SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories on the basis of observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and theories. Excludes “Biochemists and Biophysicists” (19-1021).
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 19-2012.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $82,110 | $6,842 | $1,579 | $39.48 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $111,720 | $9,310 | $2,148 | $53.71 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $172,250 | $14,354 | $3,312 | $82.81 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $222,760 | $18,563 | $4,284 | $107.10 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $274,110 | $22,842 | $5,271 | $131.79 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Physicists is $172,250, which is 238% higher. Among the 48 occupations of the field Life, Physical, and Social Science, it ranks number 2 by median pay. With 20,430 jobs, it makes up about 1.3 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Physicists pay by state
The highest median pay was in Florida ($225,390), New Hampshire ($214,030) and Pennsylvania ($210,990). The lowest was in Delaware ($82,590), South Dakota ($83,050) and Michigan ($94,520). The most jobs were in California (5,930), Illinois (1,590) and Maryland (1,200). The occupation is most concentrated in District of Columbia, where its share of all jobs is 5.2 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 340 | $225,390 | $219,910 | $108.36 |
| New Hampshire | 30 | $214,030 | $208,970 | $102.90 |
| Pennsylvania | 230 | $210,990 | $191,120 | $101.44 |
| California | 5,930 | $207,490 | $201,930 | $99.75 |
| Oregon | 90 | $200,320 | $207,370 | $96.31 |
| Oklahoma | 40 | $200,050 | $162,530 | $96.18 |
| Texas | 580 | $184,040 | $176,530 | $88.48 |
| New York | 1,140 | $181,970 | $182,580 | $87.48 |
| Kentucky | 50 | $180,910 | $179,250 | $86.98 |
| Connecticut | 60 | $180,300 | $200,450 | $86.68 |
| Iowa | 110 | $178,110 | $176,230 | $85.63 |
| Maryland | 1,200 | $174,390 | $166,770 | $83.84 |
| North Carolina | 150 | $174,180 | $153,120 | $83.74 |
| Wisconsin | 180 | $173,120 | $181,180 | $83.23 |
| Minnesota | 110 | $171,220 | $201,530 | $82.32 |
| Louisiana | 40 | $166,240 | $152,750 | $79.92 |
| New Mexico | 580 | $165,340 | $176,680 | $79.49 |
| Tennessee | 240 | $165,010 | $171,070 | $79.33 |
| New Jersey | 470 | $163,270 | $175,090 | $78.49 |
| Ohio | 630 | $162,900 | $172,300 | $78.32 |
| District of Columbia | 480 | $157,040 | $156,320 | $75.50 |
| Utah | 30 | $156,760 | $165,140 | $75.37 |
| Rhode Island | not published | $155,150 | $169,270 | $74.59 |
| Nevada | 50 | $154,030 | $151,470 | $74.05 |
| Virginia | 940 | $145,040 | $159,320 | $69.73 |
| Georgia | 160 | $144,870 | $179,130 | $69.65 |
| Missouri | 90 | $140,460 | $156,130 | $67.53 |
| Alabama | 280 | $139,330 | $147,580 | $66.98 |
| South Carolina | 420 | $138,400 | $159,280 | $66.54 |
| Illinois | 1,590 | $137,140 | $139,780 | $65.93 |
| Arkansas | 60 | $135,820 | $146,880 | $65.30 |
| Idaho | not published | $135,150 | $148,780 | $64.97 |
| Washington | 450 | $134,790 | $149,060 | $64.81 |
| Arizona | 120 | $130,500 | $159,730 | $62.74 |
| Mississippi | 80 | $129,970 | $137,740 | $62.49 |
| Hawaii | 40 | $117,190 | $177,940 | $56.34 |
| Massachusetts | 1,150 | $106,410 | $130,250 | $51.16 |
| Indiana | 230 | $105,940 | $132,050 | $50.93 |
| Colorado | 1,050 | $104,580 | $128,830 | $50.28 |
| Montana | 30 | $103,800 | $125,680 | $49.90 |
| Michigan | 510 | $94,520 | $135,340 | $45.44 |
| South Dakota | 30 | $83,050 | $108,270 | $39.93 |
| Delaware | 50 | $82,590 | $133,760 | $39.71 |
| Maine | 60 | not published | not published | not published |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Industrial-Organizational Psychologists$193,950 a year
- Political Scientists$142,080 a year
- Astronomers$128,820 a year
- Biochemists and Biophysicists$127,410 a year
Common questions
How much do Physicists earn in the United States?
The median pay was $172,250 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $82,110 and the highest-paid 10% more than $274,110.
How many people work as Physicists?
About 20,430 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.