians, at a median of $61,560 (high school diploma or equivalent typically needed).
How to use this for a raise or a move
- Benchmark inside your field. Find your occupation in the tables and compare your pay with its median and with the 10th and 90th percentiles.
- Look one step over. The best-paid jobs in a group often use the same skills as the common ones. A certificate or license can move you up a row.
- Location matters. The state table shows how much the same kind of work pays in different places.
- Base pay only. OEWS wages exclude overtime, tips and most bonuses.
Published October 29, 2026. Sources are linked in the text.
Header image: original chart by JobPayRaise.com using BLS OEWS May 2025 data.
Comments (1)
One more data point: the state where life, physical and social science jobs make up the largest share of local employment is District of Columbia, with a location quotient of 2.68 (17,790 jobs at a group median of $128,610). A location quotient above 1 means the group is a bigger share of the state’s jobs than it is nationally. Source: BLS OEWS state data, May 2025; location quotients are explained in the BLS OEWS overview.
— JobPayRaise Data Desk