Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Job outlook for computational physicists in the United States
Are computational physicist jobs in demand?
Computational physicist job and salary trends over time
Computational physicist jobs over time
Computational physicist job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 98 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 79 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 82 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 86 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 82 | 0.00% |
Average computational physicist salary over time
Computational physicist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $61,519 | $29.58 | +5.7% |
| 2024 | $58,203 | $27.98 | +1.6% |
| 2023 | $57,303 | $27.55 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $56,298 | $27.07 | +2.6% |
| 2021 | $54,896 | $26.39 | +3.8% |
Computational physicist jobs by state
Most common states for computational physicists
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 61 | 1% |
| 2 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 6 | 1% |
| 3 | California | 39,536,653 | 60 | 0% |
| 4 | Texas | 28,304,596 | 38 | 0% |
| 5 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 18 | 0% |
| 6 | New York | 19,849,399 | 15 | 0% |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 15 | 0% |
| 8 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 14 | 0% |
| 9 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 12 | 0% |
| 10 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 11 | 0% |
| 11 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 11 | 0% |
| 12 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 10 | 0% |
| 13 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 9 | 0% |
| 14 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 8 | 0% |
| 15 | Alaska | 739,795 | 3 | 0% |
| 16 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 3 | 0% |
| 17 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 3 | 0% |
| 18 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 2 | 0% |
| 19 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 2 | 0% |
| 20 | Delaware | 961,939 | 1 | 0% |
Most common cities for computational physicists
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Clara | 1 | 1% | $74,741 |
Computational Physicist job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of computational physicist experts
Skyline College
University of Oregon
Northeastern University
SUNY College at Geneseo
University of Wisconsin - River Falls
University of Kentucky
What Computational Physicist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Youngmin Kim: Currently, we hear shortages of qualified workforce all across STEM disciplines, in core industry and national labs alike. Quantum, AI, Machine Learning, Semiconductors, Optics and Photonics are among the keywords which require many folds more highly skilled workforce. Due to the boomer's mass retirements, these sectors are seeking also mid, high-level management positions as well as entry positions. I think having an 'old school' attitude/mentality to go where the job calls, and to adapt to whatever the job needs me more than what I want (from my fist job), could go a long way.
What general advice would you give to a Computational Physicist?
Kolo Wamba PhD: Try to get out of your comfort zone. Don't let yourself be pigeonholed. By successfully graduating with a physics major, you have shown that you are flexible, adaptable, good at problem-solving, and have wide-ranging interests.
What Computational Physicist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Kolo Wamba PhD: My advice to folks for whom salary is important is to try to ensure that whatever workplace you are entering has a strong labor union. Having a solid union is statistically your best chance to maximizing your earning potential.
What will help Computational Physicists increase their earning potential?
Kolo Wamba PhD: I have no idea! But really I think this is the wrong question. A more salient question might be 'where do you want to be, as a physics graduate, in the next 3-5 years?' – simply because the possibilities are almost endless.
What general advice would you give to a Computational Physicist?
Scott Fisher: A degree in Physics is quite strong, and is often more widely applicable than some graduates realize! My advice is to positively use the connotation that comes along with a degree in Physics. Physicists are known to be brainy, mathematically inclined, and perhaps most importantly – teachable. These are characteristics that folks early in their career should lean into and emphasize when they are in the application/interview process. Be excited that you made it through a difficult and complicated major. Show potential employers that you are smart, that you can work independently, and that you are an avid learner.
What Computational Physicist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Scott Fisher: Many physics majors will complement their undergrad work with Masters or PhD degrees. These graduate degrees are one way to become more attractive to a wider range of positions. Another way is to look for positions in industry or private research organizations. Complementing your physics degree with specialized industry certifications is another way to increase your value as a prospective candidate.
What will help Computational Physicists increase their earning potential?
Scott Fisher: Modern physics is a combination of physics, math, and computer science, all fused together into sort of an academic alloy. So folks early in their careers should aim to be strong in all three of those components. Specifically, being a strong programmer that can apply code to specific problems is a strong plus. Related to this, being comfortable working with and analyzing large amounts of data is an important skill to cultivate. I think any skill where you can combine programming, data analysis, data visualization, and modeling, will be extremely valuable in the near-term future.
What general advice would you give to a Computational Physicist?
Ning Bao: This isn't really a valid concern in physics; the best way to maximize your salary potential would be to leave physics and go to software engineering/machine learning/quantitative stuff in the private sector; professors get paid significantly less that people in these fields, many of whom are interested in physics graduates. As a professor, you have an opportunity to negotiate your salary when you get a job offer, but often times there is not a great deal of flexibility there to significantly increase your starting salary without a competing offer.
What Computational Physicist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Ning Bao: A few things: make sure that you get an advisor whose research style (hands on vs. hands off, frequency of meeting) matches yours, go to a university where you have multiple potential options for advisors in case any of them don't work out for some reason, work with multiple different faculty because you'll need multiple substantive recommendation letters to continue your career, and make sure you don't overburden yourself with projects and/or coursework at the cost of quality of your research.
What will help Computational Physicists increase their earning potential?
Ning Bao: Computational skills are increasingly important in all aspects of theoretical physics, whether it be traditional coding, machine learning, quantum computing, data science, or some other emerging trend. Many questions in theoretical physics are now too difficult to directly tackle using pen and paper techniques, and these computational aids are increasingly critical to continuing progress.
What general advice would you give to a Computational Physicist?
