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The role of a Quality Control Scientist is essential across industries, focusing on maintaining product integrity and compliance. As of October 2025, the average salary stands at $75,410 per year. This figure may fluctuate based on factors such as geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry.
For instance, states like California and New York often present higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for skilled professionals. In contrast, regions with lower living costs may offer competitive but lower salaries.
Major metropolitan areas tend to provide the highest salaries for this role. Cities such as San Francisco, Boston, and Seattle frequently rank among the top-paying locations, reflecting the concentration of industries that require rigorous quality control measures.
Moreover, the demand for Quality Control Scientists is expected to grow, offering numerous opportunities for advancement. Professionals can enhance their earning potential by gaining additional certifications or specialized experience. Overall, pursuing a career as a Quality Control Scientist can lead to both financial rewards and job satisfaction.
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The highest-paying states for quality control scientists are New Hampshire, Connecticut, and New York. The lowest average quality control scientist salary states are Utah, Florida, and Kansas.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | $99,487 | $47.83 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $99,105 | $47.65 |
| 3 | New York | $98,723 | $47.46 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $91,591 | $44.03 |
| 5 | Vermont | $93,737 | $45.07 |
| 6 | Wisconsin | $83,282 | $40.04 |
| 7 | Maine | $95,167 | $45.75 |
| 8 | North Dakota | $82,665 | $39.74 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $94,804 | $45.58 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $71,185 | $34.22 |
| 11 | Virginia | $77,528 | $37.27 |
| 12 | California | $84,213 | $40.49 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $100,811 | $48.47 |
| 14 | Indiana | $71,892 | $34.56 |
| 15 | Maryland | $78,454 | $37.72 |
| 16 | New Mexico | $72,180 | $34.70 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $72,263 | $34.74 |
| 18 | Washington | $88,519 | $42.56 |
| 19 | Georgia | $73,380 | $35.28 |
| 20 | Michigan | $68,767 | $33.06 |
| 21 | North Carolina | $67,230 | $32.32 |
| 22 | Illinois | $69,929 | $33.62 |
| 23 | Kentucky | $68,891 | $33.12 |
| 24 | Wyoming | $66,779 | $32.11 |
| 25 | Hawaii | $74,916 | $36.02 |
| 26 | South Carolina | $67,270 | $32.34 |
| 27 | Montana | $70,372 | $33.83 |
| 28 | Oregon | $67,534 | $32.47 |
| 29 | South Dakota | $66,013 | $31.74 |
| 30 | Colorado | $69,465 | $33.40 |
| 31 | Idaho | $68,273 | $32.82 |
| 32 | Ohio | $66,367 | $31.91 |
| 33 | Louisiana | $69,052 | $33.20 |
| 34 | Arizona | $68,198 | $32.79 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $65,468 | $31.48 |
| 36 | West Virginia | $65,547 | $31.51 |
| 37 | Texas | $64,918 | $31.21 |
| 38 | New Jersey | $60,988 | $29.32 |
| 39 | Delaware | $58,501 | $28.13 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $66,031 | $31.75 |
| 41 | Utah | $56,597 | $27.21 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $65,292 | $31.39 |
| 43 | Alabama | $64,711 | $31.11 |
| 44 | Alaska | $64,586 | $31.05 |
| 45 | Iowa | $63,930 | $30.74 |
| 46 | Nevada | $57,856 | $27.82 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $52,916 | $25.44 |
| 48 | Missouri | $50,410 | $24.24 |
| 49 | Kansas | $53,324 | $25.64 |
| 50 | Florida | $54,852 | $26.37 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $52,093 | $25.04 |
The highest-paying cities for quality control scientists are Brookhaven, NY, Andover, MA, and South San Francisco, CA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brookhaven, NY | $99,549 | $47.86 |
| 2 | Andover, MA | $95,033 | $45.69 |
| 3 | South San Francisco, CA | $92,110 | $44.28 |
| 4 | Bothell, WA | $89,180 | $42.88 |
| 5 | Fargo, ND | $83,543 | $40.16 |
| 6 | Waukesha, WI | $83,029 | $39.92 |
| 7 | Severn, MD | $78,580 | $37.78 |
| 8 | Philadelphia, PA | $71,679 | $34.46 |
| 9 | Bloomington, IN | $70,442 | $33.87 |
