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Technical scientist salary
Average technical scientist salary
$90,867
Understanding Technical Scientist Salaries
A Technical Scientist plays a vital role in various industries, utilizing scientific principles to solve technical problems. The average annual salary for a Technical Scientist is $90,867, but this figure can fluctuate significantly based on geographical location, industry sector, and years of experience.
In states like California and Massachusetts, salaries can be notably higher, reaching upwards of $100,000 annually. Additionally, specialized roles within fields such as biotechnology or pharmaceuticals typically offer better compensation. For instance, positions that require advanced technical skills or managerial responsibilities may command salaries well above the average.
Furthermore, the demand for Technical Scientists is expected to continue growing. This trend provides promising job opportunities for individuals entering this field. Those interested in pursuing a career as a Technical Scientist should consider factors such as location, industry, and required qualifications when evaluating salary expectations.
As you explore your career options, utilize resources like Zippia to compare salaries by state, experience level, and specific job roles. This information will help you make informed decisions about your future in the technical sciences.
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Where can a Technical Scientist earn more?
Technical scientist salary estimates from across the web
Average technical scientist salary by state
The highest-paying states for technical scientists are California, Montana, and Delaware. The lowest average technical scientist salary states are Nebraska, Louisiana, and Utah.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for technical scientists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware | $101,096 | $48.60 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $96,015 | $46.16 |
| 3 | Nevada | $91,001 | $43.75 |
| 4 | Maine | $91,860 | $44.16 |
| 5 | California | $109,460 | $52.63 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $88,666 | $42.63 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $97,933 | $47.08 |
| 8 | Indiana | $90,762 | $43.64 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $82,352 | $39.59 |
| 10 | Alaska | $90,476 | $43.50 |
| 11 | Montana | $103,546 | $49.78 |
| 12 | Tennessee | $91,540 | $44.01 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $86,024 | $41.36 |
| 14 | Arizona | $84,208 | $40.48 |
| 15 | North Carolina | $79,164 | $38.06 |
| 16 | Michigan | $81,245 | $39.06 |
| 17 | Colorado | $80,946 | $38.92 |
| 18 | Oregon | $88,689 | $42.64 |
| 19 | Washington | $85,970 | $41.33 |
| 20 | Ohio | $76,703 | $36.88 |
| 21 | Hawaii | $94,800 | $45.58 |
| 22 | Maryland | $82,589 | $39.71 |
| 23 | Illinois | $75,790 | $36.44 |
| 24 | South Dakota | $73,637 | $35.40 |
| 25 | Idaho | $73,791 | $35.48 |
| 26 | New York | $74,754 | $35.94 |
| 27 | Arkansas | $75,339 | $36.22 |
| 28 | New Mexico | $72,567 | $34.89 |
| 29 | Wyoming | $78,609 | $37.79 |
| 30 | Oklahoma | $76,487 | $36.77 |
| 31 | Rhode Island | $77,768 | $37.39 |
| 32 | Iowa | $74,497 | $35.82 |
| 33 | Virginia | $77,639 | $37.33 |
| 34 | Vermont | $76,926 | $36.98 |
| 35 | Missouri | $71,931 | $34.58 |
| 36 | North Dakota | $67,339 | $32.37 |
| 37 | District of Columbia | $81,144 | $39.01 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | $68,673 | $33.02 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $69,889 | $33.60 |
| 40 | Alabama | $70,835 | $34.06 |
| 41 | West Virginia | $69,018 | $33.18 |
| 42 | Kansas | $68,390 | $32.88 |
| 43 | Florida | $67,001 | $32.21 |
| 44 | Texas | $62,364 | $29.98 |
| 45 | New Hampshire | $72,316 | $34.77 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $62,027 | $29.82 |
| 47 | Georgia | $55,705 | $26.78 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $58,460 | $28.11 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $61,532 | $29.58 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $59,185 | $28.45 |
| 51 | Utah | $61,109 | $29.38 |
Highest paying cities for technical scientists
The highest-paying cities for technical scientists are Novato, CA, Elizabeth, NJ, and Indianapolis, IN.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Novato, CA | $116,709 | $56.11 |
| 2 | Elizabeth, NJ | $98,009 | $47.12 |
| 3 | Indianapolis, IN | $90,662 | $43.59 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $88,621 | $42.61 |
| 5 | Seattle, WA | $86,546 | $41.61 |
| 6 | Frederick, MD | $82,533 | $39.68 |
| 7 | Philadelphia, PA | $82,445 | $39.64 |
| 8 | Wyandotte, MI | $81,245 | $39.06 |
