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Job outlook for pharmaceutical scientists in the United States
Are pharmaceutical scientist jobs in demand?
Pharmaceutical scientist job and salary trends over time
Pharmaceutical scientist jobs over time
Pharmaceutical scientist job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 52 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 61 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 61 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 58 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 54 | 0.00% |
Average pharmaceutical scientist salary over time
Pharmaceutical scientist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $79,535 | $38.24 | +3.1% |
| 2024 | $77,171 | $37.10 | +4.7% |
| 2023 | $73,712 | $35.44 | +3.3% |
| 2022 | $71,348 | $34.30 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | $69,992 | $33.65 | --2.1% |
Pharmaceutical scientist jobs by state
Most common states for pharmaceutical scientists
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,598 | 23% |
| 2 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 121 | 17% |
| 3 | Delaware | 961,939 | 151 | 16% |
| 4 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 805 | 13% |
| 5 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 102 | 12% |
| 6 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 965 | 11% |
| 7 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 935 | 10% |
| 8 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 732 | 10% |
| 9 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 130 | 10% |
| 10 | Vermont | 623,657 | 60 | 10% |
| 11 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 69 | 9% |
| 12 | California | 39,536,653 | 3,042 | 8% |
| 13 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 821 | 8% |
| 14 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 324 | 8% |
| 15 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 295 | 8% |
| 16 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 163 | 8% |
| 17 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 82 | 8% |
| 18 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 80 | 8% |
| 19 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 44 | 8% |
| 20 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 913 | 7% |
Most common cities for pharmaceutical scientists
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Brunswick | 1 | 2% | $85,082 |
| 2 | Rockford | 1 | 1% | $90,597 |
Pharmaceutical Scientist job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of pharmaceutical scientist experts
Northeastern State University
Washburn University of Topeka
Pepperdine University
Santa Fe College
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
San Jose State University
Washington State University
University of Kentucky
University of Pittsburgh
University of Nebraska - Omaha
Western Washington University
Quinnipiac University
Arizona State University
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Creighton University
The College of New Jersey
What Pharmaceutical Scientist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Frank David MD, PhD: My main piece of advice is to network. Do tons of informational interviews with folks and then follow up to see if there are possible opportunities or other connections that folks can help you make. Many biotech and pharma positions go to folks with 'inside tracks' because they are recommended by current employees or already know the hiring manager. Also: be flexible about the type of role whenever possible. For example, if you’re looking at an entry-level lab-based job, don’t get hung up on the specific disease area. Or if you’re interested in regulatory science, cast a broad net and also explore roles in program management and medical writing, which involve similar activities and required skills. Finally: it’s great to look for opportunities at biotech and pharma firms, but don’t forget about contract research organizations, consultancies, and other vendors that serve drug companies. Those types of organizations are often more willing to train folks who are coming straight out of school, and those positions are great stepping stones to eventually move 'to the client side' (into drug companies) as experienced hires.
What Pharmaceutical Scientist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dulanjani Wijayasekara Ph.D.: Research skills and data analysis for pharmaceutical and drug development companies, Biostatistics, Bioinformatics and Medical laboratory sciences
What will help Pharmaceutical Scientists increase their earning potential?
Dulanjani Wijayasekara Ph.D.: Biology is a vast field with a lot of opportunities. The highest paying jobs in the field include health care, biostatisticians, data analysts, ecologists, genetic counselors, pharmacists, molecular biologists and research scientists/technicians in pharmaceutical companies. Depending on what area you would like to focus on, it would be a good idea to improve some basic skill sets that will give you an added advantage in the job market. If you are a fresh graduate many online certificate courses can be completed to give you these additional skills. You can improve upon IT skills such as biotechnology and computer literacy, research skills, and data analysis including biostatistics. You also can get some research experience by either volunteering in research labs or by gaining a master’s degree in molecular biology. This will open up many more job opportunities for you in the pharmaceutical area. Find out what career you love and work towards that by improving your skills and experience.
Susan Bjerke
Associate Professor of BiologyWashburn University of Topeka
Biological And Physical Sciences
What will help Pharmaceutical Scientists increase their earning potential?
Susan Bjerke: Some of the skills that will be important in the next 3-5 years will be general critical thinking skills and the ability to adapt to changing technology. Almost all science fields are increasingly dependent on technology, so being able to learn new skills and change the way you do things in your job will be important. Being an effective communicator, both in writing and orally, is an overlooked skill in the sciences and is always an important asset.
What will help Pharmaceutical Scientists increase their earning potential?
Rachel Tan Ph.D.: Listen and be curious: ask questions (the why and how?), ask for opportunities, do extra readings outside of work. Aim for excellence: treat each assigned task as priority–go above and beyond. Connect: talk to colleagues, your boss, staff–be excited to learn from others. Be grateful: constantly reflect on the small details that led you to this point, for gratitude gives you foundation for joy during your career.
What will help Pharmaceutical Scientists increase their earning potential?
