Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020
19-2012 Physicists
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).
National estimates for Physicists
Industry profile for Physicists
Geographic profile for Physicists
National estimates for Physicists:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Physicists:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 16,160 |
5.1 % |
$ 66.20 |
$ 137,700 |
2.0 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Physicists:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 32.43 |
$ 45.68 |
$ 62.43 |
$ 82.12 |
(5) |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 67,450 |
$ 95,020 |
$ 129,850 |
$ 170,810 |
(5) |
Industry profile for Physicists:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Physicists are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Physicists, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Physicists:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Scientific Research and Development Services |
5,310 |
0.71 |
$ 72.26 |
$ 150,310 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
3,130 |
0.15 |
$ 60.38 |
$ 125,580 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
2,790 |
0.09 |
$ 48.14 |
$ 100,130 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1,260 |
0.02 |
$ 88.37 |
$ 183,820 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services |
730 |
0.05 |
$ 66.74 |
$ 138,820 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Physicists:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Scientific Research and Development Services |
5,310 |
0.71 |
$ 72.26 |
$ 150,310 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
3,130 |
0.15 |
$ 60.38 |
$ 125,580 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
2,790 |
0.09 |
$ 48.14 |
$ 100,130 |
| Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing |
290 |
0.07 |
$ 63.49 |
$ 132,070 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services |
730 |
0.05 |
$ 66.74 |
$ 138,820 |
Top paying industries for Physicists:
Geographic profile for Physicists:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Physicists are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Physicists, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Physicists:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Maryland |
2,010 |
0.79 |
6.84 |
$ 61.64 |
$ 128,220 |
| New Mexico |
1,920 |
2.45 |
21.07 |
$ 81.00 |
$ 168,480 |
| California |
1,360 |
0.08 |
0.71 |
$ 62.16 |
$ 129,290 |
| Texas |
1,020 |
0.08 |
0.73 |
$ 53.88 |
$ 112,060 |
| Colorado |
1,000 |
0.39 |
3.35 |
$ 66.04 |
$ 137,360 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Physicists:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New Mexico |
1,920 |
2.45 |
21.07 |
$ 81.00 |
$ 168,480 |
| District of Columbia |
680 |
0.99 |
8.55 |
$ 73.01 |
$ 151,860 |
| Maryland |
2,010 |
0.79 |
6.84 |
$ 61.64 |
$ 128,220 |
| Colorado |
1,000 |
0.39 |
3.35 |
$ 66.04 |
$ 137,360 |
| Virginia |
800 |
0.22 |
1.87 |
$ 57.99 |
$ 120,620 |
Top paying states for Physicists:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Connecticut |
140 |
0.09 |
0.77 |
$ 83.64 |
$ 173,970 |
| New Mexico |
1,920 |
2.45 |
21.07 |
$ 81.00 |
$ 168,480 |
| South Carolina |
90 |
0.04 |
0.37 |
$ 79.38 |
$ 165,120 |
| New York |
860 |
0.10 |
0.85 |
$ 78.51 |
$ 163,290 |
| Louisiana |
40 |
0.02 |
0.20 |
$ 78.33 |
$ 162,930 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Physicists:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
1,790 |
0.59 |
5.11 |
$ 67.34 |
$ 140,070 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
1,050 |
0.12 |
1.02 |
$ 76.58 |
$ 159,290 |
| Boulder, CO |
890 |
4.91 |
42.24 |
$ 66.90 |
$ 139,160 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
510 |
0.12 |
1.01 |
$ 55.49 |
$ 115,420 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
500 |
0.09 |
0.74 |
$ 59.63 |
$ 124,020 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
500 |
0.19 |
1.66 |
$ 69.52 |
$ 144,590 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
420 |
0.12 |
1.01 |
$ 67.11 |
$ 139,590 |
| Albuquerque, NM |
380 |
1.01 |
8.67 |
$ 71.15 |
$ 148,000 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
280 |
0.15 |
1.25 |
$ 69.50 |
$ 144,570 |
| Knoxville, TN |
280 |
0.74 |
6.38 |
$ 70.51 |
$ 146,660 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Physicists:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Boulder, CO |
890 |
4.91 |
42.24 |
$ 66.90 |
$ 139,160 |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI |
200 |
1.03 |
8.84 |
$ 41.22 |
$ 85,740 |
| Albuquerque, NM |
380 |
1.01 |
8.67 |
$ 71.15 |
$ 148,000 |
| Idaho Falls, ID |
70 |
0.99 |
8.49 |
$ 54.54 |
$ 113,440 |
| Knoxville, TN |
280 |
0.74 |
6.38 |
$ 70.51 |
$ 146,660 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
1,790 |
0.59 |
5.11 |
$ 67.34 |
$ 140,070 |
| Dayton, OH |
150 |
0.41 |
3.56 |
$ 56.89 |
$ 118,320 |
| Charlottesville, VA |
40 |
0.41 |
3.50 |
$ 36.48 |
$ 75,880 |
| Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC |
260 |
0.36 |
3.07 |
$ 46.92 |
$ 97,590 |
| Huntsville, AL |
80 |
0.35 |
3.02 |
$ 62.25 |
$ 129,480 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Physicists:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 82.06 |
$ 170,690 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
130 |
0.06 |
0.48 |
$ 79.05 |
$ 164,420 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
1,050 |
0.12 |
1.02 |
$ 76.58 |
$ 159,290 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI |
160 |
0.09 |
0.79 |
$ 76.20 |
$ 158,490 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR |
40 |
0.06 |
0.55 |
$ 75.53 |
$ 157,100 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS |
30 |
0.03 |
0.27 |
$ 73.53 |
$ 152,940 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN |
50 |
0.05 |
0.46 |
$ 72.59 |
$ 150,980 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 71.83 |
$ 149,410 |
| Albuquerque, NM |
380 |
1.01 |
8.67 |
$ 71.15 |
$ 148,000 |
| Knoxville, TN |
280 |
0.74 |
6.38 |
$ 70.51 |
$ 146,660 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Physicists:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Physicists:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Physicists:
About May 2020 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.
(5) This wage is equal to or greater than $100.00 per hour or $208,000 per year.
(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 OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021
United States Department of Labor
