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Job outlook for management scientists in the United States
Are management scientist jobs in demand?
Management scientist job and salary trends over time
Management scientist jobs over time
Management scientist job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 38 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 44 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 44 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 42 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 39 | 0.00% |
Average management scientist salary over time
Management scientist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $82,587 | $39.71 | +3.1% |
| 2025 | $80,132 | $38.53 | +4.7% |
| 2024 | $76,540 | $36.80 | +3.3% |
| 2023 | $74,085 | $35.62 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $72,678 | $34.94 | --2.1% |
Management scientist jobs by state
Most common states for management scientists
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 3,169 | 46% |
| 2 | Delaware | 961,939 | 290 | 30% |
| 3 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 2,373 | 28% |
| 4 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 1,526 | 25% |
| 5 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 188 | 25% |
| 6 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 2,131 | 24% |
| 7 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,685 | 23% |
| 8 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 928 | 22% |
| 9 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 194 | 22% |
| 10 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 150 | 22% |
| 11 | Alaska | 739,795 | 154 | 21% |
| 12 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,053 | 19% |
| 13 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,039 | 19% |
| 14 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 260 | 19% |
| 15 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 2,340 | 18% |
| 16 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 1,898 | 18% |
| 17 | New York | 19,849,399 | 3,352 | 17% |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 2,160 | 17% |
| 19 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 1,012 | 17% |
| 20 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 619 | 17% |
Most common cities for management scientists
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frederick | 4 | 6% | $70,066 |
| 2 | East Palo Alto | 1 | 3% | $118,278 |
| 3 | Aliso Viejo | 1 | 2% | $104,020 |
| 4 | Fremont | 3 | 1% | $118,079 |
| 5 | Boulder | 1 | 1% | $52,854 |
| 6 | Boston | 1 | 0% | $76,550 |
| 7 | Chicago | 1 | 0% | $73,607 |
| 8 | San Diego | 1 | 0% | $101,039 |
| 9 | San Francisco | 1 | 0% | $118,529 |
Management Scientist job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of management scientist experts
Washington State University
University of Pittsburgh
Quinnipiac University
Meredith College
The University of North Carolina Asheville
American University
North Carolina State University
Case Western Reserve University
University of Kentucky
The College of New Jersey
Robert Morris University
Tiffin University
William and Mary
College of Our Lady of the Elms
Holyoke Community College
What will help Management Scientists increase their earning potential?
Frank David MD, PhD: In basic research jobs, the key lab-related skills will continue to be the ones that are commonly used for discovering and developing new therapies: mammalian cell culture, in vitro assays, transfection, immunoprecipitation, Western blots, etc. It’s typically not necessary to 'check all the boxes' in terms of bench skills for a job, but having a few of these key techniques under your belt will give a company confidence that you can learn others. In general across the industry, effective written communication and project management are key skills that cut across almost all jobs and divisions within biotech and pharma. Anything you can do to build and highlight those capabilities will serve you in good stead.
What will help Management Scientists increase their earning potential?
Kristopher Koudelka Ph.D.: Always keep learning. These fields change fast! The leading edge is always unveiling new information that can be applied to the area you are working on, and there will be new techniques developed that allow you to answer questions in more efficient ways. You must learn to regularly update yourself through conversations, reading, conferences, and trainings. This change is fun and exciting, embrace it. It will keep your job feeling new.
What will help Management Scientists increase their earning potential?
Lindsey du Toit: Take every opportunity you can to learn, network, and build an effective team of people that bring a greater breadth and depth of skills and expertise to the work on which you will be focusing. Cultivate a life-long sense of intellectual curiosity and learning. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Treat ignorance as an opportunity to learn. Questions demonstrate you want to understand the situation/problem effectively and that you are paying attention. Always demonstrate integrity in your work. It is one of the most valuable traits you can bring to your career. Be kind and supportive of your colleagues.
What will help Management Scientists increase their earning potential?
