Physical Scientists, All Other Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 19-2099 · National · May 2024 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$117,957
$56.71/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 Physical Scientists, All Other is $117,957 per year ($56.71/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $82,451 and $154,898 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $191,880 per year. There are approximately 22,580 physical scientists, all other employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
All physical scientists not listed separately.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+0.6%
Little or no change
Annual openings
2K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
32K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
1% from new growth99% 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
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999100
10K
$132,270
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
NAICS 611300
4K
$80,130
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999200
2K
$87,620
Scientific Research and Development Services
NAICS 541700
2K
$131,480
Computer Systems Design and Related Services
NAICS 541500
1K
$131,750
Wage range across top 5 industries: $80,130 to $132,270 (65% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$29.80
$61,984
P25
$39.64
$82,451
P50MEDIAN
$56.71
$117,957
P75
$74.47
$154,898
P90
$92.25
$191,880
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 physical scientists, all other salary?
The national median salary for Physical Scientists, All Other is $117,957 per year ($56.71/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $82,451 and $154,898 annually.
How much do top-earning physical scientists, all other make?
The 90th percentile salary for Physical Scientists, All Other is $191,880 per year ($92.25/hr). The 75th percentile is $154,898 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for physical scientists, all other?
Entry-level Physical Scientists, All Other (10th percentile) earn approximately $61,984 per year ($29.80/hr). The 25th percentile is $82,451 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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