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Job outlook for chemistry lecturers in the United States
Are chemistry lecturer jobs in demand?
Chemistry lecturer job and salary trends over time
Chemistry lecturer jobs over time
Chemistry lecturer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,292 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 1,373 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 1,364 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 1,363 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 1,345 | 0.00% |
Average chemistry lecturer salary over time
Chemistry lecturer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $54,557 | $26.23 | +1.1% |
| 2024 | $53,980 | $25.95 | - |
| 2023 | $53,980 | $25.95 | +3.1% |
| 2022 | $52,379 | $25.18 | +0.6% |
| 2021 | $52,080 | $25.04 | +2.3% |
Chemistry lecturer jobs by state
Most common states for chemistry lecturers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 51 | 3% |
| 2 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 157 | 2% |
| 3 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 122 | 2% |
| 4 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 17 | 2% |
| 5 | Vermont | 623,657 | 15 | 2% |
| 6 | Delaware | 961,939 | 15 | 2% |
| 7 | Alaska | 739,795 | 13 | 2% |
| 8 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 12 | 2% |
| 9 | New York | 19,849,399 | 237 | 1% |
| 10 | California | 39,536,653 | 201 | 1% |
| 11 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 101 | 1% |
| 12 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 85 | 1% |
| 13 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 66 | 1% |
| 14 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 32 | 1% |
| 15 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 28 | 1% |
| 16 | Mississippi | 2,984,100 | 20 | 1% |
| 17 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 20 | 1% |
| 18 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 20 | 1% |
| 19 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 14 | 1% |
| 20 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 8 | 1% |
Most common cities for chemistry lecturers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gainesville | 2 | 2% | $49,898 |
| 2 | San Jose | 2 | 0% | $75,767 |
Chemistry Lecturer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of chemistry lecturer experts
Northern Michigan University
SUNY College at New Paltz
One University Parkway
San Diego Mesa College
Clemson University
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
University of Minnesota Crookston
University of Kansas
Elmira College
What general advice would you give to a Chemistry Lecturer?
Juan de la Puente Herrero: - As precarious as things are looking for people from my generation, the fields of Romance Languages and Linguistics have an advantage that has gotten me out of more than one financial distress: they are incredibly versatile. If you acquire the necessary skills for it (and don't skip the step of actually learning them, please), you can quickly pick up different 'side hustles' that require minimal infrastructure. However, the idea of turning them into your main source of income could quickly become flimsy and unstable. You don't want to be the person who relies solely on occasional students to tutor, translations to complete, or texts to proofread.
If you do want to maximize your salary potential in this field with a single source of income, you are going to have to deal with a tremendous amount of bureaucracy, technical requirements, and elitism. If your dream profession in this field involves teaching and being financially stable, you probably want to look into getting a PhD. In order to get there, you need to carefully study how willing you are to remain broke for a few years, even though there isn't a tenured job assured at the other end of the tunnel. On a brighter note, I have met lots of lecturers in higher education who enjoy a comfortable salary and a peaceful work life, but in order to get there, most of them had to suffer through multiple precarious contracts and on-and-off appointments, which are very stressful situations to be on, specially for non-citizens like me.
I hope that my answers don't discourage anyone from getting into this field. I just described the ugliest parts of working in it, but I would be more than happy to dedicate double the words to explaining the things that I enjoy about working with languages and Linguistics.
Megan Ferguson
Chair and Associate Professor of ChemistrySUNY College at New Paltz
Department of Chemistry
What skills stand out on Chemistry Lecturer resumes?
Megan Ferguson: Teaching experience - if coming straight out of grad school, what TA experience and what quality TA experience does the applicant have? Has the applicant done any workshops or shown other signs of being interested in pedagogy?
What soft skills should all Chemistry Lecturers possess?
Megan Ferguson: Organization and good communication skills. An on-campus interview would include a mock lecture.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Chemistry Lecturers?
Megan Ferguson: The breadth of chemistry knowledge and ease with laboratory equipment
What skills will help Chemistry Lecturers earn the most?
Megan Ferguson: Different colleges will pay different salaries, but they will probably be pretty set. You're unlikely to get much of a difference in starting salary based on any particular skill - you're just more likely to get the job.
Keir Fogarty Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of ChemistryOne University Parkway
Chemistry Department
What soft skills should all Chemistry Lecturers possess?
Keir Fogarty Ph.D.: -Concrete evidence of oral and written communication skills
-As well as interpersonal skills, effective time management, multitasking, making effective use of limited resources
What hard/technical skills are most important for Chemistry Lecturers?