Meghan McGee-Lawrence Ph.D.: Cast a wide net! A huge variety of career paths can be pursued with a degree like this, including industry, academic research, healthcare, education, and more. It is a very versatile degree, and can be a foundation for a multitude of different professions. Talk to recent graduates from your program (as many as possible!) and see what they did with their degree – the more information you can collect, the better prepared you’ll be to seek out opportunities yourself. Take the time to figure out where your interests lie – and understand that you may have to try a few different paths out before you find the right one for you. The first position you land after graduation doesn’t have to be the job you perform for the next 30 years of your life – so use each opportunity as a learning experience to figure out what you’d really like to do long-term.
Luz Garcini PhD, MPH
Assistant ProfessorWhat will help Pharmaceutical Scientists increase their earning potential?
Luz Garcini PhD, MPH: Build a unique niche and new skills (another language), disseminate your work via high impact networks/avenues, get mentoring in negotiation.
What will help Pharmaceutical 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 general advice would you give to a Pharmaceutical Scientist?
Jeff Heslep: Find a starting job that gives you a wide range of work to perform. The more experience you can gain during the first few years will help you to hone your skills, decide what areas interest you the most, and give you the opportunity to choose. Learn as much as you can about the various equipment, analytical techniques, processes, and how to troubleshoot minor problems. Take the initiative and ask to learn how to use instruments you aren't familiar with. It is unlikely someone will deny you the opportunity to broaden your knowledge. Take every chance you have to network and get to know the people within your local biotechnology industry. Networking plays a major role in employment opportunities. Work on your written and verbal communication skills. Communicating well will help you stand out. Being able to effectively convey complex scientific concepts in such a way that anyone can understand it can be a powerful skill.
What general advice would you give to a Pharmaceutical Scientist?
Jacob Nordman: Salary potential in my field of neuroscience almost always involves publications, awards, and technical acumen. Therefore, as I mentioned, it is important to start early looking for opportunities that can strengthen these areas. Another important aspect of getting high-profile, and thus high-paying, positions, is being able to tell a story with your research and career. Employers want to see that you have thought deeply and strategically about your career and where it’s going. This will allow them to believe you are a safe bet and worthy of their investment.
Dr. Harit Agroia
Adjunct Professor of Public HealthSan Jose State University
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences
What general advice would you give to a Pharmaceutical Scientist?
Dr. Harit Agroia: The day-to-day of a Health Science Researcher may vary depending on the organization, industry and setting in which the role is based. Generally, the Health Science Researcher may be responsible for the following: working in close collaboration with a research team to identify research gaps, conducting population-level data analyses to understand the distribution and burden of and social determinants of disease within a specified geographic region, designing research plans including aims, objectives, theoretical or conceptual frameworks, data collection tools, analyses, results visualization and interpretation, and dissemination of findings. Health Science Researchers may spend their day collecting data which may involve manual extraction and data entry or conducting interviews or focus groups. Conducting interviews and focus groups may require travel related to the job as being in the field and area where the research is focused provides additional observational data that may be integrated into the analysis or provide context for the results. The data analysis portion of the job may require basic to advanced statistical analysis skills; many researchers work in close collaboration with biostatisticians to complete more complex analyses. For qualitative analyses, data analysis may require transcribing notes, coding and identifying themes to organize the results. These day-to-day tasks are completed in the setting of larger team environment and in consultation with senior management and principal investigators.
What will help Pharmaceutical 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.
Dr. David Harmon
Professor of Animal & Food SciencesUniversity of Kentucky
Animal Sciences
What Pharmaceutical Scientist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. David Harmon: Opportunities abound. The job opportunities outnumber current graduates. Decide what you want to be good at and then be good at it.
What will help Pharmaceutical 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.
Andrew Riquier Ph.D.
InstructorUniversity of Nebraska - Omaha
Neurobiology And Neurosciences
What general advice would you give to a Pharmaceutical Scientist?
Andrew Riquier Ph.D.: Apply for the positions you want, even if you feel underqualified. I know plenty of people who have applied for jobs they didn't quite meet the requirements for, and got hired for other reasons. In my experience, many recent graduates choose to take time to strengthen their resumes by retaking classes, working jobs they don't particularly want to get experience, etc. There is some value in that, particularly if you have been unsuccessful attaining the position you want, or if you want to see if you even enjoy that type of work. But if you are confident in what you want to do, go for it; in the worst-case scenario, you are in the same position you would be if you hadn't applied, but now you have experience applying and have potentially gained a contact in the field.
What Pharmaceutical Scientist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Josh Kaplan Ph.D.: Demonstrating a skill set that is unique, such as experience with a rare technical research approach, or demonstrating that you can save your employer money by utilizing free resources, can be used to negotiate a higher salary.
What will help Pharmaceutical Scientists increase their earning potential?
Josh Kaplan Ph.D.: Be reliable, consistent, and focus on the details. Your neuroscience training required you to develop an attention to detail that permeated many aspects of your work. Further, you had to apply that detailed approach in a consistent manner across a potentially long experimental duration. Your future coworkers and employers will appreciate knowing that you'll be able to apply the instructions for a novel scenario reliably and consistently.
Lisa Cuchara Ph.D.