Arjumand Ghazi Ph. D: Having an advanced degree such as a PhD and even a few years postdoc is a good way to start at a higher level. It often allows one to make up for the reduced earnings during the training periods while increasing long-term earnings.
Lisa Cuchara Ph.D.
Professor of Biomedical SciencesQuinnipiac University
Microbiological Sciences And Immunology
What Management Scientist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Lisa Cuchara Ph.D.: The first and foremost would be Critical Thinking. We live in a world where facts can be easily acquired, sometimes even by asking Siri/Alexa/ChatGPT/Google/etc. But critical thinking is timeless and priceless. I can ask anyone on the street what xyz is and they can look it up, but can they provide advice or interpret.
Also being a good steward towards science and being willing and able to communicate not just with peers as we are trained, but also with the public, the politicians, the board members. John Holdren*, stated that Scientists should be tithing at least 10 percent of their time to public service ... including activism. In the ever growing science denialism that is happening in our country being able to communicate science with the public is important. As Peter Hotaz states, "Anti-science propaganda is "killing Americans in unprecedented numbers,""
*Holdren is an American scientist who served as the senior advisor to President Barack Obama on science and technology issues through his roles as assistant to the president for science and technology, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and a Research Professor in Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government
Alexandra (Sasha) Ormond Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Chemistry, Director of Dual Degree EngineeringMeredith College
Department of Chemistry, Physics, and Geoscience
What skills stand out on Management Scientist resumes?
Alexandra (Sasha) Ormond Ph.D.: When I help students revise their resumes, I have them focus on transferable skills that they gained through their experiences. It may not necessarily be what students do that is important to companies, but their learned experience that students can take and apply in their new job. Students need to add a metric to their descriptions and how they have made an impact on a project, a job position, an organization, etc.
Susan Clark Ph.D.
Associate Professor of ManagementThe University of North Carolina Asheville
Management Department
What skills stand out on Management Scientist resumes?
Susan Clark Ph.D.: Today's management scientists need to demonstrate a range of both quantitative and qualitative methods that support managerial decision making. Hiring managers are looking for people that have strong creative problem solving, people, and innovation skills, as well as analytical and technical skills. Advanced management scientists have the capacity to identify trends and understand the back end of data analytics, data management, and data-driven decision making. Candidates need to be able to connect the dots between what data reveals and complex managerial problems, as well as how big data relates to market opportunities.
What soft skills should all Management Scientists possess?
Susan Clark Ph.D.: Emotional and social intelligence is absolutely critical to career success, including in management science. Emotional intelligence involves the ability to self-regulate one's own emotions and emotional state, as well as to read the emotions in others and to manage difficult situations with grace and confidence. Interpersonal skills include the ability to start and participate in engaging, intelligent conversations, the confidence and ability to sell ideas, technologies, and innovations, as well as the ability to contribute holistically to team efforts. Successful candidates will demonstrate strong character and reliability as well as an ability to respectfully and enthusiastically engage in conversations with diverse stakeholders.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Management Scientists?
Susan Clark Ph.D.: The kinds of skills that hiring managers are increasingly looking for are complex and creative capacities with respect to managing big data, systems, and technology. Algorithmic abilities, like basic programming, data entry, industry analysis, and bookkeeping, are becoming less relevant as computers, robots, and other forms of artificial intelligence gain momentum in providing these services at a greatly reduced cost and with greater accuracy and reliability. The ability to learn new technologies and understand the big picture of how data and technology related to the organization's purpose and competitive advantages in the marketplace are becoming increasingly in demand. Demonstrating a high capacity and potential to be a creative problem solver, innovator, and contributor to very complex problems and opportunities in chaotic, rapidly changing, and uncertain environments is critical for success in the 2020s.
What skills will help Management Scientists earn the most?
