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Manufacturing scientist salary

Average manufacturing scientist salary

$87,366

$42 hourly rate

Entry-level manufacturing scientist salary
$62,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding Manufacturing Scientist Salaries

A Manufacturing Scientist plays a pivotal role in the production process, focusing on improving manufacturing techniques and ensuring product quality. The average salary of $87,366 reflects the demand and value of this role in various industries. Factors influencing this salary include:

  • Location: States like California and Massachusetts often offer higher salaries due to higher living costs and demand for skilled professionals.
  • Experience: Entry-level positions may start lower, but experienced scientists can command significantly higher salaries.
  • Specialization: Areas such as pharmaceuticals or biotechnology may offer more lucrative opportunities.

Additionally, salaries can vary by employer and the complexity of the projects undertaken. For those interested in pursuing a career as a Manufacturing Scientist, it’s essential to research potential employers and understand the specific requirements and expectations in your desired industry. Keeping abreast of industry trends can also help in negotiating better compensation packages.

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Where can a Manufacturing Scientist earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
125k
105k
85k
65k
45k
25k
Columbus, OH$108,924
Saint Louis, MO$55,326
Compare salary by company
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125k
105k
85k
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Lumileds$113,604
Lilly & Company$74,856

Manufacturing scientist salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and Payscale, the average salary for a manufacturing scientist typically falls between $52,804 and $93,683.
zippia
$87,366yearly
glassdoor[1]
$93,683yearly
Salary.com[2]
$63,685yearly
ZipRecruiter[3]
$75,695yearly
payscale[4]
$52,804yearly

Average manufacturing scientist salary by state

The average manufacturing scientist salary in California, Montana, and Rhode Island are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average manufacturing scientist salary states are Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for manufacturing scientists

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1California$102,045$49.06
2New Jersey$98,369$47.29
3Minnesota$97,329$46.79
4Rhode Island$99,599$47.88
5Massachusetts$90,438$43.48
6Montana$100,333$48.24
7Connecticut$89,983$43.26
8Oregon$87,160$41.90
9Delaware$86,038$41.36
10Nevada$96,502$46.40
11Maine$88,204$42.41
12Indiana$88,035$42.32
13New York$86,230$41.46
14Michigan$81,041$38.96
15Washington$83,483$40.14
16Pennsylvania$79,121$38.04
17Tennessee$86,225$41.45
18Wyoming$76,345$36.70
19Virginia$80,561$38.73
20Arizona$82,310$39.57
21West Virginia$76,165$36.62
22Alaska$86,842$41.75
23Maryland$77,274$37.15
24Hawaii$89,268$42.92
25Vermont$74,676$35.90
26North Carolina$71,137$34.20
27Wisconsin$73,850$35.50
28Idaho$77,719$37.36
29Colorado$76,698$36.87
30Illinois$73,748$35.46
31New Hampshire$71,567$34.41
32Ohio$72,711$34.96
33South Dakota$67,892$32.64
34Kentucky$69,641$33.48
35Arkansas$73,521$35.35
36New Mexico$69,306$33.32
37Oklahoma$74,392$35.77
38Texas$70,195$33.75
39North Dakota$64,779$31.14
40Alabama$63,254$30.41
41Iowa$64,668$31.09
42Utah$64,270$30.90
43District of Columbia$71,225$34.24
44Kansas$65,176$31.33
45Florida$63,099$30.34
46Mississippi$63,177$30.37
47Georgia$64,365$30.94
48Nebraska$64,877$31.19
49Missouri$55,048$26.47
50South Carolina$59,214$28.47
51Louisiana$54,700$26.30

Highest paying cities for manufacturing scientists

The highest-paying cities for manufacturing scientists are Novato, CA, Chaska, MN, and Worcester, MA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Novato, CA$108,924$52.37
2Chaska, MN$97,225$46.74
3Worcester, MA$90,672$43.59
4Elkhart, IN$88,702$42.65
5Central Islip, NY$86,438$41.56
6Clinton, MI$81,103$38.99
7Lynchburg, VA$80,223$38.57
8Philadelphia, PA$79,269$38.11
9Frederick, MD$77,316$37.17
10Round Lake Beach, IL$74,046$35.60
11Madison, WI$73,728$35.45
12Columbus, OH$72,631$34.92
13Greenville, NC$71,594$34.42
14Austin, TX$70,452$33.87
15Saint Louis, MO$55,326$26.60

Manufacturing scientist salary details

A manufacturing scientist's salary ranges from $62,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $122,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average manufacturing scientist salary graph
Average manufacturing scientist salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a manufacturing scientist's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$122,000$10,167$59
75th Percentile$104,000$8,667$50
Average$87,366$7,281$42
25th Percentile$73,000$6,083$35
10th Percentile$62,000$5,167$30

Highest paying manufacturing scientist jobs

The highest paying types of manufacturing scientists are senior scientist, scientist, and staff scientist.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Chemical Technician$42,584$3,549$20.4740,191
Laboratory Analyst$44,024$3,669$21.1744,074
Quality Control$32,824$2,735$15.7883,496
Chemist$64,961$5,413$31.2320,221
Research And Development Chemist$77,233$6,436$37.13100,225
Quality Control Chemist$58,892$4,908$28.3190,467

Top companies hiring manufacturing scientists now:

  1. BioMarin jobs (8)
  2. Agilent Technologies jobs (2)
  3. Bristol-Myers Squibb jobs (2)
  4. Adaptimmune jobs (3)
  5. DuPont jobs (3)

Which companies pay manufacturing scientists the most?

Manufacturing scientist salaries at Lumileds and BioMarin are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average manufacturing scientist salary at companies like Agilent Technologies and Eli Lilly and Company are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Lumileds$113,604$54.62
2BioMarin$105,419$50.68
3Agilent Technologies$100,814$48.47
4Eli Lilly and Company$100,211$48.18
5Novartis$99,979$48.07
6Bio-Rad Laboratories$99,957$48.06
7Albemarle$99,015$47.60
8Adaptimmune$98,654$47.43
9DuPont$95,916$46.11
10Promega$95,299$45.82
11Mars$95,093$45.72
12CTG$94,689$45.52
13Nuclear Fuel Services$93,050$44.74
14Elanco$92,177$44.32
15Alpha Consulting$91,322$43.90
16BWX Technologies$88,279$42.44
17Thermo Fisher Scientific$87,006$41.83
18Life Tech International$78,677$37.83
19Ionis Pharmaceuticals$77,609$37.31
20Lilly & Company$74,856$35.99

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$86,000$85,800$85,600$85,400$85,200$85,000
MaleFemale

Manufacturing scientist salary trends

The average manufacturing scientist salary has risen by $14,684 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average manufacturing scientist earned $72,682 annually, but today, they earn $87,366 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for manufacturing scientists over the last decade.

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

Average manufacturing scientist salary over time

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

Manufacturing scientist salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$87,400$42.00+3.0%
2024$84,800$40.75+4.5%
2023$81,000$38.93+3.2%
2022$78,400$37.68+1.9%
2021$76,900$36.96-2.1%

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