Chemists Salary: $84,150 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 83,250 chemists work nationally, and $84,150 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 15% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.0% annual decline.
Chemists: what the data shows
Common questions about chemists careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a chemists?
Chemists is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 19-2031.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 83,250 workers.
What does a chemists do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Documenting/Recording Information, Analyzing Data or Information, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a chemists make?
BLS national median annual wage: $84,150 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $108,367 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $60,347 |
| 25th percentile | $76,073 |
| Median (50th) | $99,646 |
| 75th percentile | $131,540 |
| 90th percentile | $169,114 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Science, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Writing, Mathematics, and knowledge areas including Chemistry, English Language, Mathematics, Production and Processing. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is chemists in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.0% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -9.5%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -18.1%.
Current U.S. headcount: 83,250.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do chemistss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 83,250 | 18.2% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 71,950 | 15.7% |
| Manufacturing | 31,780 | 7.0% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 27,700 | 6.1% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 27,700 | 6.1% |
| Chemical Manufacturing | 24,800 | 5.4% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Chemists in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Pharmacists | 328,870 | $137,480 |
| Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists | 156,300 | $100,590 |
| Biochemists and Biophysicists | 34,520 | $103,650 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Chemists workforce.
Employment Over Time
83,250 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Chemists shrank from 45,680 in 2009 to 33,200 in 2025 (27.3%).
Historical employment for Chemists from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$84,150 Median pay (BLS national)
Chemists earn $84,150 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Chemists.
Salary distribution for Chemists.
Employment Growth Projections
-2.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
30,048 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -9.5%
27,196 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -18.1%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Chemists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Chemists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Chemists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Chemists.
Wage Trends by Industry
-5.2% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Chemists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Chemists.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- PA: 9,070 employees, $76,790 avg wage
- CA: 8,480 employees, $105,500 avg wage
- NJ: 6,210 employees, $97,460 avg wage
- TX: 5,490 employees, $106,730 avg wage
- NC: 5,140 employees, $85,160 avg wage
- NY: 4,040 employees, $97,820 avg wage
- OH: 4,020 employees, $89,870 avg wage
- MA: 3,340 employees, $125,580 avg wage
- IL: 3,250 employees, $99,960 avg wage
- MI: 3,200 employees, $91,860 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Chemists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 7,300 employees, $97,900 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 5,690 employees, $92,180 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 2,870 employees, $129,000 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 2,810 employees, $101,830 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 2,700 employees, $99,310 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 2,640 employees, $143,440 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 2,640 employees, $117,690 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 2,040 employees, $125,060 avg wage
- Durham-Chapel Hill, NC: 1,490 employees, $89,340 avg wage
- St. Louis, MO-IL: 1,150 employees, $100,340 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Chemists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Chemists in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Chemists is about 83,250 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Chemists.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Chemists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Chemists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Chemists in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Business.
Common majors for Chemists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Chemists workers.
Education level distribution for Chemists.
Skills
Chemists need many skills, but most especially Science, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Writing.
Required skills for Chemists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Chemists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Chemists include Chemistry, English Language, Mathematics, Production and Processing, Administration and Management.
Knowledge areas required for Chemists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Chemists include Written Expression, Inductive Reasoning, Written Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning, Oral Expression.
Required abilities for Chemists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Chemists.
Daily Activities
Chemists spend their time on activities such as Documenting/Recording Information, Analyzing Data or Information, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events.
Most important work activities for Chemists.
About
Chemists
Chemists earn $84,150 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
19-2031 - Chemists
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Chemists reports an average salary of $108,367, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 83,250 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -2.0%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.