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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

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 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)
6,710 6.0 % $48.28 $100,430 1.8 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $24.98 $33.20 $46.54 $60.73 $75.86
Annual Wage (2) $51,950 $69,060 $96,810 $126,310 $157,780


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 1,570 0.22 $50.08 $104,160
Management of Companies and Enterprises 760 0.03 $61.28 $127,460
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 640 0.02 $30.37 $63,160
Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) 620 0.17 $44.57 $92,710
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 560 0.04 $41.78 $86,900

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 1,570 0.22 $50.08 $104,160
Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) 620 0.17 $44.57 $92,710
Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing 380 0.11 $60.43 $125,680
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 270 0.09 $43.04 $89,530
Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing 50 0.08 $39.72 $82,610

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Management of Companies and Enterprises 760 0.03 $61.28 $127,460
Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing 380 0.11 $60.43 $125,680
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing 140 0.03 $58.16 $120,970
Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing 40 0.02 $54.50 $113,350
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 370 0.07 $52.52 $109,240


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)
California 670 0.04 0.84 $50.17 $104,350
Texas 650 0.05 1.14 $48.31 $100,490
Massachusetts 470 0.13 2.87 $42.44 $88,270
Ohio 400 0.07 1.63 $52.28 $108,740
Pennsylvania 350 0.06 1.31 $46.30 $96,300




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)
Massachusetts 470 0.13 2.87 $42.44 $88,270
Delaware 60 0.13 2.90 $50.04 $104,080
Washington 350 0.11 2.31 $56.15 $116,780
Utah 150 0.10 2.20 $51.36 $106,830
New Mexico 80 0.10 2.14 (8) (8)




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Hampshire 40 0.06 1.30 $70.45 $146,540
Nevada 40 0.03 0.63 $60.93 $126,720
Indiana (8) (8) (8) $59.25 $123,250
Washington 350 0.11 2.31 $56.15 $116,780
North Carolina 150 0.03 0.71 $53.79 $111,890





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)
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 430 0.15 3.33 $45.59 $94,830
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 260 0.03 0.60 $52.25 $108,680
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 240 0.08 1.85 $51.53 $107,180
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 200 0.04 0.94 $51.62 $107,370
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 190 0.06 1.38 $51.09 $106,270
Pittsburgh, PA 160 0.14 3.02 $45.86 $95,380
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 130 0.04 0.92 $40.87 $85,010
College Station-Bryan, TX 130 1.18 25.86 $23.14 $48,140
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 130 0.11 2.49 (8) (8)
Dayton, OH 110 0.28 6.17 $55.00 $114,410




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)
College Station-Bryan, TX 130 1.18 25.86 $23.14 $48,140
Champaign-Urbana, IL 60 0.59 12.82 (8) (8)
Ogden-Clearfield, UT 80 0.29 6.40 (8) (8)
Dayton, OH 110 0.28 6.17 $55.00 $114,410
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 40 0.23 5.10 $51.94 $108,040
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 70 0.23 5.07 $62.45 $129,900
Ann Arbor, MI 40 0.17 3.69 $38.72 $80,550
Huntsville, AL 40 0.16 3.48 $28.63 $59,550
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 430 0.15 3.33 $45.59 $94,830
Knoxville, TN 60 0.15 3.28 $36.89 $76,740




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)
Austin-Round Rock, TX (8) (8) (8) $64.56 $134,280
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 70 0.23 5.07 $62.45 $129,900
Cleveland-Elyria, OH 50 0.05 1.05 $61.87 $128,700
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 50 0.14 3.13 $61.65 $128,230
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 60 0.02 0.50 $57.44 $119,470
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 90 0.03 0.56 $57.10 $118,770
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 70 0.06 1.31 $55.21 $114,840
Dayton, OH 110 0.28 6.17 $55.00 $114,410
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 260 0.03 0.60 $52.25 $108,680
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (8) (8) (8) $52.01 $108,180


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.

(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