Keir Fogarty Ph.D.: -Clear evidence of scientific acumen/expertise
-Research experience either in academia or industry
-Experience with current scientific techniques/instrumentation
What skills will help Chemistry Lecturers earn the most?
Keir Fogarty Ph.D.: I think proven experience in technical chemistry environments is the main $ booster
Oscar Acevedo Ph.D.
ProfessorSan Diego Mesa College
Chemistry Department
What skills stand out on Chemistry Lecturer resumes?
Oscar Acevedo Ph.D.: Chemistry instructors need some connection to the outside world; they need to have worked in industry, or health sciences, or biotech. This allows them to tie chemistry fundamentals to real-world situations.
What soft skills should all Chemistry Lecturers possess?
Oscar Acevedo Ph.D.: Instructors need wisdom gathered from having lived through students followed by professional lives. It matters that extensive social interactions might lead to understanding student problems in assimilation, application, and resolve.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Chemistry Lecturers?
Oscar Acevedo Ph.D.: Professional careers are teeming with procedures that depend on instrumentation. The more an instructor can be familiar with Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spec, NMR techniques, X-ray crystallography, and others, the better he can explain the need and importance to students.
Bo Clements
Lecturer of American Sign LanguageClemson University
Department of Languages
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Chemistry Lecturers?
Bo Clements: Pandemic during life after Graduation is very obviously tricky. Look at the unemployment rates. Millions of job positions are in a freeze. No jobs out there. A positive note that a student has a degree in American Sign Language with specialization in Interpretation Education & Training, Wireless Technology, or Development & Innovative of Social Media allows working from home to create thousands of online jobs - Teaching, Marketing, Engineering, Spectrum of Technology, and many more.
We cannot remove our masks, making it so difficult to communicate, as it's hard to read people's lips. That is the number 1 communication barrier for all of us. We cannot be close or touch each other in a public place, even at work, to communicate in person. That makes it so difficult to find jobs.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Chemistry Lecturers in the next 3-5 years?
Allison Butler Ph.D.: Anything that allows for mobility and flexibility. Many of us are craving being back in our offices for the human connection, while we also see that the work can get done in a variety of different locations. I think a blend of human connection and digital flexibility will be a primary focus over the next few years.
Dr. Margaretha Rudstrom
LecturerUniversity of Minnesota Crookston
Agriculture and Natural Resources Department
What Chemistry Lecturer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Margaretha Rudstrom: I am taking this from the perspective of an agribusiness major.
If a student isn't able to land a position within their field of study, I would suggest they work on their people skills and stay up to date with what is happening in the markets, ag policy, and agriculture. Staying up to date means following the popular press in the areas you have a career interest in. That could mean following the news from places like Drovers, local and national producer associations, or congressional or senate ag committees. This will help keep you up to date on what's happening in the areas you have an interest in or are looking for a career.
I seem to be harping on the people skills piece. Get experience in working with customers, customer service, customer complaints. These experiences will help you develop critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, and communication skills sought after by employers.
Wallace Meyer
Lecturer and Entrepreneurship Program DirectorUniversity of Kansas
School of Business
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Chemistry Lecturers?
Wallace Meyer: Yes, severalfold:
All reports od COVID will not be disappearing, so a COVID environment will impact graduates during at least the first 2-3 years post-graduation.
The virus has made immutable changes in our behavior, and it's highly unlikely that we'll return to pre-COVID lifestyles. From the mundane (no/fewer handshakes)to the economic (a majority of small businesses will have failed before allowed to reopen fully) to the demographic (population migrations from big cities to suburbs, exurbs, and even rural counties), to organizational (companies have discovered higher productivity rates of their employees working remotely than in the office) there will be significant and enduring shifts in our lifestyles.
How do you envision technology impacting Chemistry Lecturers in the next 5 years?
Wallace Meyer: Remotely located teams will require increasingly sophisticated project management, connectivity, and product builder software. Government-sponsored or industry-initiated technological solutions to climate change will be demanded (power distribution and storage, alternative energy sources, ocean flooding, weather, and fire protection) and technologies to overcome our currently suboptimally effective remote learning will be needed to expand our base of educable students.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Chemistry Lecturers in the next 3-5 years?
Rebecca Sarver: The use of remote and virtual meetings will continue even after COVID-19. Face to face meetings may still be the preferred method of contact, but the reality is that many clients who need to access services do not have reliable and consistent transportation to get to the services. Phones and computers enable more convenient meetings that are less costly in terms of time and travel. Some clients may prefer not to leave their homes.