Life Scientists, All Other Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 19-1099 · National · May 2024 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$87,797
$42.21/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated Apr 3, 2025
Source: BLS OEWS · Published Apr 2, 2025
Next refresh: May 15, 2026
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The national median salary for Life Scientists, All Other is $87,797 per year ($42.21/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $66,331 and $123,718 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $168,854 per year. There are approximately 7,320 life scientists, all other employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
All life scientists not listed separately.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+3.7%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
400
per year, on avg
Workforce today
8K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
8% from new growth93% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Scientific Research and Development Services
NAICS 541700
2K
$126,330
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
NAICS 611300
1K
$64,500
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999200
1K
$76,700
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing
NAICS 325400
410
$100,980
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999100
330
$125,830
Wage range across top 5 industries: $64,500 to $126,330 (96% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$25.17
$52,354
P25
$31.89
$66,331
P50MEDIAN
$42.21
$87,797
P75
$59.48
$123,718
P90
$81.18
$168,854
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average life scientists, all other salary?
The national median salary for Life Scientists, All Other is $87,797 per year ($42.21/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $66,331 and $123,718 annually.
How much do top-earning life scientists, all other make?
The 90th percentile salary for Life Scientists, All Other is $168,854 per year ($81.18/hr). The 75th percentile is $123,718 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for life scientists, all other?
Entry-level Life Scientists, All Other (10th percentile) earn approximately $52,354 per year ($25.17/hr). The 25th percentile is $66,331 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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