Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
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, pharmacologists, and medical pathologists who primarily conduct research. Practitioners who primarily provide medical or dental care or dispense drugs are included in “Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners” (29-1000).
National estimates for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists
Industry profile for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists
Geographic profile for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists
National estimates for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 108,550 |
1.7 % |
$ 50.02 |
$ 104,050 |
0.9 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 24.09 |
$ 30.19 |
$ 45.82 |
$ 62.55 |
$ 80.28 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 50,100 |
$ 62,800 |
$ 95,310 |
$ 130,090 |
$ 166,980 |
Industry profile for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Scientific Research and Development Services |
42,420 |
5.33 |
$ 55.98 |
$ 116,430 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
20,430 |
0.69 |
$ 34.92 |
$ 72,620 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
16,200 |
0.29 |
$ 46.17 |
$ 96,030 |
| Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories |
4,730 |
1.61 |
$ 48.35 |
$ 100,560 |
| Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing |
4,570 |
1.45 |
$ 50.85 |
$ 105,760 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Scientific Research and Development Services |
42,420 |
5.33 |
$ 55.98 |
$ 116,430 |
| Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories |
4,730 |
1.61 |
$ 48.35 |
$ 100,560 |
| Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing |
4,570 |
1.45 |
$ 50.85 |
$ 105,760 |
| Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals |
3,170 |
1.17 |
$ 39.19 |
$ 81,510 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
20,430 |
0.69 |
$ 34.92 |
$ 72,620 |
Top paying industries for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists:
Geographic profile for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
17,320 |
1.05 |
1.36 |
$ 57.95 |
$ 120,540 |
| Massachusetts |
12,190 |
3.59 |
4.66 |
$ 54.76 |
$ 113,900 |
| Texas |
7,620 |
0.62 |
0.81 |
$ 39.89 |
$ 82,980 |
| New York |
6,930 |
0.80 |
1.04 |
$ 50.30 |
$ 104,630 |
| Pennsylvania |
5,750 |
1.03 |
1.34 |
$ 45.82 |
$ 95,300 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Massachusetts |
12,190 |
3.59 |
4.66 |
$ 54.76 |
$ 113,900 |
| Maryland |
5,440 |
2.14 |
2.77 |
$ 52.36 |
$ 108,910 |
| Washington |
4,950 |
1.54 |
2.00 |
$ 51.44 |
$ 107,000 |
| New Jersey |
5,730 |
1.49 |
1.93 |
$ 62.11 |
$ 129,190 |
| Delaware |
580 |
1.33 |
1.73 |
$ 62.44 |
$ 129,870 |
Top paying states for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Connecticut |
1,720 |
1.09 |
1.42 |
$ 68.44 |
$ 142,340 |
| Maine |
90 |
0.15 |
0.20 |
$ 66.82 |
$ 138,980 |
| Delaware |
580 |
1.33 |
1.73 |
$ 62.44 |
$ 129,870 |
| New Jersey |
5,730 |
1.49 |
1.93 |
$ 62.11 |
$ 129,190 |
| Tennessee |
1,580 |
0.53 |
0.69 |
$ 62.03 |
$ 129,020 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
11,800 |
4.57 |
5.93 |
$ 54.68 |
$ 113,730 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
9,240 |
1.06 |
1.38 |
$ 55.99 |
$ 116,470 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
4,880 |
2.18 |
2.83 |
$ 65.83 |
$ 136,920 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
4,700 |
0.82 |
1.07 |
$ 52.36 |
$ 108,900 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
4,620 |
1.57 |
2.04 |
$ 60.29 |
$ 125,390 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
4,410 |
1.66 |
2.16 |
$ 48.02 |
$ 99,880 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
4,270 |
2.22 |
2.89 |
$ 53.16 |
$ 110,580 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
3,450 |
1.19 |
1.55 |
$ 37.23 |
$ 77,440 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
3,110 |
2.23 |
2.90 |
$ 55.49 |
$ 115,420 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
3,090 |
0.73 |
0.95 |
$ 45.73 |
$ 95,110 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Iowa City, IA |
840 |
9.56 |
12.41 |
$ 32.55 |
$ 67,690 |
| Charlottesville, VA |
530 |
4.91 |
6.38 |
$ 38.40 |
$ 79,870 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC |
1,500 |
4.80 |
6.23 |
$ 56.12 |
$ 116,720 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
11,800 |
4.57 |
5.93 |
$ 54.68 |
$ 113,730 |
| Ann Arbor, MI |
500 |
2.48 |
3.22 |
$ 37.64 |
$ 78,280 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
3,110 |
2.23 |
2.90 |
$ 55.49 |
$ 115,420 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
4,270 |
2.22 |
2.89 |
$ 53.16 |
$ 110,580 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
4,880 |
2.18 |
2.83 |
$ 65.83 |
$ 136,920 |
| Madison, WI |
750 |
1.98 |
2.57 |
$ 45.09 |
$ 93,800 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
4,410 |
1.66 |
2.16 |
$ 48.02 |
$ 99,880 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR |
540 |
0.90 |
1.17 |
$ 84.99 |
$ 176,770 |
| Columbia, SC |
60 |
0.15 |
0.20 |
$ 74.79 |
$ 155,570 |
| Danbury, CT |
40 |
0.57 |
0.74 |
$ 73.06 |
$ 151,970 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT |
670 |
1.24 |
1.60 |
$ 70.30 |
$ 146,220 |
| New Haven, CT |
370 |
1.34 |
1.74 |
$ 66.82 |
$ 138,990 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
1,120 |
1.05 |
1.36 |
$ 66.44 |
$ 138,190 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
4,880 |
2.18 |
2.83 |
$ 65.83 |
$ 136,920 |
| Ithaca, NY |
30 |
0.65 |
0.84 |
$ 65.30 |
$ 135,820 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT |
400 |
1.05 |
1.37 |
$ 64.97 |
$ 135,140 |
| Vallejo-Fairfield, CA |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 63.05 |
$ 131,140 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists:
About May 2021 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 OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
