Physicists Salary
Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations · 20K employed in the U.S.
Median annual
$172,250
Median hourly
$83
Average annual
$171,180
Typical range
$82,110–$274,110
Pay distribution
10th to 90th percentile, with the median marked.
What this role pays
The median annual salary for Physicists is $172,250 as of May 2025, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. That works out to about $83 an hour at a full-time schedule.
Conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories on the basis of observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and theories..
Most earn between $82,110 and $274,110 a year. There are roughly 20K people employed as physicists in the United States. Use the state and metro pages below to see how pay changes by location, and the calculator to convert any hourly or annual figure.
Salary calculator
Convert your pay and see where it lands for Physicists.
- Hourly
- $82.81
- Daily
- $663
- Weekly
- $3,313
- Bi-weekly
- $6,625
- Monthly
- $14,354
- Annual
- $172,250
$172,250 a year is around the 50th percentile for Physicistss. The median is $172,250.
Highest-paying states
Median annual wage by state.
- 1Florida$225,390
- 2New Hampshire$214,030
- 3Pennsylvania$210,990
- 4California$207,490
- 5Oregon$200,320
- 6Oklahoma$200,050
- 7Texas$184,040
- 8New York$181,970
- 9Kentucky$180,910
- 10Connecticut$180,300
- 11Iowa$178,110
- 12Maryland$174,390
Top-paying metro areas
Median annual wage by metro area.
- 1Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL$272,480
- 2Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL$266,260
- 3Cleveland, OH$239,360
- 4Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN$236,920
- 5Pittsburgh, PA$224,160
- 6Richmond, VA$218,290
- 7Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$199,770
- 8Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI$199,170
- 9San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX$194,290
- 10New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$181,970
- 11Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA$178,110
- 12Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY$175,060
Related job titles
Employers advertise Physicists roles under these titles.
- Aerophysicist
- Astrophysicist
- Atmospheric Physicist
- Atomic Spectroscopist
- Biophysics Scientist
- Cloud Physicist
- Computational Physicist
- Condensed Matter Physicist
- Diagnostic Medical Physicist
- Electrodynamicist
- Experimental Physicist
- Fluid Dynamicist
- Health Physicist
- Mass Spectroscopist
- Mathematical Physicist
- Molecular Physicist
Related occupations
What a Physicists does
- Perform complex calculations as part of the analysis and evaluation of data, using computers.
- Analyze data from research conducted to detect and measure physical phenomena.
- Describe and express observations and conclusions in mathematical terms.
- Design computer simulations to model physical data so that it can be better understood.
- Teach physics to students.
- Report experimental results by writing papers for scientific journals or by presenting information at scientific conferences.
- Write research proposals to receive funding.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Physicists make?
- The median annual wage for Physicists is $172,250 ($83 per hour). Pay ranges from about $82,110 at the 10th percentile to $274,110 at the 90th percentile.
- What is the average salary for a Physicists?
- The average (mean) annual salary is $171,180, which is higher than the median because a small number of high earners pull the average up.
- Which state pays Physicistss the most?
- Florida has the highest median annual wage for this occupation at $225,390.
- Is Physicists a growing occupation?
- BLS employment data for May 2025 counts about 20K people in this occupation. Projected growth is published separately in the BLS Employment Projections program.
- What does a Physicists do?
- Perform complex calculations as part of the analysis and evaluation of data, using computers.; Analyze data from research conducted to detect and measure physical phenomena.; Describe and express observations and conclusions in mathematical terms..