| 10 | Greenville, NC | $70,259 | $33.78 |
| 11 | Boulder, CO | $69,558 | $33.44 |
| 12 | Florence, SC | $68,394 | $32.88 |
| 13 | Laramie, WY | $65,483 | $31.48 |
| 14 | Columbus, OH | $65,140 | $31.32 |
| 15 | College Station, TX | $65,012 | $31.26 |
| 16 | Paterson, NJ | $61,405 | $29.52 |
| 17 | Salt Lake City, UT | $56,281 | $27.06 |
| 18 | Saint Louis, MO | $51,406 | $24.71 |
A quality control scientist's salary ranges from $50,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $112,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $112,000 | $9,333 | $54 |
| 75th Percentile | $93,000 | $7,750 | $45 |
| Average | $75,410 | $6,284 | $36 |
| 25th Percentile | $61,000 | $5,083 | $29 |
| 10th Percentile | $50,000 | $4,167 | $24 |
The highest paying types of quality control scientists are scientist, senior chemist, and research and development scientist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laboratory Analyst | $44,024 | $3,669 | $21.17 | 44,074 |
| Chemical Technician | $42,584 | $3,549 | $20.47 | 40,191 |
| Chemist | $64,961 | $5,413 | $31.23 | 20,221 |
| Research And Development Chemist | $77,233 | $6,436 | $37.13 | 100,225 |
| Research Chemist | $75,843 | $6,320 | $36.46 | 53,769 |
| Analytical Chemist | $61,573 | $5,131 | $29.60 | 14,661 |
Top companies hiring quality control scientists now:
Quality control scientist salaries at Bristol-Myers Squibb and Genentech are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average quality control scientist salary at companies like FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies and Novo Nordisk are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bristol-Myers Squibb | $104,627 | $50.30 |
| 2 | Genentech | $103,272 | $49.65 |
| 3 | FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies | $102,083 | $49.08 |
| 4 | Novo Nordisk | $97,739 | $46.99 |
| 5 | Alexion Pharmaceuticals | $94,041 | $45.21 |
| 6 | BASF | $89,307 | $42.94 |
| 7 | Los Alamos National Laboratory | $88,478 | $42.54 |
| 8 | Syngenta | $86,803 | $41.73 |
| 9 | Ortho Clinical Diagnostics | $85,804 | $41.25 |
| 10 | Alpha Consulting | $85,715 | $41.21 |
| 11 | Johnson Matthey Plc | $85,368 | $41.04 |
| 12 | Corning Incorporated | $84,796 | $40.77 |
| 13 | Elanco | $83,201 | $40.00 |
| 14 | ImClone Systems LLC | $82,895 | $39.85 |
| 15 | Thermo Fisher Scientific | $80,960 | $38.92 |
| 16 | Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | $80,580 | $38.74 |
| 17 | Commonwealth Fusion Systems | $80,216 | $38.57 |
| 18 | Sanofi US | $80,130 | $38.52 |
| 19 | Regeneron | $79,504 | $38.22 |
| 20 | Sanofi Genzyme | $77,603 | $37.31 |
The average quality control scientist salary has risen by $13,426 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average quality control scientist earned $61,984 annually, but today, they earn $75,410 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for quality control scientists over the last decade.
Compare quality control scientist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare quality control scientist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $75,400 | $36.25 | +3.6% |
| 2024 | $72,700 | $34.93 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | $71,400 | $34.33 | +3.2% |
| 2022 | $69,100 | $33.23 | +4.3% |
| 2021 | $66,200 | $31.82 | +1.6% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Regent | QC Particulate Scientist II | Shirley, NY | 06/30/2025 | $79,900 |
| Bristol Myers Squibb | Scientist, QC Analytical | Devens, MA | 06/28/2025 | $99,380 |
| Kelly Services | QC Molecular Scientist | Gaithersburg, MD | 06/28/2025 | $89,741 |
| Actalent | QC Scientist-Hplc | Saint Louis, MO | 06/27/2025 | $62,610 |
| Actalent | QC Scientist I | Columbus, OH | 06/27/2025 | $50,088 |
| Actalent | QC Scientist Reviewer | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 06/27/2025 | $66,784 |
| Sirius Staffing | QC Data Review Scientist-Night Shift | Charles City, IA | 06/27/2025 | $58,000 |
| Amneal Pharmaceuticals | Scientist, Quality Control | Piscataway, NJ | 06/26/2025 | $70,000 |
| Jubilant Bhartia Group | MTV QC Scientist I/II, Weekday Shift | Spokane, WA | 06/22/2025 | $56,370 |
| Eli Lilly and Company | Scientist-QC | Lebanon, IN | 06/20/2025 | $63,000 |
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