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Job outlook for physics professors in the United States
Are physics professor jobs in demand?
Physics professor job and salary trends over time
Physics professor jobs over time
Physics professor job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 173 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 190 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 192 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 191 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 191 | 0.00% |
Average physics professor salary over time
Physics professor salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $69,894 | $33.60 | +0.9% |
| 2025 | $69,268 | $33.30 | --1.3% |
| 2024 | $70,203 | $33.75 | +4.0% |
| 2023 | $67,528 | $32.47 | +3.3% |
| 2022 | $65,387 | $31.44 | +2.1% |
Physics professor jobs by state
Most common states for physics professors
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 78 | 11% |
| 2 | Vermont | 623,657 | 52 | 8% |
| 3 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 106 | 6% |
| 4 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 51 | 6% |
| 5 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 387 | 5% |
| 6 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 294 | 5% |
| 7 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 200 | 5% |
| 8 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 88 | 5% |
| 9 | Alaska | 739,795 | 37 | 5% |
| 10 | New York | 19,849,399 | 773 | 4% |
| 11 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 161 | 4% |
| 12 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 136 | 4% |
| 13 | Mississippi | 2,984,100 | 122 | 4% |
| 14 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 49 | 4% |
| 15 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 40 | 4% |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 345 | 3% |
| 17 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 256 | 3% |
| 18 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 176 | 3% |
| 19 | Louisiana | 4,684,333 | 147 | 3% |
| 20 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 101 | 3% |
Most common cities for physics professors
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cambridge | 2 | 2% | $106,104 |
| 2 | Coppell | 1 | 2% | $61,037 |
Physics Professor job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of physics professor experts
Kean University
North Carolina State University
Skidmore College
Ashford University
Humboldt State University
University of California - Davis
University of Northern Colorado
SUNY Potsdam: The State University of New York, Potsdam
What general advice would you give to a Physics Professor?
Alex Holte PhD: My advice for someone new to the field of academia is to learn time management skills early and learn what type of service work you find interesting and would like to contribute to. From there, learn how to say “no” to opportunities that may not align with your goals as well. I feel a lot of new professors tend to find the need to be involved in everything, which can result in burning out later in their career.
What Physics Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Alex Holte PhD: I would say being able to work with AI may be something that is more important in the next 3-5 years. Right now it’s a new technology and people are just now learning how to integrate it in the workplace, but I feel it is possible the future workforce of tomorrow will necessitate some form of being able to use AI technology.
What will help Physics Professors increase their earning potential?
Alex Holte PhD: When you are starting out at any career, it is important to negotiate your salary. Many candidates feel that they have to accept their first offer, but in reality, at many jobs, there is some room for negotiation. Be mindful however, to not request a salary that is much higher than what is being offered as they may feel like a compromise would not be possible and move on to the next candidate.
What general advice would you give to a Physics Professor?
Mia Fiore Ph.D.: First, I would tell all students that it is VERY different from teaching k-12. Unlike K-12, you are not placed in a school with a teaching job upon graduation; teaching in higher education is one of the most competitive fields, period. The next difference is that you are expected to be an expert/ master of your field. If you're also willing to accept that you will likely have to work as an adjunct professor (for low pay) first, then go for it! Teaching in higher education is the most rewarding job, especially for people who love learning.
What general advice would you give to a Physics Professor?
Justin Whitehill Ph.D.: Perseverance pays off. Its worth it to pursue the career you want and not settle and be unhappy.
What will help Physics Professors increase their earning potential?
Justin Whitehill Ph.D.: I wouldn’t know, I’m a professor.
Jane Kuandre
Associate ProfessorWhat general advice would you give to a Physics Professor?
Jane Kuandre: My advice for someone looking to pursue a career in academia would be to focus on building a strong publication record, developing a network of collaborators, and continuously seeking opportunities for professional development.
What will help Physics Professors increase their earning potential?
Jane Kuandre: Networking is crucial for career advancement in academia as it allows individuals to establish collaborations, gain access to resources, and stay updated on the latest research trends.
Aurelie Matheron
Assistant Professor of FrenchSkidmore College
Romance Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
What general advice would you give to a Physics Professor?