Susan Clark Ph.D.: Perhaps ironically, the academic research consistently reveals that if you are motivated primarily by carrots and sticks, that is, monetary compensation or other extrinsic rewards, that this can actually hinder the highest levels of performance on complex and creative tasks. Artificial intelligence will soon be applied to tasks that are simple, straightforward, and algorithmic. Those 20th-century tasks of being a good executor of simple mechanical tasks like programming and data analysis are a great fit for extrinsic motivators like pay and promotions. The increasingly mission-critical 21st-century tasks of navigating through risk, uncertainty, rapid technological, social, and environmental changes are the best fit with intrinsic motivators. If you are driven by autonomy, mastery, and purpose--that is, if your goal is to make a dent in the universe and make the world a better place--then you are well-positioned for success. In that case, money follows your passion rather than having your work efforts driven by pay for performance.
J. Alberto Espinosa Ph.D.
Professor of Information Technology and AnalyticsAmerican University
Kogod School of Business
What skills stand out on Management Scientist resumes?
J. Alberto Espinosa Ph.D.: From my perspective, anything that has to do with data analytics and data science seems to be the highest-demand skills. Navigating through large datasets and extracting meaningful insights from the data are valuable skills in just about every business area. At Kogod, we started an MS in Business Analytics about five years ago. The program has not only experienced high growth, but today we have undergraduate specializations in business analytics and master's degrees or specializations in marketing analytics, financial analytics, accounting analytics, and a certificate in business analytics, which is very popular with MBA students.
What soft skills should all Management Scientists possess?
J. Alberto Espinosa Ph.D.: Without question, it is what we call "storytelling." Analytics is not useful unless you can gain insights and report them to management or clients. This includes the ability to interpret results and articulate them in plain business language to management and clients, as well as presentations, visuals, and writing.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Management Scientists?
J. Alberto Espinosa Ph.D.: Data management, visual analytics, quantitative data analytics, statistics, and software programming for analytics (R and Python, primarily)
What skills will help Management Scientists earn the most?
J. Alberto Espinosa Ph.D.: Data management and analysis with R and Python.
Erin Krupa Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorNorth Carolina State University
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Management Scientists?
Erin Krupa Ph.D.: I believe there will be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on our 2020 graduates. In such a short time, the pandemic has transformed the workforce and the way business is conducted. Most of the jobs our graduates are seeking have virtual interviews and this can mean accepting a job without ever having seen the jobsite, company, or future colleagues in-person. Many jobs have also, for the moment, transformed time and space, meaning that graduates do not necessarily have to move for a job or work in a specific location during the pandemic. The boundaries of work and home have been blurred, which gives graduates more flexibility in applying for jobs outside of the region they live in. Employers are starting to find that remote work does not reduce employee productivity, and can improve it in some cases, so remote work will become a continuing trend with many companies. I believe the pandemic will impact different sectors differently, but science and technology innovation is now at the forefront of our society. From developing vaccines to supporting the technology needs of a nation online, STEM graduates will be in demand to solve real-world problems to get us out, and prevent, future pandemics. I believe the effects of the pandemic on society will eventually fuel growth in the STEM market.
What type of skills will young Management Scientists need?
Glenn Starkman: Traditional skills are likely to continue to be important: critical thinking and communication, both oral and written. However, I think there is no doubt that there are two new types of skills that will become especially valuable: first, data science and modeling skills, and second, inclusion, diversity, and equity skills. The first can be accomplished by enrolling in the appropriate courses, with students often ahead of the faculty in figuring out how to learn what is needed. The second type of skills are more intangible and it's less clear how one might acquire them. Students may think that they are not racist, sexist, homophobic, etc., and that that's the end of it. But for most careers, students will likely need to become even more self-aware in these areas in order to participate in and lead quality discussions on them.
What type of skills will young Management Scientists need?
Christopher Crawford Ph.D.: Physics has become a more collaborative endeavor, so teamwork skills are more critical than ever. Also, broad education and the ability to make connections between other fields and your research is essential. Unique combinations of cross-disciplinary training will give students a niche of expertise in today's saturated market of advanced degrees.
