How much does a human factors scientist make?

The average human factors scientist salary in the United States is $87,720. Human factors scientist salaries typically range between $59,000 and $129,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for human factors scientists is $42.17 per hour. Human factors scientist salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Human factors scientists earn the highest average salary in New Jersey.

Human factors scientist salary

Q: What state pays Human Factors Scientists the most?

New Jersey pays Human Factors Scientists the most in the United States, with an average salary of $100,081 per year, or $48.12 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a human factors scientist?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a human factors scientist if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Alaska you should be paid close to $97,887 per year.

Average human factors scientist salary

$87,720

$42.17 hourly rate

Entry-level human factors scientist salary

$59,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Human Factors Scientist Salary Overview

As of October 2025, the average salary for a Human Factors Scientist is $87,720 annually. This figure represents a typical hourly wage of $42. The salary can fluctuate significantly based on various factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry of employment.

Salary by State

In states like California, New York, and Virginia, Human Factors Scientists often earn higher salaries due to demand and cost of living considerations. For example, in California, the average salary may exceed $100,000, reflecting the high demand for professionals in the tech and healthcare sectors.

Experience Matters

Entry-level positions typically start at around $60,000, while seasoned professionals with specialized skills can earn well above $100,000. It's vital for aspiring Human Factors Scientists to continually develop their skills and seek certifications that enhance their expertise.

Job Opportunities

Opportunities for Human Factors Scientists are expanding across multiple sectors, including technology, healthcare, and product design. With the increasing focus on user-centered design and safety, this field offers substantial career growth potential.

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Human factors scientist salary by:

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Where can a Human Factors Scientist earn more?

Compare salary by location

118k

98k

78k

58k

38k

Columbus, OH$101,840

Silver Spring, MD$68,369

Compare salary by company

143k

123k

103k

83k

63k

43k

Amazon$119,698

Helix High School$72,727

Human factors scientist salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Glassdoor and Comparably, the average salary for a human factors scientist typically falls between $87,720 and $149,013.

zippia

$87,720yearly

glassdoor[1]

$97,782yearly

comparably[2]

$149,013yearly

Average human factors scientist salary by state

The highest-paying states for human factors scientists are New Jersey, Alaska, and California. The lowest average human factors scientist salary states are Hawaii, Ohio, and Louisiana.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for human factors scientists

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Alaska	$97,887	$47.06
2	New Jersey	$100,081	$48.12
3	Vermont	$85,997	$41.34
4	Nevada	$91,834	$44.15
5	Wyoming	$83,443	$40.12
6	Minnesota	$88,709	$42.65
7	Delaware	$83,348	$40.07
8	Georgia	$87,100	$41.88
9	Michigan	$86,863	$41.76
10	West Virginia	$86,630	$41.65
11	Oregon	$84,709	$40.73
12	New Mexico	$82,616	$39.72
13	Rhode Island	$83,843	$40.31
14	California	$94,843	$45.60
15	Pennsylvania	$79,386	$38.17
16	Oklahoma	$86,257	$41.47
17	Massachusetts	$88,435	$42.52
18	Maine	$79,923	$38.42
19	North Dakota	$77,145	$37.09
20	North Carolina	$77,596	$37.31
21	Washington	$84,556	$40.65
22	Utah	$79,564	$38.25
23	Tennessee	$79,643	$38.29
24	Texas	$80,260	$38.59
25	Arizona	$78,612	$37.79
26	Illinois	$77,593	$37.30
27	Colorado	$79,489	$38.22
28	New York	$76,698	$36.87
29	Idaho	$77,679	$37.35
30	District of Columbia	$82,268	$39.55
31	Virginia	$74,759	$35.94
32	Connecticut	$72,673	$34.94
33	New Hampshire	$71,815	$34.53
34	Mississippi	$76,849	$36.95
35	Missouri	$73,692	$35.43
36	Wisconsin	$69,651	$33.49
37	Arkansas	$73,743	$35.45
38	Maryland	$68,510	$32.94
39	Hawaii	$65,749	$31.61
40	Nebraska	$72,644	$34.92
41	Kansas	$68,808	$33.08
42	Florida	$72,424	$34.82
43	Iowa	$69,623	$33.47
44	Alabama	$70,712	$34.00
45	South Dakota	$59,030	$28.38
46	Montana	$61,369	$29.50
47	Indiana	$67,974	$32.68
48	Ohio	$65,557	$31.52
49	Kentucky	$66,878	$32.15
50	South Carolina	$62,364	$29.98
51	Louisiana	$64,280	$30.90

