Average physical sciences major salary

Updated September 14, 2023

$58,322

$30,00010%

$58,322Median

$111,00090%

What is the average physical sciences major salary in the US?

As a physical sciences major graduate in the USA, you can expect to earn on average $58,322 per year or $28.04 per hour.While the top 10 percent make over $111,000 per year, the bottom 10 percent make under $30,000.The most abundant employment opportunities for physical sciences majors are in technology companies and professional companies.Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey have the highest paying jobs for physical sciences major graduates.

Best paying cities

$70,686

$69,769

$69,137

Average physical sciences salary by company

Physical sciences major graduates can expect good job security. However, some industries pay higher than others.Employers that have the highest concentration of job opportunities for physical sciences majors are technology companies and professional companies.Meta and Apple are the highest paying companies.In addition, companies like Microsoft and Google report highly competitive salaries for physical sciences majors.

Average salary by company

Rank	Company	Zippia score	Average physical sciences salary
1	1.Meta	4.8	$116,291
2	2.Apple	4.8	$113,623
3	3.Microsoft	4.8	$109,216
4	4.Google	4.8	$108,773
5	5.Novartis	4.9	$92,863
6	6.Boehringer Ingelheim	4.6	$92,139
7	7.AbbVie	4.7	$91,021
8	8.Bristol-Myers Squibb	4.6	$89,380
9	9.Oracle	4.6	$85,678
10	10.Intel	4.7	$85,461
11	11.IBM	4.7	$82,290
12	12.Astea International	4.1	$82,250
13	13.National High Magnetic Field Laboratory	4.1	$82,041
14	14.Merck	4.6	$81,295
15	15.Planar Systems	4.3	$79,994
16	16.Corning Incorporated	4.5	$79,709
17	17.Gilead Sciences	4.5	$79,580
18	18.Stanford University	4.5	$79,525
19	19.Pillar Data Systems	4.3	$79,249
20	20.Ames Laboratory	3.6	$78,033

Average physical sciences major salary by city

Physical sciences major graduates in the US make an average salary of $58,322 per year or $28.04 per hour.Cambridge, MA reports the highest salaries for physical sciences major graduates at $70,686 per year.The average entry-level salary in Cambridge, MA is $38,000.physical sciences major graduates in San Francisco, CA, Baltimore, MD, New York, NY, Washington, DC, Seattle, WA, and Philadelphia, PA make the most money.The top 5 states with the highest reported salaries for physical sciences major graduates are Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey.Indiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Montana, and Oklahoma are the lowest earners.

Average salary by location

Rank	City	Average physical sciences salary	Salary range
1	Cambridge, MA	$70,686	$36k $98k
2	San Francisco, CA	$69,769	$36k $98k
3	Baltimore, MD	$69,137	$36k $98k
4	New York, NY	$68,589	$36k $98k
5	Washington, DC	$66,012	$36k $98k
6	Seattle, WA	$62,132	$36k $98k
7	Philadelphia, PA	$60,851	$36k $98k
8	Arlington, VA	$60,656	$36k $98k
9	Portland, ME	$60,176	$36k $98k
10	Chicago, IL	$60,161	$36k $98k
11	Minneapolis, MN	$59,217	$36k $98k
12	Columbus, OH	$58,690	$36k $98k
13	Detroit, MI	$57,461	$36k $98k
14	Madison, WI	$56,382	$36k $98k
15	Raleigh, NC	$55,860	$36k $98k
16	Portland, OR	$55,571	$36k $98k
17	San Antonio, TX	$53,587	$36k $98k
18	Phoenix, AZ	$53,406	$36k $98k
19	Richmond, KY	$53,405	$36k $98k
20	Atlanta, GA	$53,401	$36k $98k

Average physical sciences major salary by state

The darker areas on the map show where physical sciences majors earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average salary

