Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2016
19-0000 Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations (Major Group)
This major group comprises the following occupations:
Animal Scientists ;
Food Scientists and Technologists ;
Soil and Plant Scientists ;
Biochemists and Biophysicists ;
Microbiologists ;
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists ;
Biological Scientists, All Other ;
Conservation Scientists ;
Foresters ;
Epidemiologists ;
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists ;
Life Scientists, All Other ;
Astronomers ;
Physicists ;
Atmospheric and Space Scientists ;
Chemists ;
Materials Scientists ;
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health ;
Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers ;
Hydrologists ;
Physical Scientists, All Other ;
Economists ;
Survey Researchers ;
Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists ;
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists ;
Psychologists, All Other ;
Sociologists ;
Urban and Regional Planners ;
Anthropologists and Archeologists ;
Geographers ;
Historians ;
Political Scientists ;
Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other ;
Agricultural and Food Science Technicians ;
Biological Technicians ;
Chemical Technicians ;
Geological and Petroleum Technicians ;
Nuclear Technicians ;
Social Science Research Assistants ;
Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health ;
Forensic Science Technicians ;
Forest and Conservation Technicians ;
Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other
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 major group:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 1,152,840 |
0.7 % |
$35.06 |
$72,930 |
0.4 % |
Percentile wage estimates for this major group:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$16.03 |
$21.67 |
$30.45 |
$43.78 |
$59.27 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$33,350 |
$45,060 |
$63,340 |
$91,060 |
$123,280 |
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 |
174,070 |
25.89 |
$41.09 |
$85,470 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) |
139,580 |
6.90 |
$37.98 |
$78,990 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
132,760 |
4.41 |
$27.05 |
$56,260 |
| Local Government (OES Designation) |
82,700 |
1.54 |
$31.41 |
$65,320 |
| State Government (OES Designation) |
78,260 |
3.58 |
$29.07 |
$60,460 |
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 |
174,070 |
25.89 |
$41.09 |
$85,470 |
| Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing |
45,280 |
15.95 |
$37.62 |
$78,240 |
| Paint, Coating, and Adhesive Manufacturing |
5,010 |
8.19 |
$32.31 |
$67,210 |
| Basic Chemical Manufacturing |
11,900 |
7.92 |
$32.22 |
$67,010 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) |
139,580 |
6.90 |
$37.98 |
$78,990 |
Top paying industries for this occupation:
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 |
177,540 |
11.12 |
1.35 |
$38.92 |
$80,960 |
| Texas |
82,370 |
7.01 |
0.85 |
$35.76 |
$74,370 |
| New York |
67,870 |
7.46 |
0.91 |
$35.83 |
$74,520 |
| Massachusetts |
49,070 |
14.18 |
1.73 |
$37.88 |
$78,790 |
| Pennsylvania |
45,910 |
7.99 |
0.97 |
$33.17 |
$69,000 |
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) |
| District of Columbia |
25,470 |
36.26 |
4.42 |
$49.14 |
$102,210 |
| Alaska |
6,110 |
18.89 |
2.30 |
$35.56 |
$73,970 |
| Maryland |
41,850 |
15.85 |
1.93 |
$42.20 |
$87,780 |
| Montana |
7,070 |
15.55 |
1.89 |
$26.53 |
$55,170 |
| Wyoming |
4,200 |
15.22 |
1.85 |
$27.05 |
$56,270 |
Top paying States for this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| District of Columbia |
25,470 |
36.26 |
4.42 |
$49.14 |
$102,210 |
| New Jersey |
36,500 |
9.23 |
1.12 |
$42.73 |
$88,880 |
| Maryland |
41,850 |
15.85 |
1.93 |
$42.20 |
$87,780 |
| Virginia |
32,350 |
8.60 |
1.05 |
$41.01 |
$85,310 |
| Connecticut |
12,600 |
7.56 |
0.92 |
$39.94 |
