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Materials scientist salary
Average materials scientist salary
$84,459
Understanding Materials Scientist Salaries
As of October 2025, the average salary for a materials scientist is $84,459 per year. Factors influencing salary can include experience, education, and the specific industry. Entry-level positions typically start at lower salaries, while experienced professionals can command significantly higher rates.
Salary by State
Geographic location plays a crucial role in salary variation. For instance, states like California and Texas often feature higher salaries due to demand and cost of living considerations. Highest paying states for materials scientists include:
- California
- Texas
- New York
- Massachusetts
These locations not only offer competitive salaries but also a wealth of opportunities across sectors such as research, manufacturing, and product development.
Career Advancement
With a focus on continuous learning, materials scientists can advance their careers through further education and specialization. This can lead to roles in management, consulting, or even academia, where salaries can be significantly higher.
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Where can a Materials Scientist earn more?
Materials scientist salary estimates from across the web
Average materials scientist salary by state
The highest-paying states for materials scientists are Nevada, California, and Connecticut. The lowest average materials scientist salary states are Kentucky, Florida, and Michigan.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for materials scientists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | $96,858 | $46.57 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $96,485 | $46.39 |
| 3 | New Mexico | $86,597 | $41.63 |
| 4 | Oregon | $87,703 | $42.16 |
| 5 | California | $98,390 | $47.30 |
| 6 | Nevada | $109,501 | $52.64 |
| 7 | Washington | $91,747 | $44.11 |
| 8 | Virginia | $84,598 | $40.67 |
| 9 | North Carolina | $80,144 | $38.53 |
| 10 | Maine | $86,082 | $41.39 |
| 11 | Utah | $83,136 | $39.97 |
| 12 | Montana | $82,713 | $39.77 |
| 13 | Indiana | $82,589 | $39.71 |
| 14 | Illinois | $81,663 | $39.26 |
| 15 | South Dakota | $77,048 | $37.04 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $77,580 | $37.30 |
| 17 | Colorado | $84,290 | $40.52 |
| 18 | New Jersey | $79,810 | $38.37 |
| 19 | Ohio | $79,291 | $38.12 |
| 20 | Iowa | $79,191 | $38.07 |
| 21 | Vermont | $76,964 | $37.00 |
| 22 | Kansas | $78,534 | $37.76 |
| 23 | New York | $77,259 | $37.14 |
| 24 | Arkansas | $78,331 | $37.66 |
| 25 | Hawaii | $85,149 | $40.94 |
| 26 | Idaho | $75,270 | $36.19 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $79,369 | $38.16 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $70,089 | $33.70 |
| 29 | Massachusetts | $72,353 | $34.79 |
| 30 | South Carolina | $74,409 | $35.77 |
| 31 | Georgia | $75,678 | $36.38 |
| 32 | Arizona | $74,898 | $36.01 |
| 33 | Rhode Island | $69,461 | $33.39 |
| 34 | Delaware | $67,208 | $32.31 |
| 35 | Wyoming | $67,768 | $32.58 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $67,951 | $32.67 |
| 37 | Missouri | $69,235 | $33.29 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $66,812 | $32.12 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $68,593 | $32.98 |
| 40 | Maryland | $60,408 | $29.04 |
| 41 | Mississippi | $69,296 | $33.32 |
| 42 | Alaska | $66,268 | $31.86 |
| 43 | Alabama | $68,343 | $32.86 |
| 44 | Minnesota | $66,880 | $32.15 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $65,624 | $31.55 |
| 46 | Florida | $65,280 | $31.38 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $66,427 | $31.94 |
| 48 | Michigan | $60,940 | $29.30 |
| 49 | Texas | $58,893 | $28.31 |
| 50 | District of Columbia | $66,132 | $31.79 |
| 51 | West Virginia | $56,138 | $26.99 |
Highest paying cities for materials scientists
The highest-paying cities for materials scientists are Novato, CA, Richland, WA, and Urban Honolulu, HI.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Novato, CA | $106,122 | $51.02 |
| 2 | Richland, WA | $89,914 | $43.23 |
| 3 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $85,395 | $41.06 |
| 4 | Bloomington, IN | $81,959 | $39.40 |
| 5 | Durham, NC | $81,045 | $38.96 |
| 6 | Champaign, IL | $80,960 | $38.92 |
| 7 | Akron, OH | $80,508 | $38.71 |
| 8 | New York, NY | $77,305 | $37.17 |
| 9 | State College, PA | $76,802 | $36.92 |
| 10 | Boston, MA | $72,512 | $34.86 |