Aurelie Matheron: Present yourself as a professional in your cover letter and interviews. The people who interview you will look at you as a future colleague and not a student. Use the past “I” to show what the future “I” will do. Meaning: in your interviews, say “I have developed X courses/projects and I have acquired X skills useful for a collaborative project at your institution. For instance, one project I will develop is XYZ.” You show your experience/expertise and how you will be using your skills. Don’t dwell too much on the “past I” and, I’d say, don’t use the past “we” => “at my former institution, we would do X or Z.” => this shows that you still view yourself as part of that community and don’t project yourself at your new institution. Once you have the job: observe the dynamics of your new work place. Meet with colleagues who also recently got a job at your institution. They will help you navigate the first year.
What Physics Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Aurelie Matheron: Leadership: you will be in positions of leading a program/department. Learn from current chairs by observing their own skills during meetings and moments of decision. Collaboration: develop interpersonal and interprofessional relationships that will allow you to build collaborative projects (interdepartmental courses, for instance).
What will help Physics Professors increase their earning potential?
Aurelie Matheron: Do some research online about how much someone earns at your stage of the career. If there is a significant gap, point out (diplomatically) that, because of your extensive experience in XYZ, you would like to get a X% increase in your salary. Be reasonable: if you want a 3% increase, ask for 5% (not 10% or more). Justify your negotiation: why should they pay me more? What experience can I show them to justify my request? If you have a higher offer from another place, you can say that “I have received another generous offer and would like to know about the possibility for matching that offer.” Salary is not the only thing you can negotiate: office space, computer/laptop, sabbaticals, course release, etc. Again, be reasonable: if you think you are entitled to XYZ requests, you also have to show why.
Fabio Lanza
ProfessorAshford University
History
What will help Physics Professors increase their earning potential?
Fabio Lanza: Difficult to say, given how quickly things change. Digital humanities was and still is fashionable and important. Public history (museum, exhibitions, outreach). And teaching.
Dr. C.D. Hoyle
Professor of Physics and AstronomyHumboldt State University
Physics and Astronomy Department
What skills stand out on Physics Professor resumes?
Dr. C.D. Hoyle: -previous teaching experience
-experience with active-learning pedagogies and techniques
-experience interacting with a diverse student population
What soft skills should all Physics Professors possess?
Dr. C.D. Hoyle: -time management
-teamwork (for working with lab instructors, etc.)
-conflict resolution
-respectfulness
What hard/technical skills are most important for Physics Professors?
Dr. C.D. Hoyle: -experience with a learning management system
-experience with classroom technology
-experience with laboratory hardware and software
-scientific programming/computation
What skills will help Physics Professors earn the most?
Dr. C.D. Hoyle: -previous teaching experience
-having experience with laboratory equipment and setups
Patricia Boeshaar Ph.D.
Distinguished Sr. Lecturer EmeritaUniversity of California - Davis
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Physics Professors?
Patricia Boeshaar Ph.D.: In general, Physics majors can do just about anything, as indicated by just a few of the positions/jobs in which physics majors have found positions:
-Patent Lawyer/Patent law office assistant
-Marine/Oceanographic Scientist
-Aerospace engineer
-State of CA/Water Engineer
-High School or Community College Science Teacher
-Computer Animation Specialist
-Artificial Intelligence/Robotics Research
-Scientific and Computational Management (with minor in Business)
-Software & Yield Teams/spin-electron quibit engineer
-Facebook Security
-Meteorology
-Veterinarian
-Medical Physics
-Night Operations Support Scientist/Subaru telescope
-Electrical Engineer
-Information Specialist/Publishing
-Investment Banking
-Computational Management
The skills learned in physics allow one to go between different disciples, e.g. astrophysics to investment banking....so in a sense they can change career direction.
Given what our students have accomplished in the past and the continual need for good people in these positions, I do not believe that the pandemic will have a serious effect on this year's physics graduates" prospects.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Physics Professors?
Patricia Boeshaar Ph.D.: This depends on what field they enter, e.g. Education usually requires a Masters in Education; Graduate Programs generally require anywhere from 2-6 years in that specialty. Otherwise, Physics teaches students how to problem solve, so many often pick up any additional skills on the job.
What will help Physics Professors increase their earning potential?
Patricia Boeshaar Ph.D.: We suggest that students who wish a job in industry try to pick up some Business courses...a minor in Business would be especially useful...along with building people/communication and networking skills. Emphasis on networking here.