Professor of Biomedical SciencesQuinnipiac University
Microbiological Sciences And Immunology
What Pharmaceutical 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
What general advice would you give to a Pharmaceutical Scientist?
Lisa Cuchara Ph.D.: Practice both public speaking (presentations, journal clubs, research meetings) as much as possible and also practice "elevator speeches".
Do more than the minimum. Is there a conference you can present at, a journal club you can be involved in, an ASM branch or student chapter to participate in.
What will help Pharmaceutical Scientists increase their earning potential?
Lisa Cuchara Ph.D.: Be passionate! Be curious! When I write a letter of recommendation I write a little about the obligatory "IQ" elements, how well their exam/assignment/course grade were, then I speak to their EQ, are they kind, helpful, respectful, considerate, etc. and I try to include an example of something that I witnessed regarding EQ. But the majority of the letter discussing PQ and CQ, their passion quotient and their curiosity quotient. A can write a much much better LOR for a student with high PQ and CQ than I can for one with just good grades. What have they read and what do they do in their spare time (and don't say that you can't afford a hobby, you can't afford not to have a hobby or an outlet, otherwise stress takes too much of a toll. Some of my most memorable student conversations are conversations that involved their curiosity, like a conversation about Bonnie Bassler's quorum sensing. Make sure that as you go through life you embrace Einstein's quote 'There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.'
The second piece of advice is: Know what you know, know what you don't know, be willing to admit what you don't know, and don't be afraid to ask questions, but try not to ask questions about simple things that one can easily look up as that indicates laziness rather than inquisitiveness.
The third piece of other advice would be to never give up. As "Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." Calvin Coolidge
How have salaries changed over time for Pharmaceutical Scientists?
Patricia Rankin: Salaries have been trending up - but there is a wide range and it depends on the level you look at e.g Bachelor's degrees or PhD's . If you have a PhD you earn more on average but the range is also larger (the AIP has some good statistics here e.g. https://www.aip.org/taxonomy/term/152 ). Physicists are generally at the higher end of pay scales and competitive with most engineering fields (not computer science). Physics graduates are problem solvers with excellent quantitative skills that puts them in high demand which helps protect salaries.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Pharmaceutical Scientist job market given the pandemic?
April Buschelman: Teacher shortage was an issue before the pandemic, and I see this increasing tenfold in the next year. I get weekly notices or requests for graduates that could fill roles in different schools and districts, some are immediate, and others are for the next semester.
Besides only needing more teachers, I think there will be a great demand for teachers with instructional technology concentrations. The pandemic highlighted the need to think outside the traditional brick and mortar "box" of school systems. While newer teachers are being educated in ways to use technology in the classroom, it's rare students are being educated to make the technology the classroom.
One final trend to be aware of is educator burnout and the need for self-preservation. I could see (and hope we will see) schools and districts focusing on the educators' mental health. Inservice days could become more laid back and focus on mental well-being as much as the newest trends and requirements. If we want students to have the best experience and education with school, we need to focus on the educators' mental and physical well-being first.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Pharmaceutical Scientists in the next 3-5 years?
April Buschelman: I think virtual learning and working from home are here to stay. I see many more classes being offered online with a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous class sessions. Homeschooling across the country has doubled due to the pandemic, and parents would love to have the option of still having their child(ren) on track and "in" school without needing to plan every piece of the curriculum. A remote option that allows students to come into the school for portions of the day for specials or electives gives parents a great choice. This option would also enable secondary students to work during the day to support themselves or their families.
One other technology that will become more prevalent is the virtual lessons taught through animated videos rather than an actual teacher. Similar to corporate training or the online curriculum alternatives out there, I see this as an option for schools struggling to hire teachers.
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for Pharmaceutical Scientists in the next 5 years?
April Buschelman: I think there will be a definite increase in graduates in the next five years. This pandemic is causing many educators to leave the field due to the strain of teaching with multiple restrictions and requirements placed on them to keep everyone safe and healthy. Teachers are split with their desire to be teachers and help students and the teacher's desire to stay healthy and safe. Some are choosing to leave the profession instead and creating this new demand. It will be interesting to see what the future will hold!
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 Pharmaceutical 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 technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Pharmaceutical Scientists in the next 3-5 years?
Janet Gray Ph.D.: WGSS graduates enter every employment sector, so technological trends for our graduates will follow various sectors' directions. Among the most common careers for WGSS graduates are law, social work, and education. The capacity to work remotely and do so effectively--may depend more on having access to sound technology and good training, and devising more effective ways to use the tools available, than on any new technology becoming available.
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for Pharmaceutical Scientists in the next 5 years?
Janet Gray Ph.D.: I think an increase, though not dramatic. WGSS majors graduate with a capacity to analyze and strategize about a wide range of social justice issues, including racial justice, LGBTQ rights, immigration rights, and disability rights, in addition to gender equity. Very few employers require a degree specifically in WGSS. Still, many employers value the skills students gain through their major, and I would expect social justice skills to be increasingly in demand across employment sectors in the coming years. Most WGSS majors take second majors as well, and their combined majors give them an edge in a broad range of fields--including mental health, public health, law, education, politics, business, and government.