Dr. James McLean: From my perspective as a college professor, it would be a mistake to think of "physicist" as a "profession," like plumber or lawyer or doctor. You go to law school specifically because you want to be a lawyer, but only roughly 1/3 of undergrad physics majors continue to "physicist" careers. The rest get a physics degree because it is an excellent foundation for a variety of technical careers. They go on to careers that are very much launched by their major, but they wouldn't be considered "physicists." So I'll mention both in the following. One reason it's good to major in physics is that employment rates are excellent, with unemployment at about 4% one year after graduation. Salaries are generally quite good, too, although you aren't likely to get rich. Physics-supported professions are also good because a huge fraction of technological advances improving our lives start with discoveries in physics. Nanotech, fusion energy, solar energy, quantum computing, and many other areas start with physics discoveries.
What Computational Physicist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. James McLean: Physicist work is "doing research," which means figuring out new knowledge about how the physical world works. In most positions ("experimental physicists") this means designing technical equipment to do things that have never been done before, making that equipment, keeping it working (because it is cutting edge, so it probably breaks a lot), and ultimately getting it to do that previously unknown thing. Then you can publicize what happened, usually to other physicists interested in the same sort of phenomena. A minority of positions ("theoretical physicists") don't work with equipment, but instead are focused on finding the mathematics or computer simulations which organize experimental results into general principles. You can break the "physicist" positions into three big categories: physicist in industry, physicist at a federal government lab, and university or college professor.
What will help Computational Physicists increase their earning potential?
Dr. James McLean: For most physicists (the PhD kind), the best part comes from intrinsic enjoyment of that sort of work. It's like getting paid to solve fun puzzles posed by Mother Nature—we just want to know the answers! Other good parts: My experience is that the physics research field is generally cooperative, rather than competitive; there is a lot of working together towards a common goal, as opposed to stressful competition to see who can achieve something first. For professors specifically, it's a great pleasure to help young adults mature, learn, and progress. For experimental physics, it's a pain that equipment is often not working as you'd like; there are often many failures to get through before you get a successful experiment. For professors, the universally hated part of the job is grading of homework and exams.
What general advice would you give to a Computational Physicist?
Dr. Matthew Vonk: There are many Pros to being a physicist: Autonomy, variety, solving interesting problems, understanding how the universe works on a very fundamental level, working with great people.
What Computational Physicist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Matthew Vonk: Physics is a great profession to enter now because (as the list above shows) it's a very general degree that allows you to do a lot of different things. This is especially important not because the world is changing so rapidly. There's a good chance that the job you'll have to 20 years doesn't even exist now. So, you don't want to be trained for a job that existed 20 years ago, you'll want to have the skills and the preparation to solve problems and to understand how things work on a basic and fundamental level, so you'll be in a position to take advantage of new opportunities as they arrive.
What will help Computational Physicists increase their earning potential?
Dr. Matthew Vonk: People with physics degrees do a variety of work. Some who work in patent law might have roles more similar to lawyers. Some in medical physics might have roles more similar to doctors. Those in finance might try to forecast different aspects of the stock market. Some physicists are purely involved in research, others are more entrepreneurial. Some physicists rely extensively on computer modeling, others use higher-order math, some have teaching roles, while other are administrators. Physicists might work on mechanical systems, audio systems, optical systems, electronics, space exploration, or nuclear reactors. Some have desk jobs, while others are comfortable using a variety of workbench tools. With such diversity it's tough to think of a single common factor that could describe what a physicist does day-to-day. But I would say that the common thread is that they all solve interesting and fundamental problems.
What will help Computational Physicists increase their earning potential?
Frederick Ringwald: A bachelors degree in physics can be an excellent entry into a lucrative career in engineering, computing, or finance. Good math and computer skills are a must. Good writing skills are essential. In many states in the U.S., there is a dire shortage of K-12 teachers of physics and math. Biomedical physics can be a lucrative field. The graduates of our program at Fresno State have a 100% employment rate, and entry-level jobs can pay over $80k.
What soft skills should all Computational Physicists possess?
Jennifer Cramer: Every linguistics program will teach students to use critical thinking and reading skills. In many cases, because of the complex nature of the linguistic structure, linguistics students must develop a keen sense of pattern-finding. Also, research is usually the main component of a linguistics degree program. Therefore students are typically well-trained in academic writing. Yet, because language is of interest to many, it is also important for linguistics students to develop an ability to explain what this research accomplishes in lay person's terms and what real-world implications it has.
What skills will help Computational Physicists earn the most?
Jennifer Cramer: Computational linguistics and data science are the highest-earning linguistics careers, which likely means programming skills are the most sought after.
What skills stand out on Computational Physicist resumes?
Jennifer Cramer: Linguistics stands at the intersection of the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Therefore, the skills one acquires in linguistics degree programs can include many types. What stands out for most is their ability to apply quantitative and qualitative problem-solving skills to a wide range of problems. Most students are given the opportunity to learn how to use specialized tools that have specific applications in linguistics but can also be used in various other domains (e.g., various statistical packages, programming languages, visualization tools, audio recording equipment). Yet, they also learn to critically assess data on more qualitative measures, like discourse and sentiment analysis, which also have applications beyond the field. The most impressive resume is one that showcases that a person not only understands these approaches to a problem but can carefully articulate the problem, to begin with, execute a plan to find solutions to that problem, and produce a complete project that addresses the nuances of language in clear and concise ways.