Janet Gray Ph.D.
Professor and Department ChairThe College of New Jersey
Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Management Scientist job market given the pandemic?
Janet Gray Ph.D.: Future trends in the job market will depend on some significant degree in public policy and funding changes following the 2020 elections. I would expect public health, health care, mental health, public policy, social work, social advocacy, and other social service forms to continue to be growing fields. The recent legalization of drugs for medicinal and recreational use in several states will open up new employment areas related not only to distribution but also to policy and social services, as addiction care replaces incarceration. STEM skills will be essential across employment sectors as people continue to depend on remote access for a wide range of needs and activities.
What are the best companies to work for a Management Scientist?
Paul Badger Ph.D.: Some of the best companies to work for are companies or industries with a long history of research and development in the general field of biology. Explicitly speaking, companies associated with the healthcare industry, life sciences, or environmental sciences usually hire graduates with degrees in science fields.
Those jobs are relatively secure with opportunities for advancement over the long term. Another occupation with potential for growth that traditionally hires biology graduates in the field of forensic science. The demand for qualified biology educators has been relatively steady over the years and offers another lot where biology graduates may find employment. Science is the driver for innovation in many areas, from technology to healthcare to agriculture, and design in these areas can lead to market growth and job creation.
Sami Mejri Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Science, Assistant Dean, Graduate ProgramsTiffin University
School of Arts & Sciences
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Management Scientists to find work opportunities?
Sami Mejri Ph.D.: With the rising cost of living, a college graduate's ideal first job may not be in their home state or favorite vacation town. According to Business Insider, MidWestern cities like Columbus-Ohio, Cincinnati-Ohio, Madison-Wisconsin, Milwaukee-Wisconsin, and Indianapolis-Indiana were some of the best geographical areas to live for college graduates. The cost of living in these Midwestern states remains relatively lower than coastal areas, making these locations ideal for college graduates entering the workforce. However, college graduates with degrees in healthcare, computer science, and data analytics may not be limited to these geographical areas, given employers' incentives to these in-demand jobs.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Management Scientists?
Don Snyder: The job market has traditionally been strong for computer science majors because tech crosses over into all different sectors. But COVID-19 has exposed some sectors within tech that are more vulnerable, such as travel and hospitality. Graduates may now be more discerning when looking at different industries and how resilient they may be in future economic downturns. The pandemic has also forced 2020 graduates to adapt quickly, adjust to online classes in their last semester, and virtually go through the entire interview process. New graduates can build upon this new-found adaptability and resilience going forward as they navigate the job search process and the transition from college to career and beyond.
What general advice would you give to a Management Scientist?
Janet Williams Ph.D.: Students should try to get as much experience as possible in the early part of their careers. If they are interested in research science, they should look for laboratory positions that will teach them various techniques applicable to many fields in the medical and biological sciences (such as DNA sequencing, PCR techniques, CRISPR, ELISAs, Western Blots, histological techniques, and many others). Students should ensure that they are proficient in at least two computer programming languages (such as Python and "R") that will enable them to process the data that they are generating in the lab and will enable them to present the data in a meaningful way to their supervisors and colleagues.
What general advice would you give to a Management Scientist?
Sage Franetovich: Keep an open mind, and be willing to try new things, and work with all kinds of people. We, the professors, are preparing you for a job market that is constantly changing.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Management Scientists in the next 3-5 years?
Sage Franetovich: In general, there will be a significant demand for video conferencing and remote work. Computer-based research using databases and statistical analysis will be necessary. In labs, PCR, genetics, and sterile technique will be used more and more. This is an ideal time for students who are studying biotechnology.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Management Scientists?
Sage Franetovich: Graduates who studied Biology during the pandemic will complete their degree learning not only their content and material but also technical skills that will help them in a wide range of fields.