Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023
19-2032 Materials Scientists
Research and study the structures and chemical properties of various natural and synthetic or composite materials, including metals, alloys, rubber, ceramics, semiconductors, polymers, and glass. Determine ways to strengthen or combine materials or develop new materials with new or specific properties for use in a variety of products and applications. Includes glass scientists, ceramic scientists, metallurgical scientists, and polymer scientists.
National estimates for Materials Scientists
Industry profile for Materials Scientists
Geographic profile for Materials Scientists
National estimates for Materials Scientists:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Materials Scientists:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 8,810 |
6.7 % |
$ 54.06 |
$ 112,440 |
1.3 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Materials Scientists:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 30.83 |
$ 39.75 |
$ 51.04 |
$ 64.70 |
$ 82.16 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 64,130 |
$ 82,670 |
$ 106,160 |
$ 134,580 |
$ 170,900 |
Industry profile for Materials Scientists:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Materials Scientists are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Materials Scientists, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Materials Scientists:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Scientific Research and Development Services |
2,860 |
0.31 |
$ 59.14 |
$ 123,010 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
730 |
0.02 |
$ 43.31 |
$ 90,090 |
| Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing |
570 |
0.17 |
$ 45.33 |
$ 94,290 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises |
560 |
0.02 |
$ 58.21 |
$ 121,080 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services |
530 |
0.03 |
$ 44.62 |
$ 92,800 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Materials Scientists:
Top paying industries for Materials Scientists:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
150 |
0.02 |
$ 75.69 |
$ 157,430 |
| Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing |
160 |
0.04 |
$ 73.87 |
$ 153,650 |
| Plastics Product Manufacturing |
210 |
0.03 |
$ 63.49 |
$ 132,060 |
| Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing |
170 |
0.04 |
$ 63.05 |
$ 131,140 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 61.58 |
$ 128,090 |
Geographic profile for Materials Scientists:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Materials Scientists are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Materials Scientists, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Materials Scientists:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New Jersey |
1,080 |
0.26 |
4.44 |
$ 47.07 |
$ 97,910 |
| California |
790 |
0.04 |
0.76 |
$ 64.98 |
$ 135,150 |
| New York |
660 |
0.07 |
1.21 |
$ 66.38 |
$ 138,070 |
| Illinois |
580 |
0.10 |
1.66 |
$ 55.35 |
$ 115,130 |
| Massachusetts |
550 |
0.15 |
2.59 |
$ 57.89 |
$ 120,420 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Materials Scientists:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Nevada |
430 |
0.29 |
4.98 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Delaware |
120 |
0.26 |
4.56 |
$ 56.76 |
$ 118,070 |
| New Jersey |
1,080 |
0.26 |
4.44 |
$ 47.07 |
$ 97,910 |
| Massachusetts |
550 |
0.15 |
2.59 |
$ 57.89 |
$ 120,420 |
| Minnesota |
370 |
0.13 |
2.24 |
$ 53.63 |
$ 111,560 |
Top paying states for Materials Scientists:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York |
660 |
0.07 |
1.21 |
$ 66.38 |
$ 138,070 |
| California |
790 |
0.04 |
0.76 |
$ 64.98 |
$ 135,150 |
| Washington |
430 |
0.12 |
2.10 |
$ 62.42 |
$ 129,830 |
| Florida |
100 |
0.01 |
0.17 |
$ 60.40 |
$ 125,630 |
| New Hampshire |
60 |
0.09 |
1.58 |
$ 58.85 |
$ 122,400 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Materials Scientists:
| 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 |
1,070 |
0.11 |
1.95 |
$ 51.21 |
$ 106,520 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
510 |
0.11 |
1.94 |
$ 56.86 |
$ 118,280 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
410 |
0.15 |
2.55 |
$ 58.36 |
$ 121,390 |
| Reno, NV |
400 |
1.57 |
27.11 |
$ 43.49 |
$ 90,450 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
380 |
0.13 |
2.30 |
$ 53.02 |
$ 110,290 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
330 |
0.17 |
2.97 |
$ 53.21 |
$ 110,670 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
240 |
0.04 |
0.66 |
$ 62.41 |
$ 129,820 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
170 |
0.07 |
1.22 |
$ 70.04 |
$ 145,680 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
170 |
0.08 |
1.37 |
$ 64.78 |
$ 134,730 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY |
150 |
0.34 |
5.86 |
$ 65.11 |
$ 135,430 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Materials Scientists:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Reno, NV |
400 |
1.57 |
27.11 |
$ 43.49 |
$ 90,450 |
| College Station-Bryan, TX |
60 |
0.44 |
7.61 |
$ 26.82 |
$ 55,790 |
| Trenton, NJ |
100 |
0.42 |
7.26 |
$ 45.90 |
$ 95,470 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY |
150 |
0.34 |
5.86 |
$ 65.11 |
$ 135,430 |
| Worcester, MA-CT |
80 |
0.28 |
4.76 |
$ 62.34 |
$ 129,680 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ |
80 |
0.21 |
3.65 |
$ 46.89 |
$ 97,530 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
330 |
0.17 |
2.97 |
$ 53.21 |
$ 110,670 |
| Ann Arbor, MI |
30 |
0.15 |
2.64 |
$ 35.53 |
$ 73,900 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
410 |
0.15 |
2.55 |
$ 58.36 |
$ 121,390 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
380 |
0.13 |
2.30 |
$ 53.02 |
$ 110,290 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Materials Scientists:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
90 |
0.08 |
1.30 |
$ 76.13 |
$ 158,350 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
170 |
0.07 |
1.22 |
$ 70.04 |
$ 145,680 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY |
150 |
0.34 |
5.86 |
$ 65.11 |
$ 135,430 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
170 |
0.08 |
1.37 |
$ 64.78 |
$ 134,730 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD |
40 |
0.03 |
0.50 |
$ 62.68 |
$ 130,380 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
240 |
0.04 |
0.66 |
$ 62.41 |
$ 129,820 |
| Worcester, MA-CT |
80 |
0.28 |
4.76 |
$ 62.34 |
$ 129,680 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
70 |
0.05 |
0.84 |
$ 60.68 |
$ 126,210 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA |
50 |
0.03 |
0.52 |
$ 59.59 |
$ 123,940 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
410 |
0.15 |
2.55 |
$ 58.36 |
$ 121,390 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Materials Scientists:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Materials Scientists:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Materials Scientists:
About May 2023 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 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: April 3, 2024
United States Department of Labor
