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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

19-1021 Biochemists and Biophysicists

Study the chemical composition or physical principles of living cells and organisms, their electrical and mechanical energy, and related phenomena. May conduct research to further understanding of the complex chemical combinations and reactions involved in metabolism, reproduction, growth, and heredity. May determine the effects of foods, drugs, serums, hormones, and other substances on tissues and vital processes of living organisms.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
31,360 5.7 % $52.01 $108,180 5.1 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $24.34 $31.99 $45.43 $63.56 $87.92
Annual Wage (2) $50,620 $66,550 $94,490 $132,200 $182,870


Industry profile for this occupation:

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 19,010 2.69 $57.46 $119,520
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 3,300 1.11 $41.61 $86,540
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 2,100 0.07 $29.75 $61,880
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 1,050 0.07 $62.36 $129,700
Management of Companies and Enterprises 940 0.04 $52.77 $109,760

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 19,010 2.69 $57.46 $119,520
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 3,300 1.11 $41.61 $86,540
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4242 and 4246 only) 790 0.21 $60.98 $126,830
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing 850 0.21 $44.06 $91,640
Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories 320 0.12 $47.88 $99,600

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 1,050 0.07 $62.36 $129,700
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4242 and 4246 only) 790 0.21 $60.98 $126,830
Offices of Physicians 130 (7) $60.70 $126,260
Scientific Research and Development Services 19,010 2.69 $57.46 $119,520
Management of Companies and Enterprises 940 0.04 $52.77 $109,760


Geographic profile for this occupation:

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)
New Jersey 7,280 1.78 8.34 (8) (8)
California 5,610 0.32 1.51 $51.84 $107,830
Massachusetts 4,250 1.17 5.49 $50.55 $105,140
Texas 1,640 0.13 0.62 $38.66 $80,410
Pennsylvania 1,510 0.26 1.20 $48.49 $100,860




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)
New Jersey 7,280 1.78 8.34 (8) (8)
Massachusetts 4,250 1.17 5.49 $50.55 $105,140
Delaware 390 0.86 4.02 (8) (8)
Maine 250 0.41 1.92 $35.54 $73,920
Colorado 890 0.33 1.55 $43.38 $90,230




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Illinois 620 0.10 0.49 $54.95 $114,300
California 5,610 0.32 1.51 $51.84 $107,830
Maryland 800 0.30 1.39 $51.36 $106,840
District of Columbia (8) (8) (8) $51.22 $106,530
Massachusetts 4,250 1.17 5.49 $50.55 $105,140





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)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 7,150 0.74 3.47 $70.84 $147,350
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 4,120 1.47 6.90 $50.90 $105,860
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 2,150 1.44 6.72 $40.01 $83,220
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 1,950 0.79 3.70 $59.81 $124,400
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 1,810 0.63 2.95 $47.01 $97,780
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 860 0.44 2.05 $37.75 $78,520
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 810 0.26 1.20 $50.87 $105,810
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 670 0.59 2.74 $66.10 $137,490
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 600 0.19 0.91 $36.73 $76,400
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 560 0.12 0.56 $58.87 $122,440




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)
Boulder, CO 430 2.31 10.83 $47.49 $98,780
Trenton, NJ 370 1.52 7.12 $57.64 $119,880
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 4,120 1.47 6.90 $50.90 $105,860
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 2,150 1.44 6.72 $40.01 $83,220
Charlottesville, VA 140 1.20 5.64 $32.15 $66,870
Portland-South Portland, ME 240 1.14 5.34 $35.52 $73,890
College Station-Bryan, TX 130 1.13 5.27 $22.23 $46,240
Madison, WI 330 0.84 3.92 $38.69 $80,480
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 1,950 0.79 3.70 $59.81 $124,400
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 7,150 0.74 3.47 $70.84 $147,350




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)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 7,150 0.74 3.47 $70.84 $147,350
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 670 0.59 2.74 $66.10 $137,490
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 1,950 0.79 3.70 $59.81 $124,400
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 560 0.12 0.56 $58.87 $122,440
Trenton, NJ 370 1.52 7.12 $57.64 $119,880
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 30 0.03 0.13 $57.33 $119,250
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 150 0.48 2.23 $53.09 $110,440
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 4,120 1.47 6.90 $50.90 $105,860
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 810 0.26 1.20 $50.87 $105,810
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 140 0.10 0.47 $50.87 $105,810

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)
West Central-Southwest New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 70 0.66 3.08 $48.14 $100,120
Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 60 0.61 2.88 $17.59 $36,580

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Central-Southwest New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 70 0.66 3.08 $48.14 $100,120
Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 60 0.61 2.88 $17.59 $36,580

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Central-Southwest New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 70 0.66 3.08 $48.14 $100,120
Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 60 0.61 2.88 $17.59 $36,580


About May 2019 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.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(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 OES estimates and related information:

May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: July 6, 2020