Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018
19-0000 Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations (Major Group)
This major group comprises the following occupations:
Animal Scientists ;
Food Scientists and Technologists ;
Soil and Plant Scientists ;
Biochemists and Biophysicists ;
Microbiologists ;
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists ;
Biological Scientists, All Other ;
Conservation Scientists ;
Foresters ;
Epidemiologists ;
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists ;
Life Scientists, All Other ;
Astronomers ;
Physicists ;
Atmospheric and Space Scientists ;
Chemists ;
Materials Scientists ;
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health ;
Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers ;
Hydrologists ;
Physical Scientists, All Other ;
Economists ;
Survey Researchers ;
Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists ;
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists ;
Psychologists, All Other ;
Sociologists ;
Urban and Regional Planners ;
Anthropologists and Archeologists ;
Geographers ;
Historians ;
Political Scientists ;
Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other ;
Agricultural and Food Science Technicians ;
Biological Technicians ;
Chemical Technicians ;
Geological and Petroleum Technicians ;
Nuclear Technicians ;
Social Science Research Assistants ;
Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health ;
Forensic Science Technicians ;
Forest and Conservation Technicians ;
Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other
National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation
National estimates for this occupation: Top
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this major group:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 1,171,910 |
0.7 % |
$36.62 |
$76,160 |
0.4 % |
Percentile wage estimates for this major group:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$16.85 |
$22.74 |
$31.77 |
$45.77 |
$61.22 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$35,050 |
$47,310 |
$66,070 |
$95,210 |
$127,340 |
Industry profile for this occupation: Top
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Scientific Research and Development Services |
180,870 |
26.83 |
$42.11 |
$87,580 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) |
136,140 |
6.79 |
$39.89 |
$82,960 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
129,270 |
4.25 |
$29.58 |
$61,520 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) |
85,680 |
1.56 |
$32.69 |
$67,990 |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) |
80,110 |
3.68 |
$30.08 |
$62,570 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Scientific Research and Development Services |
180,870 |
26.83 |
$42.11 |
$87,580 |
| Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing |
45,790 |
15.56 |
$40.39 |
$84,020 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) |
136,140 |
6.79 |
$39.89 |
$82,960 |
| Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) |
23,760 |
6.55 |
$34.27 |
$71,290 |
| Oil and Gas Extraction |
8,820 |
6.25 |
$57.34 |
$119,270 |
Top paying industries for this occupation:
Geographic profile for this occupation: Top
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
177,450 |
10.43 |
1.29 |
$41.18 |
$85,640 |
| Texas |
80,990 |
6.69 |
0.83 |
$36.97 |
$76,890 |
| New York |
67,740 |
7.22 |
0.89 |
$36.67 |
$76,270 |
| Massachusetts |
53,530 |
14.99 |
1.85 |
$40.99 |
$85,270 |
| Pennsylvania |
45,730 |
7.82 |
0.97 |
$36.98 |
$76,930 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| District of Columbia |
22,960 |
32.23 |
3.98 |
$52.97 |
$110,170 |
| Alaska |
5,980 |
18.96 |
2.34 |
$35.92 |
$74,720 |
| Montana |
8,020 |
17.30 |
2.14 |
$26.91 |
$55,970 |
| Maryland |
41,280 |
15.38 |
1.90 |
$44.82 |
$93,210 |
| Massachusetts |
53,530 |
14.99 |
1.85 |
$40.99 |
$85,270 |
Top paying States for this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| District of Columbia |
22,960 |
32.23 |
3.98 |
$52.97 |
$110,170 |
| New Jersey |
37,160 |
9.18 |
1.13 |
$47.68 |
$99,170 |
| Maryland |
41,280 |
15.38 |
1.90 |
$44.82 |
$93,210 |
| Virginia |
32,480 |
8.47 |
1.05 |
$41.21 |
$85,720 |
| California |
177,450 |
10.43 |
1.29 |
$41.18 |
$85,640 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
70,380 |
7.41 |
0.92 |
$43.61 |
$90,700 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
61,760 |
19.70 |
2.43 |
$51.24 |
$106,580 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
46,870 |
7.66 |
0.95 |
$40.64 |
$84,530 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
46,620 |
16.90 |
2.09 |
$41.48 |
$86,280 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
37,300 |
15.42 |
1.90 |
$46.92 |
$97,600 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
30,730 |
10.79 |
1.33 |
$41.37 |
$86,040 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
29,650 |
9.94 |
1.23 |
$40.88 |
$85,020 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
28,960 |
6.24 |
0.77 |
$34.66 |
$72,090 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
23,530 |
16.08 |
1.99 |
$40.67 |
$84,600 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
20,390 |
10.27 |
1.27 |
$38.23 |
$79,520 |
United States Department of Labor