In general, a Ph.D. will increase your earning potential, as will working in industry over academia. I suggest you look at the salary and employment tables in the American Institute of Physics web site for more details. They have done a superb job graphically displaying not only career choices by degree, but also as related to type of employer and salary.
Charles Kuehn Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorUniversity of Northern Colorado
Department of Physics and Astronomy
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Physics Professor job market given the pandemic?
Charles Kuehn Ph.D.: I think the two biggest trends that we are going to see in the job market are an increased availability of remote work and increased importance of interdisciplinary work.
Even before the pandemic there had been a slow trend toward embracing remote work more and the pandemic accelerated that. While the amount of in-person work will go up as we move out of the pandemic, remote work will have a much larger presence than it ever did before. The biggest benefits to future employees from this will be an increase in jobs that they can apply for since location will be less important. Jobs that were in a region where the employee wouldn't want to live are now feasible, two-career relationships won't have pressure about relocating for an opportunity for one partner, etc... This increase in remote work opportunities will also increase the importance of good communication skills when applying for jobs.
STEM fields in general are seeing a growing amount of interdisciplinary work and physics is no exception. Biophysics and medical physics are fast growing areas, as is experimental optics where we are seeing collaborations with chemists to work development of new types of solar cells. Increasingly we are seeing how skill sets from one area are useful for others and how many connections exist between the behaviors of different systems. For example, physicists studying soft materials have seen connections between their work, how folding occurs in the brain, and behavior of human populations in cities. The increase in big data in physics has led to the growth of econophysics where economic systems are modeled using methods developed in computation physics. Being able to see, understand, and exploit these interdisciplinary connections will be important not only for increasing ones desirability to employers but to solve many of our most pressing current problems in the world.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Physics Professors?
Charles Kuehn Ph.D.: Big data is becoming increasing important in most areas of physics so the ability to work with large data sets is extremely valuable. This includes nor only the ability to program but to understand the statistics needed for working with large data sets. Any training in data science, whether it is a minor, a certificate, or just a few classes will have a huge positive impact on job prospects.
In the classes I teach I always put a huge amount of emphasis on the importance of communication. You can be the best physicist in the world but if you can't communicate your results then you won't have much of a career. Learning how to communicate to different audiences is crucial; how you communicate with experts in the field is very different from how you communicate with people outside the field and the most successful people are the ones who can do both. I'm also a big supporter of learning project management if you ever want to move up the ranks.
How have salaries changed over time for Physics Professors?
Charles Kuehn Ph.D.: It depends on if you are looking at academia or the private sector. Physics jobs in the private sector have shown strong growth with starting salaries increasing by about 20% since 2010 according to data from the American Institute of Physics. In academia the picture isn't as positive with starting salaries showing about 10% growth on the low end and remaining flat on the upper end; against according to statistics from the AIP.
What general advice would you give to a Physics Professor?
(Lily) Li Linghong: As a professor of physics, I can confidently assert that physics majors acquire a diverse set of invaluable life skills throughout their academic journey. These skills encompass rigorous research and analysis capabilities, adept mathematical proficiency, collaborative teamwork aptitude, efficient time-management techniques, comprehensive knowledge of information technology (IT), proficiency in instrumentation prototyping, adept problem-solving prowess, and finely honed experimental skills. Furthermore, they excel in both written and verbal communication, a vital aspect in any professional setting. Upon graduating, our physics students embark on various paths. While some choose to pursue advanced studies in graduate school, others venture into a wide range of other career options. These include roles such as technical writers, science educators, forensic scientists, professors, data analysts, research analysts, web developers, design engineers, systems analysts, meteorologists, and more. The starting salaries for Bachelor of Arts (BA) Physics graduates in STEM positions typically exceed $45,000, while those in non-STEM positions generally start at around $25,000 or higher. Overall, a degree in physics equips individuals with specialized knowledge and a versatile skill set, enabling them to thrive in diverse professions.
What Physics Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
(Lily) Li Linghong: I can provide answers to your questions for the article.
What will help Physics Professors increase their earning potential?
(Lily) Li Linghong: LinkedIn profile: linkedin.com/in/linghong-li-41a11663, First and last name: Lily Li, M.Ed., Ph.D., Title: Professor of Physics, University website: https://www.potsdam.edu/academics/appliedlearning/mentored-student-research/kilmer-labs/optimizing-pulsed-electromagnetic-fields-promote-wound-healing-elderly