Physical sciences major average salary by state

State	Average physical sciences major salary	Average hourly rate
Massachusetts	$70,738	$34.01
Maryland	$68,993	$33.17
Connecticut	$68,808	$33.08
New York	$68,413	$32.89
New Jersey	$68,262	$32.82
Rhode Island	$67,408	$32.41
California	$66,103	$31.78
Vermont	$65,634	$31.55
Delaware	$64,388	$30.96
Alaska	$64,177	$30.85
New Hampshire	$63,012	$30.29
Washington	$61,584	$29.61
Pennsylvania	$60,540	$29.11
Illinois	$59,808	$28.75
Maine	$59,796	$28.75
Virginia	$59,493	$28.60
Nevada	$59,315	$28.52
Minnesota	$59,171	$28.45
Ohio	$59,064	$28.40
North Dakota	$57,414	$27.60
Michigan	$57,181	$27.49
Wisconsin	$57,011	$27.41
Oregon	$55,730	$26.79
North Carolina	$54,857	$26.37
Wyoming	$53,960	$25.94
West Virginia	$53,563	$25.75
Georgia	$53,506	$25.72
Hawaii	$53,429	$25.69
Arizona	$53,304	$25.63
Utah	$53,219	$25.59
South Carolina	$53,134	$25.55
Texas	$53,067	$25.51
Kentucky	$52,968	$25.47
Iowa	$52,379	$25.18
New Mexico	$52,268	$25.13
Alabama	$52,155	$25.07
Kansas	$52,080	$25.04
Colorado	$51,919	$24.96
Idaho	$51,836	$24.92
Nebraska	$51,734	$24.87
Florida	$51,712	$24.86
Missouri	$50,832	$24.44
Louisiana	$50,160	$24.12
Tennessee	$50,160	$24.12
Indiana	$49,803	$23.94
Arkansas	$49,779	$23.93
Mississippi	$49,204	$23.66
Montana	$48,894	$23.51
Oklahoma	$48,623	$23.38
South Dakota	$47,282	$22.73

Highest paying jobs for physical sciences majors

Rank	Job title	Average salary	Open jobs
1	Geologist	$111,877	869
2	Physicist	$110,869	803
3	Scientist	$97,343	62,467
4	Research Scientist	$89,998	93,013
5	Physical Scientist	$86,537	96,588
6	Data Analyst	$74,342	167,520
7	Physical Therapist	$73,070	86,697
8	Field Engineer	$71,873	86,015
9	Research Associate	$60,166	63,884
10	Physical Therapist Assistant	$53,034	80,018
11	Research Assistant	$42,896	51,080
12	Laboratory Technician	$40,038	84,357
13	Research Internship	$39,573	95,123
14	Pharmacist Technician	$36,090	73,800

Average physical sciences major salary by industry

Wages for physical sciences major graduates can differ based on the industry they work in.Our analysis shows that health care companies, telecommunication companies, and internet companies pay higher-than-average wages for physical sciences major graduates.Salaries for physical sciences major graduates in health care companies average $159,263 annually, while telecommunication companies and internet companies pay $107,078 and $104,485, respectively.The types of companies that pay physical sciences majors the least are in the professional industry, where the average annual salary is $34,059.

Average salary by industry

Rank	Industry	Average physical sciences major salary	Range
1	Health Care	$159,263	$27k $192k
2	Telecommunication	$107,078	$27k $192k
3	Internet	$104,485	$27k $192k
4	Technology	$99,621	$27k $192k
5	Manufacturing	$87,503	$27k $192k
6	Government	$47,825	$27k $192k
7	Education	$45,059	$27k $192k
8	Professional	$34,059	$27k $192k

Salary history for physical sciences major graduates

This data shows the national average salary between 2011-2020 among Physical Sciences major graduates.

Salaries for related majors

Rank	Major	Average salary	Range
1	Materials Sciences	$76,348	$41k $102k
2	Astronomy And Astrophysics	$73,326	$41k $102k
3	Geology	$71,227	$41k $102k
4	Meteorology	$65,662	$41k $102k
5	Physics	$62,150	$41k $102k
6	Chemistry	$56,438	$41k $102k