Top human factors scientist jobs near you

Highest paying cities for human factors scientists

The highest-paying cities for human factors scientists are San Francisco, CA, Minneapolis, MN, and Boston, MA.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	San Francisco, CA	$101,840	$48.96
2	Minneapolis, MN	$88,678	$42.63
3	Boston, MA	$88,492	$42.54
4	Atlanta, GA	$87,029	$41.84
5	Seattle, WA	$85,630	$41.17
6	Washington, DC	$82,320	$39.58
7	Philadelphia, PA	$79,762	$38.35
8	Phoenix, AZ	$78,711	$37.84
9	Chicago, IL	$78,096	$37.55
10	New York, NY	$76,776	$36.91
11	Arlington, VA	$76,068	$36.57
12	Idaho Falls, ID	$73,379	$35.28
13	Montgomery, AL	$70,798	$34.04
14	Silver Spring, MD	$68,369	$32.87

Human factors scientist salary details

A human factors scientist's salary ranges from $59,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $129,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average human factors scientist salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a human factors scientist's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$129,000	$10,750	$62
75th Percentile	$107,000	$8,917	$51
Average	$87,720	$7,310	$42
25th Percentile	$71,000	$5,917	$34
10th Percentile	$59,000	$4,917	$28

Highest paying human factors scientist jobs

The highest paying types of human factors scientists are president ergonomic consulting, scientist, and human factors engineer.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Scientist	$97,344	$8,112	$46.80	62,467
Staff Scientist	$93,941	$7,828	$45.16	121,054
Human Factors Engineer	$96,426	$8,036	$46.36	57,075

Top companies hiring human factors scientists now:

Which companies pay human factors scientists the most?

Human factors scientist salaries at Amazon and Battelle are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average human factors scientist salary at companies like EPAM Systems and Kinsley Power Systems are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Amazon	$119,698	$57.55
2	Battelle	$111,938	$53.82
3	EPAM Systems	$98,077	$47.15
4	Kinsley Power Systems	$96,542	$46.41
5	Alaka`ina Foundation Family Of Companies	$93,989	$45.19
6	Medtronic	$93,513	$44.96
7	Medstar Health	$92,861	$44.64
8	Honeywell	$91,977	$44.22
9	Idaho National Lab	$86,322	$41.50
10	Exponent	$83,660	$40.22
11	IDEO	$79,247	$38.10
12	Helix High School	$72,727	$34.96

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$91,000$90,200$89,400$88,600$87,800$87,000

MaleFemale

Human factors scientist salary trends

The average human factors scientist salary has risen by $11,548 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average human factors scientist earned $76,172 annually, but today, they earn $87,720 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for human factors scientists over the last decade.

Compare human factors scientist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average human factors scientist salary over time

Compare human factors scientist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Human factors scientist salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2026	$87,700	$42.17	+1.0%
2025	$86,800	$41.73	+1.1%
2024	$85,800	$41.27	+1.3%
2023	$84,700	$40.72	+1.8%
2022	$83,100	$39.97	+1.0%

Recently added human factors scientist salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Exponent	Human Factors Scientist (M.S./M.A./Ph.D.)	Bellevue, WA	06/10/2025	$101,000
Exponent	Human Factors Scientist (PH.D.)	Chicago, IL	04/28/2025	$104,000
Exponent, Inc.	Human Factors Scientist (M.S./M.A./Ph.D.)	Bellevue, WA	04/19/2025	$104,000
Magellan Health Services	Human Subjects Protection Scientist (Hsps) I-Administrative Support	Maryland	04/05/2025	$50,225
Exponent	Human Factors Scientist (PH.D.)	Bellevue, WA	03/31/2025	$104,000
Exponent	Human Factors Scientist (PH.D.)	Chicago, IL	03/27/2025	$104,000
Msccn	Human Subjects Protection Scientist II Mid Level-Fort Detrick	Maryland	02/23/2025	$70,715
Exponent	Human Factors Scientist (PH.D.)	Bellevue, WA	02/19/2025	$104,000
Magellan Federal	Human Subjects Protection Scientist (Hsps) I-Administrative Support	Maryland	02/18/2025	$50,225
Magellan Health Services	Human Subjects Protection Scientist (Hsps) I-Administrative Support	Frederick, MD	02/14/2025	$50,225

Human factors scientist salary FAQs

What state pays Human Factors Scientists the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a human factors scientist?

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Updated December 15, 2025

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