| 11 | Idaho Falls, ID | $71,371 | $34.31 |
| 12 | Oak Ridge, TN | $67,553 | $32.48 |
| 13 | Wilmington, DE | $67,379 | $32.39 |
| 14 | Saint Paul, MN | $66,959 | $32.19 |
| 15 | Gainesville, FL | $66,728 | $32.08 |
| 16 | Ann Arbor, MI | $60,725 | $29.19 |
| 17 | Gaithersburg, MD | $60,183 | $28.93 |
| 18 | Austin, TX | $58,932 | $28.33 |
| 19 | Morgantown, WV | $57,093 | $27.45 |
Materials scientist salary details
A materials scientist's salary ranges from $59,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $119,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a materials scientist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $119,000 | $9,917 | $57 |
| 75th Percentile | $101,000 | $8,417 | $49 |
| Average | $84,459 | $7,038 | $41 |
| 25th Percentile | $70,000 | $5,833 | $34 |
| 10th Percentile | $59,000 | $4,917 | $28 |
Highest paying materials scientist jobs
The highest paying types of materials scientists are accelerator systems director, senior scientist, and senior materials scientist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical Technician | $42,584 | $3,549 | $20.47 | 40,191 |
| Research Chemist | $75,843 | $6,320 | $36.46 | 53,769 |
| Chemist | $64,961 | $5,413 | $31.23 | 20,221 |
| Research And Development Chemist | $77,233 | $6,436 | $37.13 | 100,225 |
| Research And Development Scientist | $90,278 | $7,523 | $43.40 | 129,803 |
| Scientist | $97,344 | $8,112 | $46.80 | 62,467 |
Top companies hiring materials scientists now:
Which companies pay materials scientists the most?
Materials scientist salaries at Meta and Amazon are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average materials scientist salary at companies like ConocoPhillips and Western Digital are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $143,699 | $69.09 |
| 2 | Amazon | $134,421 | $64.63 |
| 3 | ConocoPhillips | $118,949 | $57.19 |
| 4 | Western Digital | $117,452 | $56.47 |
| 5 | Cantor Colburn | $117,067 | $56.28 |
| 6 | American Century Investments | $114,243 | $54.92 |
| 7 | Genentech | $114,192 | $54.90 |
| 8 | Applied Materials | $109,277 | $52.54 |
| 9 | The Coca-Cola Company | $104,638 | $50.31 |
| 10 | NuvoSun | $104,130 | $50.06 |
| 11 | Baker Hughes | $103,760 | $49.88 |
| 12 | Arkema | $103,414 | $49.72 |
| 13 | Halliburton | $103,216 | $49.62 |
| 14 | Eastman | $102,317 | $49.19 |
| 15 | Entegris | $101,921 | $49.00 |
| 16 | Corning Incorporated | $101,245 | $48.68 |
| 17 | FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies | $100,406 | $48.27 |
| 18 | Eli Lilly and Company | $100,089 | $48.12 |
| 19 | Ford Motor | $99,768 | $47.97 |
| 20 | Bristol-Myers Squibb | $99,550 | $47.86 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Materials scientist salary trends
The average materials scientist salary has risen by $12,618 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average materials scientist earned $71,841 annually, but today, they earn $84,459 a year. That works out to a 0% change in pay for materials scientists over the last decade.
Compare materials scientist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average materials scientist salary over time
Compare materials scientist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Materials scientist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $84,500 | $40.61 | +2.7% |
| 2024 | $82,200 | $39.52 | -3.1% |
| 2023 | $84,700 | $40.74 | +0.3% |
| 2022 | $84,500 | $40.63 | +0.1% |
| 2021 | $84,400 | $40.59 | +8.5% |
Recently added materials scientist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exponent | Materials Scientist, Electronic Materials (PH.D) | Menlo Park, CA | 06/10/2025 | $135,000 |
| Varite | Scientist/Engineer In Material Characterization | Sunnyvale, CA | 06/03/2025 | $79,306 |
| Kelly Science, Engineering, Technology & Telecom | Materials Scientist | New York, NY | 05/29/2025 | $73,045 |
| Pacific Northwest National Laboratory | Materials Scientist 1 | Richland, WA | 05/28/2025 | $78,000 |
| Actalent | Materials Scientist | Fremont, CA | 05/21/2025 | $62,610 |
| Actalent | Materials Scientist | New York, NY | 05/20/2025 | $79,306 |
| Outokumpu | Materials Scientist | Calvert, AL | 05/19/2025 | $90,334 |
| Exponent | Materials Scientist, Electronic Materials (PH.D) | Menlo Park, CA | 04/28/2025 | $140,400 |
| Astrix | Materials Scientist-Thermal Management | Rowe, MA | 04/24/2025 | $95,000 |
| Moog Inc. | Materials Scientist | Blacksburg, VA | 04/19/2025 | $70,000 |
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