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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018

19-1042 Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

Conduct research dealing with the understanding of human diseases and the improvement of human health. Engage in clinical investigation, research and development, or other related activities. Includes physicians, dentists, public health specialists, pharmacologists, and medical pathologists who primarily conduct research. Practitioners who primarily provide medical or dental care or dispense drugs are included in "Health Diagnosing and Treating Practitioners" (29-1000).


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 occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
120,320 2.9 % $46.36 $96,420 1.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $22.51 $28.64 $40.77 $56.75 $75.47
Annual Wage (2) $46,810 $59,580 $84,810 $118,040 $156,980


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 44,210 6.56 $49.16 $102,260
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 24,620 0.81 $34.98 $72,760
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 20,740 0.37 $40.97 $85,210
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 8,190 2.78 $63.07 $131,180
Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories 3,620 1.33 $45.76 $95,180

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 44,210 6.56 $49.16 $102,260
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 8,190 2.78 $63.07 $131,180
Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories 3,620 1.33 $45.76 $95,180
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 24,620 0.81 $34.98 $72,760
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 20,740 0.37 $40.97 $85,210

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Employment Services (8) (8) $67.35 $140,080
Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 680 0.09 $63.71 $132,530
Management of Companies and Enterprises 1,650 0.07 $63.08 $131,210
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 8,190 2.78 $63.07 $131,180
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 1,240 0.06 $61.59 $128,120


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 26,080 1.53 1.84 $49.31 $102,550
Massachusetts 13,430 3.76 4.52 $44.70 $92,980
New York 9,500 1.01 1.22 $45.76 $95,170
Pennsylvania 7,970 1.36 1.64 $54.99 $114,370
Washington 5,570 1.71 2.05 $43.41 $90,290




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)
Massachusetts 13,430 3.76 4.52 $44.70 $92,980
Maryland 5,010 1.86 2.24 $50.85 $105,780
Washington 5,570 1.71 2.05 $43.41 $90,290
California 26,080 1.53 1.84 $49.31 $102,550
Pennsylvania 7,970 1.36 1.64 $54.99 $114,370




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Jersey 2,960 0.73 0.88 $69.86 $145,300
Connecticut 1,340 0.81 0.97 $64.76 $134,710
New Hampshire 390 0.59 0.71 $55.87 $116,200
Rhode Island (8) (8) (8) $55.37 $115,170
Delaware 400 0.88 1.06 $55.32 $115,070





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)
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 12,860 4.66 5.61 $44.40 $92,350
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 9,400 0.99 1.19 $52.45 $109,100
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 7,400 3.06 3.68 $51.39 $106,890
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 7,360 1.20 1.45 $44.58 $92,730
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 7,040 2.47 2.97 $56.69 $117,910
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 5,060 2.55 3.07 $43.15 $89,750
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 4,870 1.55 1.87 $55.99 $116,460
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 4,290 2.93 3.52 $48.95 $101,820
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 3,290 0.71 0.85 $42.50 $88,400
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 2,910 0.98 1.18 $33.14 $68,940




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Iowa City, IA 780 8.44 10.15 $32.36 $67,310
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 2,230 7.24 8.71 $50.82 $105,710
Charlottesville, VA 550 4.91 5.90 $36.89 $76,730
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 12,860 4.66 5.61 $44.40 $92,350
Ann Arbor, MI 940 4.32 5.20 $30.23 $62,880
Trenton, NJ 740 3.19 3.84 (8) (8)
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 7,400 3.06 3.68 $51.39 $106,890
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 4,290 2.93 3.52 $48.95 $101,820
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 5,060 2.55 3.07 $43.15 $89,750
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 7,040 2.47 2.97 $56.69 $117,910




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Haven, CT 300 1.04 1.25 $74.16 $154,260
Oklahoma City, OK (8) (8) (8) $71.64 $149,020
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 630 1.50 1.81 $66.27 $137,840
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 300 2.19 2.63 $61.65 $128,240
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR 60 0.16 0.19 $60.28 $125,380
Pine Bluff, AR 30 1.07 1.29 $58.48 $121,630
Salinas, CA 70 0.39 0.46 $57.93 $120,500
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 7,040 2.47 2.97 $56.69 $117,910
Stockton-Lodi, CA 80 0.33 0.40 $56.66 $117,850
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 4,870 1.55 1.87 $55.99 $116,460

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Central-Southwest New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 290 2.81 3.38 $45.89 $95,450
Southeast-Central Idaho nonmetropolitan area 90 0.67 0.80 $35.32 $73,470
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area 60 0.61 0.73 $48.73 $101,370
West Montana nonmetropolitan area 60 0.78 0.94 $41.36 $86,030
Southern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 50 0.26 0.31 $32.99 $68,620

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Central-Southwest New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 290 2.81 3.38 $45.89 $95,450
West Montana nonmetropolitan area 60 0.78 0.94 $41.36 $86,030
Southeast-Central Idaho nonmetropolitan area 90 0.67 0.80 $35.32 $73,470
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area 60 0.61 0.73 $48.73 $101,370
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 50 0.49 0.58 $51.30 $106,700

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 50 0.49 0.58 $51.30 $106,700
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $50.05 $104,090
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area 60 0.61 0.73 $48.73 $101,370
West Central-Southwest New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 290 2.81 3.38 $45.89 $95,450
West Montana nonmetropolitan area 60 0.78 0.94 $41.36 $86,030


About May 2018 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2018 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 29, 2019