| 9 | Holly Springs, NC | $79,451 | $38.20 |
| 10 | North Chicago, IL | $76,008 | $36.54 |
| 11 | New York, NY | $74,821 | $35.97 |
| 12 | Gainesville, FL | $68,114 | $32.75 |
| 13 | Irving, TX | $62,169 | $29.89 |
Technical scientist salary details
A technical scientist's salary ranges from $66,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $125,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a technical scientist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $125,000 | $10,417 | $60 |
| 75th Percentile | $107,000 | $8,917 | $51 |
| Average | $90,867 | $7,572 | $44 |
| 25th Percentile | $76,000 | $6,333 | $37 |
| 10th Percentile | $66,000 | $5,500 | $32 |
Highest paying technical scientist jobs
The highest paying types of technical scientists are senior scientist, scientist, and staff scientist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research Fellow | $53,823 | $4,485 | $25.88 | 59,746 |
| Laboratory Analyst | $44,024 | $3,669 | $21.17 | 44,074 |
| Chemist | $64,961 | $5,413 | $31.23 | 20,221 |
| Quality Control Analyst | $59,217 | $4,935 | $28.47 | 85,546 |
| Microbiologist | $54,620 | $4,552 | $26.26 | 11,444 |
| Quality Control Chemist | $58,892 | $4,908 | $28.31 | 90,467 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for technical scientists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Dr. Howard Whiteman
Professor of Biological Sciences, Director of the Watershed Studies Institute, Murray State University
Top companies hiring technical scientists now:
Which companies pay technical scientists the most?
Technical scientist salaries at Apple and Amazon are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average technical scientist salary at companies like Genentech and Biogen are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $129,731 | $62.37 |
| 2 | Amazon | $120,575 | $57.97 |
| 3 | Genentech | $111,691 | $53.70 |
| 4 | Biogen | $108,663 | $52.24 |
| 5 | BioMarin | $106,246 | $51.08 |
| 6 | 10x Genomics | $106,109 | $51.01 |
| 7 | Bloomberg | $105,920 | $50.92 |
| 8 | FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies | $104,376 | $50.18 |
| 9 | Bayer | $104,366 | $50.18 |
| 10 | Cytokinetics | $104,029 | $50.01 |
| 11 | Medimmune | $103,287 | $49.66 |
| 12 | Eli Lilly and Company | $102,749 | $49.40 |
| 13 | AbbVie | $102,456 | $49.26 |
| 14 | Bristol-Myers Squibb | $101,718 | $48.90 |
| 15 | Agilent Technologies | $100,920 | $48.52 |
| 16 | Ashland | $100,062 | $48.11 |
| 17 | Carestream | $99,976 | $48.07 |
| 18 | Boehringer Ingelheim | $99,187 | $47.69 |
| 19 | FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA | $98,887 | $47.54 |
| 20 | Yahoo | $98,635 | $47.42 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Technical scientist salary trends
The average technical scientist salary has risen by $15,272 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average technical scientist earned $75,595 annually, but today, they earn $90,867 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for technical scientists over the last decade.
Compare technical scientist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average technical scientist salary over time
Compare technical scientist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Technical scientist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $90,900 | $43.69 | +3.0% |
| 2024 | $88,200 | $42.39 | +4.5% |
| 2023 | $84,200 | $40.49 | +3.2% |
| 2022 | $81,500 | $39.19 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | $80,000 | $38.44 | -2.1% |
Recently added technical scientist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gilead Sciences, Inc. | Scientist, Discovery Sciences & Technologies | Foster City, CA | 06/26/2025 | $146,540 |
| Abbott Laboratories | Scientist, Technical Support | Irving, TX | 06/24/2025 | $66,700 |
| Amazon.com, Inc. | Applied Scientist, Customer Engagement Technology | Seattle, WA | 06/16/2025 | $136,000 |
| Amazon.com, Inc. | Applied Scientist, Customer Engagement Technology | Santa Clara, CA | 06/16/2025 | $136,000 |
| Global Channel Management | Tech Transfer Scientist/Engineer. | Chesterfield, MO | 06/10/2025 | $110,611 |
| Twist Bioscience | Scientific Technical Support Scientist-Synbio | South San Francisco, CA | 06/09/2025 | $100,000 |
| Syngenta Group | Technical Scientist | Upper Pittsgrove, NJ | 06/07/2025 | $57,600 |
| Astrazeneca PLC | Scientist I-Microbial Antibodies and Technologies | Gaithersburg, MD | 05/28/2025 | $80,653 |
| Amazon.com, Inc. | Applied Scientist, Customer Engagement Technology | Seattle, WA | 05/27/2025 | $136,000 |
| Montrose Environmental Group | Emerging Technology Scientist (AIR Quality Scientist) | Arvada, CO | 05/27/2025 | $75,000 |
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