$83,080 |
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) |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division |
47,670 |
19.14 |
2.33 |
$48.77 |
$101,450 |
| New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division |
46,130 |
7.00 |
0.85 |
$38.18 |
$79,420 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division |
34,870 |
8.26 |
1.01 |
$36.98 |
$76,910 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA NECTA Division |
33,690 |
18.69 |
2.28 |
$38.38 |
$79,840 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
30,710 |
10.46 |
1.27 |
$41.93 |
$87,210 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division |
21,890 |
6.02 |
0.73 |
$35.74 |
$74,340 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
21,620 |
15.59 |
1.90 |
$39.30 |
$81,750 |
| San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, CA Metropolitan Division |
21,010 |
19.69 |
2.40 |
$46.06 |
$95,800 |
| Oakland-Hayward-Berkeley, CA Metropolitan Division |
18,590 |
17.14 |
2.09 |
$43.77 |
$91,040 |
| Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division |
17,380 |
10.94 |
1.33 |
$36.40 |
$75,710 |
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) |
| Ann Arbor, MI |
9,740 |
46.17 |
5.62 |
$25.24 |
$52,490 |
| Ithaca, NY |
1,910 |
37.79 |
4.60 |
$29.12 |
$60,560 |
| Corvallis, OR |
1,220 |
37.09 |
4.52 |
$30.11 |
$62,640 |
| Boulder, CO |
6,320 |
35.87 |
4.37 |
$41.46 |
$86,240 |
| Ames, IA |
1,520 |
34.87 |
4.25 |
$29.71 |
$61,790 |
| Athens-Clarke County, GA |
2,860 |
34.50 |
4.20 |
$27.54 |
$57,280 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC |
8,740 |
29.83 |
3.63 |
$38.48 |
$80,030 |
| Fairbanks, AK |
1,090 |
29.50 |
3.59 |
$31.62 |
$65,770 |
| Bloomington, IN |
1,940 |
28.71 |
3.50 |
$25.91 |
$53,890 |
| Silver Spring-Frederick-Rockville, MD Metropolitan Division |
16,570 |
28.50 |
3.47 |
$47.41 |
$98,620 |
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) |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division |
47,670 |
19.14 |
2.33 |
$48.77 |
$101,450 |
| Newark, NJ-PA Metropolitan Division |
15,050 |
13.00 |
1.58 |
$47.72 |
$99,250 |
| Silver Spring-Frederick-Rockville, MD Metropolitan Division |
16,570 |
28.50 |
3.47 |
$47.41 |
$98,620 |
| Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL |
480 |
3.49 |
0.43 |
$46.88 |
$97,510 |
| San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, CA Metropolitan Division |
21,010 |
19.69 |
2.40 |
$46.06 |
$95,800 |
| Framingham, MA NECTA Division |
2,450 |
14.04 |
1.71 |
$44.43 |
$92,410 |
| Vallejo-Fairfield, CA |
1,580 |
12.23 |
1.49 |
$44.30 |
$92,150 |
| Syracuse, NY |
3,260 |
10.79 |
1.31 |
$44.07 |
$91,670 |
| San Rafael, CA Metropolitan Division |
1,440 |
12.90 |
1.57 |
$43.95 |
$91,410 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
11,800 |
11.29 |
1.37 |
$43.78 |
$91,050 |
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) |
| Los Alamos County, New Mexico nonmetropolitan area |
2,590 |
171.17 |
20.85 |
$63.40 |
$131,870 |
| Southwest Montana nonmetropolitan area |
2,540 |
19.24 |
2.34 |
$27.65 |
$57,520 |
| Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area |
2,260 |
35.75 |
4.35 |
$22.87 |
$47,570 |
| West Texas nonmetropolitan area |
1,910 |
9.80 |
1.19 |
$30.24 |
$62,910 |
| Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area |
1,790 |
9.85 |
1.20 |
$26.92 |
$55,990 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:
About May 2016 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 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.
(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 2016 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2016 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2016 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2016 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2016 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2017
United States Department of Labor
